Brief:
- Kit Kat ran a 360-degree video spot on YouTube earlier this summer that generated a completion rate that was more than two times the video-sharing platform's average ad, according to Campaign. The YouTube promotion was aimed at the Canadian market, where Nestlé Canada introduced the new Kit Kat Matcha Green Tea bar.
- The "360-degree Zen Break" video immersed viewers in a Japanese rock garden complete with trickling streams, a woman doing yoga and a man raking gravel who offers the viewer a Kit Kat. The video was intended to help viewers enjoy a moment of relaxation, a tie-in with Kit Kat's "Have a Break" slogan.
- Digital agency WorkInProgress developed the campaign for Nestlé Canada. The 360-degree video saw 6 million views and a 48% completion rate, compared with the YouTube average of 24%. The campaign also spurred a 100% lift in ad recall and 35% gain in consideration, Campaign reported.
Insight:
As Kit Kat's campaign for its green tea-flavored candy bar shows, 360-degree videos can have tremendous power to engage audiences with their content and brand message. The "Zen Break" video immersed people in the setting, helping them imagine themselves as the central character of a brief, relaxed narrative that fits the candy brand's broader marketing message. That kind of interactivity and experiential storytelling helps with ad recall, as demonstrated by the ad's 100% lift in recall.
Other 360-degree video campaigns have seen similar boosts in engagement. Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific ran a 360-degree mobile video campaign last year that let smartphone users look around its lounge and first-class cabins. The airline saw gains in several key audience metrics, including unaided awareness (+27%), favorability (+25%) and preference for the airline (+12%). The ads also saw higher click-through rates than the industry average of 0.33%, the airline said. Immersive ads aren't limited to selling products or services or pushing a branded message. Last year, a Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning campaign placed viewers into a 360-degree video highlighting the dangers of drunk driving, notching an 88% video completion rate — 40% higher than the industry average.
Beyond 360-degree campaigns, mobile strategies that foster interactivity and experiential storytelling also can boost ad performance. OmniVirt's campaign for Universal Pictures' film "Pitch Perfect 3" featured augmented reality (AR) banner ads that saw 10 times the number of interactions and click-through rates of 2D versions, while users spent an average of 30 seconds engaged with the ad.
