Bad Video Production Trends
Lots of Bad Video Production Trends promise lots of page views, but Maryland video production companies may be better off ignoring two of those trends when producing video for the average business. The trends are:
Celebrity endorsements
While the two video production trends can be used for any type of video, they are particularly hot with YouTube ads. In fact, they were sizzling enough to make their way onto a top 10 list that appeared on ReelSEO and even verified as page-view grabbers by Google. But even though the page views were high, the videos fail miserably when you dig deeper into their ROI.
Being Too Clever
The case in point for being too clever with YouTube ad videos comes from the amusing option of playing around with the button that lets viewers skip the ad if desired. GEICO had a heyday with this one, launching a series of ads with which viewers were unable to use the “skip” option.
The ads lasted all of five seconds each, informing the viewers: “You can’t skip this GEICO ad – because it’s already over.” Numbers from Tubular Labs looked A-OK, at least at a glance.
The GEICO Family unskippable ad / The GEICO Elevator unskippable ad:
7.2 million views / 641,000 views
21,000 YouTube engagements / 1,945 YouTube engagements
9,980 Facebook shares / 165 Facebook shares
6,298 Twitter tweets / 146 Twitter tweets
A third unskippable ad known as Cleaning Crew fared lower than the other two.
It must be noted that the Family ad that fared the best happened to feature a dog. Animals are also found in one of the most popular GEICO ads of late.
The GIECO Hump Day Camel Commercial:
22.8 million views
111,000 YouTube engagements
2,547 Facebook shares
83,000 Twitter tweets
The bottom line: Fun ads featuring animals seem to fare better for GEICO than playing around with ad formats and buttons.
Being too clever with other types of videos can also backfire with the risk of muddling your message, confusing the viewer or ending up inadvertently offending someone.
Celebrity Endorsements
Celebrities have long been listed as one of the top selling strategies (right alongside animals), and the concept really strutted its stuff in a Volvo Trucks ad featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme. Entitled The Epic Split, the ad piqued plenty of interest – but not necessarily in the direction of Volvo. Numbers from Google Trends showcase the searches for “Volvo Trucks” and “Van Damme” surrounding the ad’s Nov. 13, 2013, publication.
Searches for Volvo Trucks on Google and YouTube: Very small increase directly after publication
Searches for Van Damme on Google and YouTube: Massive spike directly after publication, easily overshadowing any and all thoughts of Volvo Trucks
The bottom line: People easily remember Van Damme in some really cool commercial – but they don’t remember the product the commercial was for.
The big danger with celebrities is that they’ll overshadow your message, or even your very existence. And you’ve seen the dangers of being too clever. Think twice before using either trend, no matter how many page views you may think they can gain. Bad Video Production Trends can cause damage to your brand.
