- Mar 11, 2021
Updated: Sep 7, 2021
Interactive videos can used within content marketing strategies to create immersive and clickable promotional material.
Interactive video engages a viewer, resulting in longer viewing time. Viewers may be able to click on areas of the video to learn more about a product and may even be able to purchase it straight from the shoppable video. Brands can track every interaction that is made within the video, leading to a better understanding of their consumer. Viewers are turned into qualified traffic towards E-commerce sites and as a result, the path to purchase is shortened. 88% of marketers say at least 10% of their content will be interactive in the next two years.
With 300 hours of videos added to YouTube every minute and 500 million people using Instagram stories daily, it is important for brands to be heard above the online noise. So, if you are looking for inspiration for your next campaign, here are our top ten brand examples of interactive video:
1. Quizzes: Personicom X Vyond
Personicom's interaction video allows the viewer to input their details to receive personalised life insurance offers based on their preferences. The cartoon character guides the consumer through the process, turning the mundane activity of shopping for life insurance into an immersive, engaging and easy to understand experience.
2. Shoppable Video: IKEA X WIREWAX
In this video, IKEA turns everyday activities into a David Attenborough style documentary. Throughout the shoppable video the viewer can hover over IKEA's homeware products to view more information and then "shop now" by clicking the call-to-action. This will then direct the viewer to the brands ecommerce to make a purchase. If not, they can return to their previous place in the interactive video to continue the experience.
3. Interactive Social Media Content: VW Golf X Smartzer
Volkswagen and Smartzer joined forces to create interaction videos on Instagram stories and through in feed ads. Smartzer's interactive video platform allowed the brand to create an exciting and dynamic video of the car. Viewers were able to explore areas of the vehicle by selecting each part in the clickable side bar. A call-to-action encouraged consumers to "book a test drive". The ad was highly effective, encouraging a 62% engagement rate and a 27% CTR.
4. Digital Wholesale/ Virtual Showrooms: Le New Black X Kenzo
By partnering with interactive, digital wholesaler, Le New Black, Kenzo was able to create a digital showroom. The brand highlighted their new collection online, when in-person showrooms were prohibited due to the pandemic. Le New Black allows brands to exhibit their products in a 360 degree showroom. So, retailers can zoom, spin, swipe items to view them in detail online. The B2B use of interactive and shoppable video is proving to be highly effective and will no doubt increase over the next years.
5. Interactive, Shoppable Livestream: Walmart
In December 2020, Walmart took to TikTok to launch a shoppable livestream featuring their favourite fashion pieces for Christmas. Viewers could buy the products by clicking product pins and adding them to their cart. A mobile check out would appear at the end of the stream for viewers to complete purchases. The experience was so popular that Walmart is recreating this experience at 9am US time on 11 March 2021 on TikTok. The interactive live stream will be a beauty tutorial lasting 60 minutes, featuring brands like L'Oréal, Maybelline, NYX and Marc Jacobs. Host, Gaby Morrison, will broadcast to her 3.5 million followers on the platform.
6. Customisable Video: Nike Air Max DIA X WIREWAX
When it comes to interaction videos, customisability and personalisation can be the most fun and exciting activity to engage with. Here, viewers can choose their own advert for a photoshoot. The stylist talks the viewer through each product and gives a clear representation of how the clothes may look in real life. The fresh take on style advising helps to bring the offline shopping experience, online.
7. Interactive Travel Videos: Amazing Thailand X Smartzer
Smarter and Amazing Thailand partnered to make this interactive travel video. The interactive areas of the video tell the viewer more about attractions in Thailand and show a realistic and beautiful portrayal of the country. Using a wide range of content Smartzer tagged different experiences, spa & wellness possibilities, hotels, luxury tour packages and some culinary must-go places, which a viewer can explore from the comfort of their own home by clicking on the video.
8. Gamified Experience: LIFESAVER Interactive film by Martin Piercy
This promotional ad for LIFESAVER provides the viewer with scenario based options. The viewer can learn how to save a life by making decisions that affect the stories outcome. The video shows the consumer how to do CPR correctly to save a life.
9. Interactive Livestream: Burberry X Twitch
Achieving 32,000 concurrent views, Burberry took their SS21 fashion show live using Amazon owned streaming service, Twitch. Viewers were given a front row seat to the show from their living rooms, a rare opportunity for many fashion fans. The inclusive stream allowed viewers to discuss the show in a chat room with guest appearances from celebrities like Bella Hadid and Erykah Badu. The community feel generated by livestream made viewers feel connected to the brand and immersed them in a unique online experience.
