Currently, the marketplace is becoming a crowded playground filled with top brands competing for attention. Companies need to use a tool that can provide them with an edge and today that edge is ‘Interactive Ads’.

An interactive advertisement is exactly what it says on the tin, it is an opportunity for consumers to not just watch but click, swipe and interact with the brands marketing material.

 

 

(Pedigree, 2014)

 

As we know, video is a more effective than text however here are some essential points made by 17 Production:

 

  • 60 percent of people prefer video over reading text,
  • Video keeps consumers on the brands material longer,
  • Video is more memorable compared to written content.

 

(17 Production, 2016)

 

Industry stats:

·      81% of Marketers Think Interactive Content Grabs Readers’ Attention,

·      Over 80% of Digital Ads are Ignored (banner ads, pop ups,

·      88% of Marketers say Interactive Content Differentiates Them From Their Competitors,

·      Visual Content is More Likely to Be Shared on Social Media.

 (Outgrow, 2013)

 

Reasoning to the success of interactive advertisements:

According to Vubiquity (2015), a study revealed 44% of all users surveyed said they watched viral videos on their phone with 37% using the device to watch videos daily. Now think of the audience brands are targeting and engaging with via interactive advertisements before watching the viral videos… a huge digital marketing channel with lots of capacity for consumer engagement! Furthermore as a result of video being favoured over text, Clarine (2016) stated a users positive interaction with a video advertisement increases their purchase intent by 97% and brand association by 139%.

In summary, advertising via video is the ‘most efficient and scalable brand awareness channel’. Add interaction to the mix and consumers will spend longer engaging with the company!

 

Here are a few recognizable companies that have utitlised the interactive ads channel. Check out their marketing campaign by clicking on each brand name:

 

Volkswagen              Audi                Dominos                   Reebok

 

 

 

 

 

Drawbacks and critique

Critique from Novinson (2017), is that interactive advertisements can lose control and may jeopardise a company’s reputation. The delivery of the channel can often be misinterpreted and result in consumers either being offended or using the ad for the wrong reasons. Other drawbacks of the marketing channel are the financial side to it and the difficulty to measure the return of investment (ROI).

 

Heres an example of an interactive ad gone wrong…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lNerrV8wuw

 

Four essential benefits of interactive advertisements:

 

 

Overall, interactive advertisements are great IF you have the financial resources and an innovative marketing team to pull it off. Interactive ads are becoming more of a popular digital marketing channel amongst top brands through the years as technology is growing and consumers are spending more time using devices such as their phones or laptops to stream media, resulting in the utility and success of digital marketing.

 

References:

Clarine, B. (2016). 11 Reasons Why Video Is Better Than Any Other Medium. [online] AdvancedWebRanking. Available at: https://www.advancedwebranking.com/blog/11-reasons-why-video-is-better/ [Accessed 3 Jan. 2018].

Interactive Video: The New Content Marketing Must-Have. [online] Adweek.com. Available at: http://www.adweek.com/digital/interactive-video/ [Accessed 4 Jan. 2018].

Pedigree Marketing Campaign [online] Available at: http://nader.io/2014/11/23/train-the-virtual-pedigree-puppy-interactive-advertising/ [Accessed 3 Jan. 2018].

Novinson, E. (2017). Advantages & Disadvantages of Interactive Marketing. [online] Bizfluent. Available at: https://bizfluent.com/info-8165647-advantages-disadvantages-interactive-marketing.html [Accessed 3 Jan. 2018].

Video Increases website Conversions Brand Engagement ROI NYC. [online] Available at: http://17production.com/services/video-increases-engagement-website-conversions/ [Accessed 2 Jan. 2018].

Vubiquity. (2015). Get Ready: Commercial Viral Videos to Take Up Even More of Your Time. [online] Available at: https://www.emarketer.com/Article/Ready-Commercial-Viral-Videos-Take-Up-Even-More-of-Your-Time/1011020 [Accessed 5 Jan. 2018].

7 Great Examples of Interactive Ads – Marketing And Growth Hacking. [online] Available at: https://blog.markgrowth.com/7-great-examples-of-interactive-ads-7282bea17dd1 [Accessed 2 Jan. 2018].

10 Statistics That Prove Interactive Content is the Future of Digital Marketing – Outgrow. [online] Outgrow. Available at: https://outgrow.co/blog/interactive-content-future [Accessed 3 Jan. 2018].