With growing concerns about ad-blocking on mobile, marketers are taking a closer look at native advertising but face several challenges with auto-play video. Century 21 addresses some of these in its new #SoundsofHome video series by stimulating the senses both visually and audibly.

 

?It is a challenge that most mobile users do not hear the sound of the video,? said Matt Gentile, director of social media at Century 21. ?This campaign addressed that by including subtitles on the video and creating a clear call-to-action, ?Click to hear the #SoundsofHome.?

 

?This has proved to be an innovative and winning strategy as the campaign has generated over 25 thousand video views at a cost per video view of .02 cents at this point in the campaign,? x said.

 

?While the video view is the most popular action with this campaign we have also seen the posts shared nearly 200 times which is always a great indicator that the campaign is trending up and growing in popularity with our global network of over 100,000 real estate sales professionals.?

 

 

Since auto-play video typically does play with sound, text overlays are used to direct mobile users to click on the screen to hear one of several different sounds strongly associated with the concept of ?home.?

 

For example, the text on one of the videos reads:  ?Auto-play videos do not have sound, to hear bacon frying on a Sunday morning, click or simply spend time at home. Find Yours atC21.com.?

 

The other videos in the series urge viewers to click to hear a guitar playing by a campfire, listen to children playing or enjoy the sound of wind chimes.

 

The goal of the campaign is to position Century 21 brokers and affiliated sales agents in the hearts and minds of mobile-savvy consumers so they will think of the brand when they are looking to sell or purchase a home.

 

Century 21?s experience with creating video with the native mobile experience in mind supports results from a recent study by Opera Mediaworks and comScore that found auto-playing video specifically created for native, in-feed environments can have a major impact on purchase intent and likelihood to recommend (see story).  

 

Mobile native video is an increasingly important strategy for marketers, particularly as concerns over ad-blocking on mobile grow.

 

?The opportunity to reach this growing audience on the media platforms they are using is the challenge and opportunity for marketers,? x said. ?With Apple?s recent announcement about ad blocking, generating creative content that resonates with your target audience in a media environment they are comfortable with becomes increasingly important.

 

?This campaign takes a first step in that direction.?