Dive Brief:
- American Express took advantage of the fact that 90% of Facebook users scroll past video on the platform with the sound turned off through a surprise giveaway only viewers listening in could participate in, according to Adweek.
- On a video ad promoting a recent Guns 'N Roses concert, the brand posed a simple question — what is the name of the band's lead singer? — and the first 50 people who answered correctly were promised a free ticket to the show. The campaign was created by BBR Saatchi & Saatchi in Israel, per Adweek.
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American Express and BBR put out a minute-long video case study on the campaign that notes that the next time viewers see an AmEx ad, they should make sure to turn up the volume because the brand might make it worth their while.
Dive Insight:
Autoplay video ads, especially those that have audio automatically turned on, are frequently cited as one of the more annoying formats online. AmEx's latest Facebook play smartly takes advantage of the fact that most users opt for tuning these types of ads out, catering its creative to those who are actually paying attention and then rewarding a select few with a tangible prize.
Internet uses are often neglected in the digital advertising ecosystem, and efforts like this that bring them into the fold and include interactive elements might see higher engagement and encourage repeated engagement further down the line. AmEx's sneaky promotion, however, is essentially a workaround to a long-standing problem that might only be getting worse.
More websites are running videos that not only autoplay with the sound on, but are also difficult to turn off, creating a new host of poor user experiences that help drive the adoption of technology like ad blockers.
