Brands know that it’s no longer enough to simply influence perception. To be ready for what’s next, they need ads to drive action.
To explore this, Google partnered with Global Citizen to challenge 10 world-class creative and performance agencies with a brief of global importance: mobilize individuals to take action for a better world using direct response ad formats across Google and YouTube.
Working together, agencies around the world used video action campaigns with discovery ads to inspire action on social challenges across health, inequality, sustainability and education. The campaigns drove tens of thousands of people around the world to sign up as Global Citizens—a 220% increase on the average—resulting in one of Global Citizen’s most successful digital acquisition campaigns, ever.
Their journey uncovered 5 takeaways to get brands ready for what’s next.
1. Design for action
To get viewers to act, make action the center of the concept, vs. relying on a call to action at the end.
Protect the Planet leveraged ASMR sound effects, visceral immediacy and a CTA of “Stop this” that progressively reveals throughout the ad to trigger viewer action, which resulted in strong clickthrough rates. Meanwhile, Advance Equity for All paired an emotionally driven narrative with a YouTube best practice of breaking the fourth wall to deliver high average watch time and conversions per clickthrough.
From striking visuals to emotional appeals, all campaigns experimented with making action integral to the storyline—driving record conversions for Global Citizen. “The difference when creative is made with action in mind is staggering,” explained Srinivas Seshadri, director, performance marketing, Interactive Avenues India, End the Hunger Crisis. “The impact comes through in everything from the way shots are framed, to voice overlays to logo placement and CTAs.”
2. Gain efficiencies by pairing video action campaigns and discovery ads
Combining YouTube and Google ad formats in an action-driving campaign can produce more efficient results than using one ad format alone. Each agency developed incredible action-driven video action campaigns, but when paired with discovery ads, the campaigns collectively resulted in 28% lower average conversion costs.
Creating for multiple formats doesn’t have to be complex. You can simply lift stills from your video asset and use them as images in Discovery ads alongside minimal copy and a succinct CTA. For all campaigns, agencies employed this approach to drive more efficient conversions.
“When we talk about performance, the assets combined with a deep media strategy are an important part of the game to have great results,” shared Geane Mota, executive director, client solutions, Blinks Essence Brazil, End Covid For All. “That’s why we had huge numbers for Brazil’s End Covid For All—we had an excellent video action campaign combined with discovery ads to surpass the results we had projected.”
3. Create ads that hook and hold
Getting your audience’s attention—and holding on to it—means you have more opportunity to educate, engage or inspire. A more informed viewer is more likely to click and convert.
Advance Equity for All’s impressive click-to-conversion ratio indicated that the longer audiences watched, the more likely they were to click through. So, grab the viewer’s attention and then make sure you use it.
4. Best practices produce best results
Whether crafting awareness or action campaigns, the principles of YouTube’s ABCD framework and Google Ads best practices remain vital. Attracting attention quickly, integrating brand throughout and authentically connecting with audiences is essential, no matter the campaign. Once you have the attention of the viewer, be direct. Tell them what you want them to do and show them how to do it. Campaigns with people-focused creative that address the viewer directly, like End Covid For All, perform well.
Asking audiences to take action only works once they’re already paying attention. To make that happen, brands should ensure they’re making good use of best practices.
“‘Stopping this starts here’ was written to get people’s attention in the first few seconds, before encouraging them to click through to the Global Citizen website,” explained Chloe Stephenson, Creative Director, BBH London, Resume Learning.
5. Media and creative go hand in hand
The consumer journey is not linear, meaning that brands and agencies cannot operate in silos of creative and performance. To drive more effective and efficient campaigns, brands must break down these barriers.
All creative and performance agencies working on the Global Citizen campaigns partnered from the brief, through creative ideation to execution. Working collaboratively enabled campaign efficiencies and ensured all touchpoints across the customer journey were truly integrated.
“It’s vitally important for the creative concepting phase to be informed by a deep understanding of how the video is going to be consumed,” shared Abi Howson, VP, video, Jellyfish UK, Resume Learning. “Only then can we push the boundaries of formats and create videos that engage in the most impactful way.”
Whether brands are trying to change the world or drive business results, direct response ad formats on YouTube and Google have the power to share stories that drive real action. Brands that harness the power of data-driven creativity won’t only be ready for what’s next—they’ll be shaping what next looks like. Watch all the Global Citizen campaigns.
This perspective originally appeared on Think with Google.
