Video is showing no signs of slowing down. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), total digital video advertising spend is growing nearly 80% faster than total media overall.
With the video advertising space evolving rapidly, it can be hard to know where to invest your energy and budget.
We’re here to guide you through the latest video advertising trends that are making waves in 2024—and to show you how we’ve tapped into these trends to deliver results for our clients.
Create Videos that Feel Organic
With so much content to consume, ads that don’t “feel” like ads stand out when scrolling. The more it feels like a natural part of a user’s feed, the more likely they are to pay attention to it.
“As humans, we’ve developed ad blocker shortcuts in our own minds that help us skip over ads in our social feeds without making a conscious decision,” said Andi Thiel, Digital Advertising Strategist at E-Power Marketing. “We have to create content that feels organic, authentic, and engaging if we want to stop the scroll, hook the user, and influence their buying behavior.”
Tailor your digital advertising to match the tone and style that resonates with your audience, whether that’s a more relaxed vibe or energetic and bold.
Take this ASMR-style video our team developed for a pottery tool client after seeing the content that their target audience was regularly engaging with.
A hook rate is the percent of impressions that received at least a 3-second video view. The average hook rate is 25%. This video generated a 40% hook rate! It was also the top-performing creative concept in its first month, generating a nice spike in revenue and engagement.
Entertain First, Sell Second
In the world of viral memes and TikTok dances, users are turning to the Internet for a good laugh and some escapism. Prioritizing entertainment value in your video ads can help you capture and maintain audience attention.
A 2022 study from Oracle shows that “91% of people prefer brands to be funny” and “72% would choose a brand that uses humor over the competition.”
At the same time, “95% of business leaders fear using humor in customer interactions,” which means there’s a lot of opportunity for your brand to outshine competitors with a bit of laughter, creativity, and lightheartedness in your campaigns. Humor can be a great way to address your audience’s pain points and common frustrations.
Remember, humor shouldn’t be forced; it should align with your brand’s personality, values, and target audience. What makes your audience laugh, and how can you lean into their sense of humor through the lens of your brand’s personality? Don’t force a funny ad, make sure it feels true to your brand and your audience.
Use AI to Create Videos at Scale
As marketing budgets get tighter and competition gets savvier, it’s important to find AI tools and strategies to support your video advertising.
“AI will continue to be a big player in the video creation industry,” Andi said. “Whether it is for animation, voiceovers, or something we haven’t even thought of yet, AI will only continue to evolve and get better.”
This Father’s Day ad — which used an AI voiceover — had a ROAS (return on ad spend) of nearly 9:1 in June, which was 33% higher than the overall ROAS that month. AI was helpful, Andi said, since we didn’t have to wait for a person to record the voiceover, allowing us to get results faster.
Embrace Authenticity with User-Generated Content (UGC)
While you can promote your products and services all day long, why not let your customers do it for you? User-generated video ads can add a level of trust and authenticity to your brand.
“UGC content feels like a friend-to-friend recommendation in which a real person is demonstrating what problem a product solved or how it improved their life in some way,” Andi said.
Even if you can’t directly get permission to use user-generated photos, videos, and reviews in your marketing campaign, you can replicate the style for a unique advertising experience.
Short-Form Video Domination
While there’s still a place for long-form videos in the marketing journey, short and snappy is the name of the game in advertising right now.
According to research from eMarketer, 75% of people watch short-form video content on their mobile devices. With users discovering and watching ads on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, these shorter videos will help your message get across to these on-the-go viewers.
“Consumers are flooded with an excessive amount of content, so there is a lot of competition for viewers’ attention,” Andi said. “Short, quickly digestible content will fit into viewers’ routines better than longer-form content that requires sustained attention.”
Keeping Your Brand Ahead in the Video Advertising Game
Whether you’re just getting started with video advertisements or you’re wanting to take your video marketing strategy to the next level, our digital advertising experts are here to help.
We’ll work with you to create and optimize campaigns that grab and keep your audience’s attention and drive real results for your business.
Want to learn more? Chat with one of our experts.
