Brief:
- Sony Mobile UK saw video ad engagement rates of 78%, 25 times the benchmark for a standard video campaign, with an interactive video for its Xperia XZ2 smartphone. The electronics maker and its agency Mediacom partnered with video marketplace AdColony on a campaign that includes interactive mobile video banners, according to an announcement.
- The campaign creative focused on the Xperia XZ2's enhanced technology and gaming capabilities with a video that responds to touchscreen gestures that are familiar to mobile gamers. The ad demonstrated a racing game with cars kicking up virtual dirt that settled on the viewer's screen and needed to be wiped away with a swipe. The ad also used haptics to make a viewer's phone rumble and shake at various moments around the driving course.
- AdColony's Aurora HD Video ad unit also boosted other key metrics for Sony Mobile. The purchase intent among viewers of the ad was 8.6% higher than the control group, while brand recall compared with competitor handsets saw a 4% lift, per Nielsen data cited by AdColony.
Insight:
Sony's interactive ad shows the power of mobile media to engage viewers with an intimate, high-touch experience that's more immersive than traditional media like TV or static web banners. As the electronics maker seeks to carve out a slice of the handset market dominated by Samsung, Apple and several Chinese manufacturers of lower-cost smartphones, Sony is emphasizing the advanced gaming capabilities of the Xperia XZ2 to differentiate it from rivals and connect with on-the-go video game consumers. AdColony's interactive ad format that responds to touchscreen gestures helps to connect with viewers in the ad creative and drive deeper engagement.
Digital video growth on social media platforms and video-sharing sites like YouTube is set to underpin the shift of ad dollars to mobile media, as the advertising "duopoly" Facebook and Google will likely continue to see double-digit growth in mobile, eMarketer estimates. This year, mobile will account for $76.17 billion in ad spending, rising above TV's $69.87 billion, print's $18.74 billion, radio's $14.41 billion and out-of-home's $8.08 billion. EMarketer predicts this trend will continue over the next few years, as mobile's estimated ad spending of $141.36 billion in 2022 is more than double that of TV.
Advertisers likely will benefit from the continuing shift in viewing habits to streaming video as more U.S. households cancel pay-TV subscriptions. Livestreaming viewers are more likely to engage with ads included with their content, such as pre-roll video or sponsored ads, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau.
