‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, recorded by the band Queen, was one of the first music videos created to be used in place of a live appearance on the BBC’s Top of the Pops. In the days before MySpace and iTunes, Top of the Pops was the media outlet to be on if you wanted exposure to help record sales.

So followed the creation of what are effectively advertiser funded videos (AFV) – content paid for and produced by advertisers but aired on a third party media owner with the purpose of promoting their product. In this case, a signed band and selling more of their product (singles, albums, concert tickets and downloads).

Consumer experience

AFV worked in the music industry yet, for example, if a fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) brand tried it, Ofcom would have come down on them like a tonne of bricks. Under current regulations, AFV on traditional TV would be subject to the strict broadcasting code rules that traditional sponsorship has to follow. However, we all work in an industry where Ofcom broadcast restrictions do not currently apply, which means, in the words of the late great Freddie Mercury, we can all ‘do the fandango’.

Implications for advertisers

With the continuing improvement in broadband speed there is an ever increasing thirst for video online from consumers and B2B users. Whilst there is a current trend towards websites hosting user-generated content (UGC), there will continue to be an increasing demand for broadcast quality video. This is more expensive to produce than that filmed on a handheld camcorder or webcam that fills the majority of UGC sites.

This is where the opportunity lies for brands to provide content to lifestyle/ business websites and internet (service providers (ISPs)) because it is the brand making the financial investment not the media owner. However, the key to a successful AFV is not to abuse the lack of regulations and produce a 30min advert about your product or service.

Successful AFV combine the editorial needs of the media owner with the marketing communications objectives of the brand, whilst ensuring the viewer is entertained, informed or educated etc. Only then will you generate the cut-through to ensure you create brand engagement with your target audience, which is exactly what ‘Wickes’ achieved when they created a series of videos for their website under a WickesTV banner, as well as maximising their exposure by syndicating them to www.howto.tv at the end of 2006.

Case Study: Wickes

Wickes, like a lot of DIY stores, already produces written guides that their customers can pick up in store or download as PDF files from their website. These instruct on how to do specific DIY tasks such as tiling. Access to the consumer through broadcast video content in the past has, however, been limited to sponsoring ‘makeover’ shows on TV.

Under Ofcom regulations this left Wickes with little more than a ‘top and tail’ branding opportunity, with absolutely no mention of the brand, or placement of any of its products or stores within the content of the programme. In fact they could not officially dictate the programming output in any capacity.

However, commissioned by their sponsorship agency, MediaedgeCIA, markettiers4dc produced three videos funded by Wickes that were scripted from the Wickes ‘Good Ideas Guides’. The videos were being produced for the web and so filming could take place in store at Wickes and their products were used throughout.

Whilst viewing on the web is one route for AFV, a major part of Wickes’ brief was to take advantage of converging media, after all, when tiling your bathroom, you are unlikely to be beside a computer. Having the ability to download the video to your mobile device was vital, as this would enable Wickes to extend their relationship with the consumer and
engage with them during the actual DIY process. The benefits didn’t end there, as anyone who wanted more information could opt-in to receive it. Cost savings were also huge as producing your own content can be significantly cheaper than sponsoring someone else’s.

Through online AFV, as a brand you are only advertising to consumers who choose to watch and it becomes an unintrusive route to delivering your message, moving from interruption to attraction.

How can we measure the success of an AFV campaign?

An AFV shouldn’t really be produced without some marketing communication or PR support around it, or with at least the same thought and planning gone into it that would any part of a marketing strategy. The basic challenge is to isolate the AFV effect as far as possible from other activity that may be running in parallel.

However, differences in attitudes towards the brand, as well as awareness and likelihood to purchase among those who have seen it can be carried out against those who haven’t. This is done by putting in place pre-roll and post-roll research using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods which can take place online too.

Of course, the numbers of people who viewed and opted in for more information, or clicked through to a brand’s website is still a strong measurement. As is the ability to then track purchases as a result.