To develop YouTube’s ABCDs for creative effectiveness, Google and Ipsos1 studied and deconstructed the creative elements of 17,000 ads to understand which were key to an ad’s success. The study revealed that certain creative elements have a measurable impact on marketing objectives. From these, we determined the ABCDs for Awareness.
Breaking through
No matter how long your brand has been around, cutting through the clutter can be a challenge. Your solution or market position might take a while for people to digest before they are ready to embrace you. To help you craft an ad that drives brand awareness, we’ve refined the ABCDs based on what has worked for brands on YouTube in the past.
Pretend you’re a creative on the Fishos account. Your storyboard, below, is ready for review. What else could you add?
A = Attention: Pump up the volume
Audio is your superpower for getting people to pay attention. Embrace elements like voice-over, music, and sound effects to amplify your on-screen messaging. The power of the human voice is a great way to connect with people, and it can add personality through your choice of talent and delivery style.
B = Branding: Put your brand front and center
Incorporate multiple branding opportunities to get noticed and be remembered. Frequency plus variety is key. From logo to tagline and mascots to pack shots, more points of branding will give you more impact.
C = Connection: Make people core to your story
As humans, we can’t help but be drawn to other humans. So featuring people in your story lends emotional context to scenes and creates connection quickly. Showing people using your product is one proven way to demonstrate its benefits. Celebrities and influencers can also inspire engagement, as can reflecting the diversity of the real world.
D = Direction: Ask them to take action
Just as in the core ABCDs, make sure your ad gives people clear and simple instructions.
Now compare the Awareness version of the ad with the version based on the general ABCDs. While both are memorable, our slightly reworked version spends a bit more time introducing the product to new audiences.