Quantum marketing. Data-driven marketing. Call it what you want to call it, but whatever you call it, we are in the fifth paradigm of marketing and it’s changing the way advertisers and consumers connect and how we grab consumer attention.
The proliferation of video content across formats leaves no shortage of opportunities for brands to engage with their target audiences. But consumer attention, thwart with screens in every facet of consumers’ lives, is growing blind to the thousands of messages served each day.
Data Alone Isn’t Enough—the Approach Needs to Change
Of course, with the availability of vast amounts of data, advertisers can now personalize marketing messages and target specific audiences at different stages of the funnel on just about any format – but is it enough?
As Faris Yokab proposes, “…our attention dictates what we see.” It’s only when we focus on something that we truly ‘see’ it and in an era of ADD and change blindness towards advertising, how can we really vie for the coveted currency: consumer attention?
Video ads, once primarily a top of the funnel tactic, now have the ability to drive the same engagement and conversions that were traditionally reserved for other formats. Online videos have always been great at reaping brand awareness, introducing new products or services to customers, and reaching a wide audience. But they lacked the ability to drive conversations because they did not provide a direct path to purchase.
Innovative Technology Empowers Video to Capture Consumer Attention
Enter technologies like AI and image recognition that offer the ability to make videos shoppable and interactive. Mid-funnel tactics are designed to move potential customers from the awareness stage to the consideration stage of the buying process. Shoppable video ads are effective at this stage because they provide a more immersive experience for the consumer, allowing them to explore the scene in detail—learning about the product and service (and better capturing the coveted consumer attention).
What’s more? Shoppable video ads also provide valuable data for marketers, allowing them to track engagement and conversion rates more effectively because we’re honing in on what’s capturing consumers’ attention. By analyzing this data, marketers can optimize their campaigns and improve their targeting to reach the right audience at the right time. This data-driven approach allows marketers to move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach and create an individualized customer journey that leads to higher engagement and conversions.
This month, we want to shed light on why shoppability and interactivity transform video creative into a mid-funnel tactic by way of capturing consumer attention. As the demand for immersive advertising continues to grow, brands that aren’t leaning into interactive and shoppable video ads as a key part of their marketing strategy are going to miss the mark, and more importantly, the consumer connection.