The rapid rise of mobile devices as a medium of advertising has challenged all we know about how to capture attention and tell stories.
Research has shown that the average attention span of a consumer is barely 8 seconds. To put it in context, one a second less than that of a goldfish.
According to Facebook, “Consumers take just quarter of a second to process an ad on mobile.”
Commensurate with this revelation, marketing professionals throughout the world are creating shorter, more attention grabbing content.
Recently, Malabar Gold and Social Beat came up with a campaign for International Men’s day to promote Malabar Gold’s ‘Men in Platinum collection’. Two thumbstopper videos were released which aimed to break the stereotype of the ‘macho culture’ and how all men should be appreciated for who they are. The video reached around 13 lakh people across Facebook, Instagram and Youtube. Malabar Gold’s Facebook page saw an increase in user engagement by 450%! This proves that thumbstopper videos, when done right, can change the way brands can connect with their target audience.
Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and Facebook came out with what they described as the “first-of-its-kind initiative to redefine short-form mobile video creativity in the country”, called the thumbstopper.
The thumbstopper is essentially a 10 second long, vertical, short-form video creative built around a strong emotional core to narrate a brand’s story.
This fascinating new content format solves every marketer’s problem of addressing short attention spans in an era of growing mobile advertising. Here are ways to nail thumbstoppers for your brands.
A successful thumbstopper video should meet the following 6 critical criteria:
“52% of the total brand lift driven by video comes from impressions that were short-view, or under views under two seconds.” - "Video Viewability and Sales Lift Research" by Facebook and Oracle, Sept 2017.
As a thumb-rule thumbstoppers should not be longer than 10 seconds.It may be challenging to complete your story in such a short time. You can try and showcase a moment, a reaction or a visual representation of the product’s benefit. For more complex stories, you can use more quick, multiple “chapters” that have a greater impact.
“Thumbstopper videos had a 2x lift in ad recall if branding occurs within the first three seconds” - Stand Out in Feed: Optimizing Video Creative on Mobile" by Facebook IQ, Dec 2017 . It’s best to showcase your brand in the first 3 seconds of your thumbstopper. You can do this by showing a logo, well known spokespeople, striking colors, products or visuals. Also make sure that you communicate your brand promise in a simple & attention grabbing way to obtain the best results. You can do this by using cutaways to showcase multiple product colors or variants.
Front-load your concept or script - put your brand promise and key messages up front, in the most direct way possible.
MMA’s research shows that when an ad first appears on the screen (one tenth of a second), it is mostly seen as a blur but even this instant blur is enough to evoke an emotional response.
Make the most of the colors at your disposal: The usage of colour in advertising is often a very important strategy, since colours have a tremendous psychological impact on people. Our brain makes associations with certain colors that bridge the gap between your brand and your TG.
As a best practice, use of contrasting colors. This will make your creative stand out in a sea of monotony.
And most importantly, embrace your brand colors. Use them repeatedly for your audience to associate your brand with those colors.
Facebook has created a system wherein you don’t have to turn up the volume to enjoy videos. This has got many brands and content creators thinking on how to embrace silence and find ways to grab viewers’ attention without sound: The thumstopper is no exception
MMA’s cognition study shows that people responded strongly to human faces, body parts or even icons that are shaped like bodies.
To get the maximum output, include a human element that is high on emotion. The hero should be at the center of the story. With all of us swiping quickly through our newsfeeds, your brand must make a real impact in just under 10 seconds. Hence, bring your most exciting frame upfront.
Capture attention with branding or text, quickly. An interesting way to open would be to use the hero element of your brand right in the beginning. You can also use vernacular videos as thumbstoppers with a grand opening as part of your video marketing strategy!
Try using text captions to emphasize core messages at the outset. You can also add an interesting copy at the end of the thumbstopper so that the message is etched in your viewers’ memories.
Top-performing mobile ads always have a surprise element. Introducing surprise design elements may seem counter-intuitive, but it can transform the ad completely!
Use the different creation tools that are already available on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Can the thumbstopper be a Boomerang or Hyperlapse? Have you used an IG sticker or Poll in your ad? The possibilities are endless!
You can write a creative scene. Is it possible to use time as a creative device? Will a fresh copy approach work?
There are several ways through which you can innovatively approach Thumstopper videos. In the end it’s all about creating a huge, positive impact for your brand. The idea is to create memorable moments and create a lasting impression on your customer’s mind.
Through the Malabar Gold Campaign, Social Beat successfully managed to do this. Not only did the thumbstopper campaign create a visual impact, but also a social impact which aimed to change the way people currently perceive certain practices in society. Social Beat, one of India’s leading digital marketing agencies is helping several brands across the country leverage their video marketing efforts through innovative, path-breaking and high impact methods such as creating unique thumbstoppers.
If you want your brand to reach out to millions of people, try the thumbstopper approach. You will not be disappointed!
Applemod2021-07-01 < Reply
Very Impressive…. Thanks for the post