You’ve Got Two Seconds To Make An Impression With Video

You’ve Got Two Seconds To Make An Impression With Video
Emma Mackenzie
By Emma Mackenzie



With the influx of video advertising to social media sites such as facebook, a leading us expert believes you’ve got a mere two seconds of screen time to engage and win over your audience.

Gary Milner, global digital marketing director for tech company Lenovo, says that’s all you’ve got – a mere two seconds – to make any kind of impression.

“Video is very complex,” he says. “Look at your own Facebook feed. You’ve got two seconds. That’s very different to a pre-roll which runs for 15 or 30 seconds. You don’t have a choice. You may have a skippable ad, but you don’t have a choice to leave it.”

And often that impression is made in silence.

“From a test we did, 60 per cent of people didn’t have any sound on,” he continues. “So if you didn’t have any sound on, how are you building an ad that needs sound.”

Milner says the guys creating the ads really need to ask themselves a question.

“What are you doing to be make it more likely someone is going to watch that ad?” he says. “Otherwise, why build it?”

Video advertising has jumped in popularity in the western world with display ads not getting the same credit they used it. Lenovo as a brand don’t rely on display ads, says Milner.

“We took a stance early on that display ads were not emotive enough to build a brand, but it could probably reinforce it,” he explains.

“I think it has value on retargeting. We use them on tech sites predominantly; with direct buys, not programmatic.”

Trying to breakthrough with a display ad and get someone to change their mind about a brand isn’t likely.

“Display is more of a lower-cost medium, rather than a really deeply creative approach,” says Milner.

“I personally haven’t seen a display ad that’s had much brand impact.” However, he adds that a drop-down ad Apple did a few years ago resonated with him.

“But that wasn’t really display, it was more of a video ad,” he concedes.

Things are the other way round in Asia though, says Milner, as the tech is still developing.

“There’s not much video around, so they’re still doing more display,” he says.




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