Updated: Aug 24, 2021
HOW BMW TRANSFORMED THEIR FACEBOOK AD CAMPAIGN INTO AN ENGAGING INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE FOR THE NEW 2020 BMW 4 SERIES COUPÉ
Photo: Screen capture of BMW 4 Series interactive video.
Objective
The distinctive new BMW 4 Series 4 coupé is a car that provokes a sense of athletic confidence from every angle. The vehicle features a unique kidney grille, short overhangs, and frameless windows. In order to promote the latest head-turning 4 Series model, the team at BMW and Wavemaker UK sought to entice and capture top of the funnel UK consumers with a Facebook & Instagram campaign to match.
Execution
Video: BMW Series 4 interactive ad, Instagram user experience.
In order to deliver upon the campaign KPIs, Smartzer's interactive platform was used to build a custom BMW interactive video that could be launched directly from the Facebook and Instagram ad units. In order to transform the regular image and video assets into an interactive player Smartzer first built a custom video overlay to ensure a fully branded experience. The interactive player containing all the assets was then placed as a call-to-action URL within the Facebook ads manager on a range of different ad sets and campaigns. A smart media plan was orchestrated by the team at Wavemaker UK and the ads were run across the Facebook ad network, for audiences to discover and engage with. While interacting with the video, users were able to discover the range of different new features on the car and click-through to the BMW Series 4 landing page.
Results
Video engagement = over 33%
Video CTR = over 23%
60% of clicks generated from clicking on the video
Conclusion
Capturing the attention of users through the noise of Social media can often prove challenging, however, as many businesses are struggling to engage with consumers physically, boosting engagement online has become a must. The new BMW 4 Series Facebook & Instagram ad campaign not only caught the eye of consumers but also their fingertips. Through the simple use of the Smartzer overlay prospective BMW 4 Series drivers were introduced to the new vehicle in a seamless and memorable way, setting the tone for many campaigns into the future.
Updated: Jun 23, 2021
HOW TO CONNECT CONTENT WITH COMMERCE AND STRENGTHEN THE ONSITE CONSUMER JOURNEY USING SHOPPABLE AND INTERACTIVE VIDEO
Photo: Courtesy of Ralph Lauren
In August 2020 Ralph Lauren launched a new shoppable video series featuring characters from the Netflix show Elite. A series of video shorts with different characters from the show, including Jorge López, Mina El Hammani, Ester Expósito, Álvaro Rico, Sergio Momo and Itzan Escamilla were shot on the beautiful island of Tenerife. Each video featured the astute characters outlining their rooted connections to nature, while subtly revealing their core motivations in the show. To complement the content, the Forces of Nature collection from Ralph Lauren was a golden selection of classic items, perfectly supporting the look and feel of the Elite show.
Objective
Generating exciting content for customers onsite can be a daunting task. However, the seamless Ralph Lauren and Netflix Elite partnership is a fantastic example of how to make beautiful content that not only aligns creatively with both parties but also captures the eye of customers onsite. Brand partnerships with the film and television industry are often not maximised to full potential, with the connection between the on-screen content and product sometimes being left to a visual reference for fans to pick up on. For the Elite 2020 Forces of Nature collection, Ralph Lauren, therefore, sought to explore ways in which to enrich their onsite Elite content and provide new and innovative ways for users to explore the collection while viewing the videos.
Execution
Video: Ralph Lauren x Elite, Forces of Nature campaign page (Desktop).
The Ralph Lauren Elite campaign videos were made interactive using Smartzer interactive video platform. This enabled viewers to click on the videos and discover more information about the products worn by the characters as a 'Shop The Look' functionality. The videos also featured a carousel on the left-hand side featuring all the shoppable looks, this enabled users to easily browse the full collection while watching the content. The Smartzer interactive and shoppable video is also fully mobile-optimized which enabled the vertical edits to be easily applied within the same piece of content for mobile users, providing them with a tactile user experience (see below). Given the reach of the Elite show's audience, the campaign was also launched globally with each market seeing an automatically language and currency optimized version of the shoppable video experience.
In addition to the shoppable videos, the campaign featured an automated retargeting campaign. Products clicked in interactive videos could trigger automatic retargeting ads across the Google network.
Images: Ralph Lauren x Elite, Forces of Nature campaign page (Mobile).
Results
Interactive Views = 33.94%
CTR = 7.86%
Conclusion
Brand partnerships of this scale with Film and Television franchises can provide businesses with an opportunity to create, sell, and market new and existing products through an alternative creative lens that truly resonates with their consumers. Connecting the content to the commerce opportunity has often proven difficult, however. The Elite Forces of Nature campaign not only demonstrated how video e-commerce technology can overcome such challenges but also showed how simple it can be to enrich users' e-retail experience online by making it interactive.
Get in touch for more details about the Smartzer interactive and shoppable video platform 😎
Updated: Feb 12, 2021
HOW TO TRANSFORM YOUR FACEBOOK AD CAMPAIGNS INTO ENGAGING INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES
Photo: Screencapture of MINI Countryman interactive video.
Objective
Seeing as the dwindling physical connection people have with product discovery is under threat from global pandemic measures, it is more important than ever to provide customers with more engaging and tactile ways to discover products online. For the latest MINI Countryman SUV Campaign, Wavemaker UK sought to buck that trend and provide their audiences with a more engaging and entirely new way to get to know the new car.
Execution
Video: MINI Countryman interactive ad, Instagram user experience.
In preparation for the campaign, the Smartzer custom interactive overlay was used to combine existing MINI Countryman Campaign assets, creating a standalone interactive experience that effortlessly blended with the onsite and Social environments. The interactive player was then placed as a call-to-action URL within the Facebook ads manager on a range of different ad sets and campaigns. Alongside a smart media plan orchestrated by the team at Wavemaker UK the ads were run across the Facebook ad network, for audiences to find and engage with. While interacting with the video, users were able to discover the range of different new features on the car and click-through to the MINI Countryman landing page.
See the user journey below:
Images: MINI Countryman Interactive campaign, Facebook user journey.
Results
Video CTR = over 24%
Conclusion
Many prospective car buyers are avoiding all but essential travel reducing footfall in car dealerships across the UK. One sure way, however, of enticing customers and making up for the reduced footfall is to inspire consumers online earlier on in their product discovery journey. With Smartzer interactive technology the teams at MINI and Wavemaker were able to achieve exactly this. Interactive and shoppable formats have historically been primarily used to reduce the path to purchase, but in times like these, the opportunity to use these technologies to boost engagement and bring audiences closer to the product in industries with large purchase funnels is vast.