Video Marketing Case Studies
Video marketing case studies show the value of video online for brands. And offer proof that, even if you run a great advertising campaign, what good is it until it delivers the desired return.
Whether it is a boost in sales, an increase in leads or penetration into a new target segment.
Here are 10 video marketing case studies that prove ROI for brands
ABREVA: Found most sufferers get their first cold sore as teenagers. Knowing that Gen Z and millennials are watching less TV than in the past, Abreva decided to lean into YouTube. Abreva created 119 different ads to customize the text based on a variety of interests. Viewers were then served up a relevant ad based on what they were watching. They saw a 41% lift in overall ad recall and a 342% lift in search interest among its target audience.
ADIDAS: Had always used a “phased block planning” approach to product launches — one campaign split into multiple, time-separated phases, all targeted at the same audience. The phases typically focused on awareness, education, and driving action. In need of a better way to launch its Nemeziz soccer shoe, the Adidas marketing team turned to YouTube’s video ad sequencing tool to move its target audience along a planned sequence of ads in a shorter amount of time — just a few days, for some people. Adidas saw a 33% lift in awareness, a 20% lift in ad recall, and a 317% lift in product interest.
CHILI’S: Decided to run a digital campaign to raise awareness of its 3 for $10 deal. The plan was to capture people’s attention using a made-for-digital 15-second creative spot that highlighted one of the meals from the promotion. They also saw a good opportunity to get people to sign up for My Chili’s Rewards, the brand’s loyalty program. The campaign ended up generating over 7,800 form leads, a valuable addition for a campaign focused on brand consideration.
COMCAST: Xfinity Mobile, a new type of wireless plan with millions of Wi-Fi hot spots designed to help consumers save money on data. They had a seemingly simple idea: give potential customers sticker shock by showing them how much their data actually costs them. For example, if someone was about to watch a five-minute sports clip, they might have been shown a sports-themed ad beforehand showing that the video they were about to watch would cost them $1.31 with their current cellular service provider. The brand experienced a 113% lift in brand interest, 3X increase in search, and has gained thousands of new customers since the campaign launched. The campaign won the YouTube Works Grand Prix and Best Media Work awards and Cannes Lions awards.
DORITOS: Told a funny, elaborate story for Doritos Blaze that built over time through a series of six-second bumper ads on YouTube with customization options. For example, someone who watched the introductory 15-second ad was later served up a six-second ad that naturally followed from the first one and reinforced the message. Someone who had chosen to skip the longer ad was instead served a six-second ad that reintroduced the product. The campaign led to a 19.3% lift in favorability, helping Blaze become the top-selling new single SKU launch for Doritos in the past five years.
HERSHEY’S: Had ahead of the launch of its limited-edition Hot Cocoa Kisses. While food brands often turn to TV to recruit celebrity chefs like Martha Stewart, Hershey’s headed online for inspiration. They featured top YouTube bakers like Rosanna Pansino, The Icing Artist, and Honeysuckle — generated a 22% lift in purchase intent. Together with a paid ad strategy, the campaign was key to driving more than $9 million in retail sales.
LIQUID PLUMBER: Noticed the rise of influencers performing grossly intriguing and humorous experiments. They created a video series that asked “Will It Clog?” Staying true to the formula, the videos featured down-and-dirty depictions of extreme clogs, while also evoking a sense of relief when the clog was cleared. The brand successfully increased both awareness and favorability by 38% and 40%, respectively.
LVMH: The French luxury goods company behind brands like Louis Vuitton and Givenchy, saw that people weren’t just looking for inspiration; they also wanted help deciding what to buy. This insight led the company to put in place a two-pronged approach to its video marketing. First, during Paris Fashion Week, the brand partnered with top YouTube creator Emma Chamberlain and supermodel Karlie Kloss to document their experiences exclusively on YouTube. The video generated over 1 million views. The second part of the approach makes it easier for video viewers to become customers. Louis Vuitton doubled down with an always-on YouTube TrueView for Action campaign — video ads with clickable elements that allow viewers to make purchases. The campaign has driven an 11X return on ad spend.
NEUTROGENA: Wanted to measure the incremental sales lift of a recent online video campaign for its makeup remover wipes. it tapped into events like the World Cup, when people typically paint their faces to show support for their national team, or holidays like Halloween, when people use makeup as part of their costumes. The brand built 21 different pre-roll ads, each layered with a message tailored to a specific audience and context, followed by the same closing line across all versions of the video. The videos outperformed CPG benchmarks by as much as 4X and drove close to a 14% lift in sales. The vast majority of the incremental sales (73%) came from buyers new to the brand.
UNITED: Had one big goal: “We want to inspire people to travel,” said Kajal Narasimha, Managing Director, Personalization & Engagement at United. For this campaign, United wanted to drive greater conversions by testing more personalized and engaging media. To achieve that, the team created a 15-second video featuring people on vacation in breathtaking places — sandy beaches, bustling markets, Alpine wonderlands — rewinding back to the one-step they all took to get there. Booking a flight. The strategy was a success. In just one month, 52% of conversions attributed to YouTube were click-through conversions directly from the ad, showing the effectiveness of this format in driving immediate website visits.
Thanks to the team at Google for providing these video marketing case studies. Do they prove the ROI of video marketing to you? Could your brand be the next video marketing case study?
