Interactive Video can take many forms. Whatever form they take, they use a means to interact with the viewer via gestures, touches, or clicks. A viewer can answer a question, fill a survey, even relate with an interactive video.
Using Interactive Video in Education: Many companies allocate funds to creating educational videos. Interactive videos can be highly targeted to educate people in a school setting, or a business setting, like human resources. Here are some companies and how they effectively used interactive video in their marketing campaigns:
- Maybelline Glamour Eye: How-to videos featured popular online personalities. The video is akin to an online adventure, making it very immersive. Viewers were able to select signature makeup looks and learn how it can be implemented into their own regimen.
- Tostitos’ “And Then There Was Salsa”: Tostitos engaged their audience by creating a video that had a journey. The video starts with a website homepage, with a vegetable host going down a journey about how salsa is made. It’s immersive, effective, and engaging.
- Nike’s New Balance: Nike’s video advertisement for its New Balance shoes is an example on how a video can be about showing the consumer the benefits and highlights of a product, as opposed to telling them. Floating animations and the strategic use of shadows and lighting reinfoces how this type of shoe is lighter and more effective than it’s predecesors. There is alot of information in the video, but the interactive video is shown in a way that it does not overwhelm the viewer.
Understanding What Makes Interactive Videos Effective
An effective interactive video underlines the importance of a call to action that is presented in the right places – without annoying the viewer. Many companies and video ad creators tend to go overboard with their interactive videos, with too many elements and navigational factors that can confuse many viewers. An interactive video that will work will include levels of functionality that are obvious and intuitive.
Careful implimentation of intuitive navigational links and overlays will have higher levels of conversions and engagement. It’s important to understand that an online video advertisement is not about pushing your product or service onto your online audience. Realize that the online community can be very engaging, but it can tune out your interactive video if it is not done correctly. To lure your audience with your interactive video, consider the length of it. An interactive video that is 3-4 minutes long will perform the best. If creating an interactive ad that specifically caters to mobile users, then that ad needs to be less than 2 minutes. A video that is too long will cause viewers to abandon the video altogether before they were able to respond to your call to action.