10. Decide Your Destiny: Netflix's Blackmirror: Bandersnatch
This unique episode of Blackmirror allowed viewers to make decisions for the protagonist to essentially choose whether he lives, dies, succeeds or fails. The interaction video had a possible 35 endings. However, producer, Charlie Brooker, said there could possibly be more and had lost track of how many possibilities there could be for the viewer.
Summary
All of these examples use interactive video platforms to the best of their ability successfully engaging and astounding the viewer. The thrilling content creates a user experience like no other that stays in the mind of the consumer. If brands can successfully harness this technology now, anything could be possible for video content marketing in the future.
- Mar 3, 2021
The past year has been a weird one. With people told to stay home and events cancelled, it has been hard to find anything to look forward to. However, brands and events have been looking to overcome this barrier to create exciting experiences for viewers to watch online at home.
In 2021, London Fashion Week was entirely digital with fashion shows being live streamed online. 95 brands took part this season with the likes of Bora Aksu filming at the Tate Britain for an exciting and immersive at home viewing experience.
On the LFW website, viewers can browse the collections featured or enter the DiscoveryLAB to discover and connect with fresh, emerging brands. Additionally, the show was fully open for wholesale to shop live and follow links to the designers digital showrooms and contacts for sales enquiries under the 'industry' tab. Fashion enthusiasts could listen to podcasts and read stories about trends, brand origins and more.
LONDON show ROOMS provides an opportunity for emerging British designers to promote their brands to international audiences and Positive Fashion provided conversations about environmental, diversity, supply chain, ethics and responsibility in fashion.
People could also shop live fashion drops and collections from LFW designers and audience participation was encouraged by #LFW to start conversations about the event.
Video interactivity was encouraged by luxury handbag brand SEVDA LONDON. Presented by the British Fashion Council, the form of streaming commerce features women modelling the brands latest handbag release. The viewer can click on the products to find out more and the option to "SHOP" with the call-to-action. The viewer can also click to reveal the side bar that shows the whole collection to shop from the video. SEVDA also features on JOOR, a wholesale platform that supports video interactivity for product viewing. Here, retailers can technically shop live streamed fashion shows after release. This form of streaming commerce is an exciting new way for buyers to virtually view collections.
While in-person shows are prohibited, brands must think of new ways to reach viewers at home. By mastering video interactivity and streaming commerce, brands could reach immersive, inclusive and innovative new heights during LFW 2021.
- Mar 1, 2021
Updated: Mar 10, 2021
MAKING JEAN HUNTING SIMPLE WITH SHOPPABLE VIDEO
French, women's fashion brand, Promod, has mastered the art of video interaction with their new styling campaign:
Everyone knows the struggle of finding new jeans that are flattering and comfortable. With most retailers selling exclusively online, the task can be even harder. However, by using Smartzer's interactive video platform, Promod's video on their ecommerce site gives women the confidence to buy their perfect pair of jeans online.
In the shoppable video style advisor, Valerie, presents Promod's jeans and explains how to style them for multiple body types. The immersive, styling video honestly shows the clothes in action, giving the viewers all the information they need to make a purchase.
The interactive video brings all of the benefits of in-person shopping online with informative styling advice and easy product access direct from the video.
Execution:
Smartzer's interactive video platform allows brands like Promod to tag videos with products to make them shoppable. Items were tagged into the clickable overlay through the Smartzer Product Import feature. Following this, Smartzer helped to integrate the interaction video seamlessly into Promod's campaign landing page by customising the player to match the Promod onsite style. Viewers can now click on the products modeled by various women to choose their favourites from a group popup. The call-to-action "Je Fonce" or "I'm Going For It" takes customers to the product pages to find information or add to their basket.
Explore the campaign here!
Results:
The sleek and stylish interactive video generated an engagement rate of over 55% and a click-through-rate of over 10%. Clearly succeeding in grabbing the attention of the audience while driving customers further down the purchase funnel.
Conclusion:
Promod succeeded in making a creative and informative interactive video. By using Smartzer's interactive video platform to tag videos Promod recreated the offline customer service experience online. As a result, viewers could feel confident to buy their dream jeans online.