The use of videos as a key form of brand communication has skyrocketed in recent years and is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, a whopping 81% of companies use video as a marketing tool, a 20% increase from last year. More than 70% of B2B marketers feel that video positively impacts their ROI, while 97% of marketers believe video has helped customers gain a better understanding of their products and services.
However, with so many videos available on mobile devices, it can be hard to rise above all of the noise to capture viewers’ attention. The task can seem overwhelming to brands, with many questioning if it is even possible to stand out in less than 15 seconds.
The good news is that it is definitely possible! The key? Consistent, impactful branding. If you can successfully and accurately communicate your brand identity to viewers, they will take notice and remember you. Here are the top five ways that you can infuse your mobile videos with memorable branding to stand out from the competition.
Take the Time to Select the Perfect Logo
Would a Starbucks ad be as iconic without their double-tailed mermaid, or would a Nike commercial be as impactful without their signature swoop? Forget about it. Logos trigger immediate recognition and engagement with viewers and are a crucial tool for mobile videos’ condensed length. Our brains process images 60,000 times faster than words, so logos are more likely to be retained as a main takeaway for viewers.
Display your logo prominently in videos for maximum exposure and retention. Apple does a great job of this in their popular MacBook Air advertisement.
Create a Memorable Color Palette
Color is another fundamental piece in the marketing puzzle and is essential to strong branding. Think of Pepsi’s signature red, white and blue or ESPN’s bold red. Brands with a strong color palette make sure to incorporate it into their mobile video advertising. This is for a good reason, because a signature color can boost brand recognition by 80%.
When developing and designing mobile videos, be sure to select and stick to a simple but strong color palette to increase consistency and recognition. With enough repetition, these colors could become your signature, so take the time to choose them carefully.
Find Your Font
Fonts are an essential branding component. For example, Coca Cola’s classic Spencerian font is easily recognized and immediately associated with the company. The font has stayed true to its classic style throughout the years, and as a result, it is one of the most iconic brand fonts in existence. Fun fact: Coca Cola’s script logo was designed by the founder’s bookkeeper, Frank Mason Robinson, who felt that the double C’s would look great in advertising.
In addition to conveying a brand’s aesthetic, fonts are also a vital functional component. This is especially true for mobile videos, where brand names and captions must be easily legible on a tiny mobile screen.
For mobile videos, be sure to choose and stick to a font that not only matches your brand’s look and feel, but is also easy for your viewers to read.
Own Your Brand Persona
All brands that have truly great mobile videos have one thing in common: a strong, consistent brand persona. This company voice sets the stage for how they communicate with their viewers and how they connect it back to their brand. A persona can vary greatly from brand to brand. For example, Dollar Shave Club has a comedic, straightforward tone, while Under Armour has a strong, motivational and uplifting voice.
Take the time to choose what your brand persona is and how you want to communicate with your viewers so you can create something truly unique in your mobile videos.
To find it, first define who your audience is, how they view your brand and the type of communication that would resonate most with them.
Increase Impact and Brand Retention with Intros and Outros
Now that you’ve read the above tips, it’s time to combine them into two crucial components of any mobile video – the intro and the outro. Including a few seconds of brand-focused content at the beginning and end of your video helps tell a larger brand story and makes the video more memorable to viewers. Cosmetics company Mecca does a great job in this video example.
One piece of advice – intros don’t always need to be assertive. Instead, many brands choose a softer approach. Some companies decide to show some footage of the video itself to interest and engage viewers, then insert the brand intro a few seconds in for a subtler intro. Others opt to forgo a traditional intro altogether in favor of a watermark overlay. Here’s a more nuanced example from Mecca Cosmetica.
At the end of the day, brands want to create memorable mobile videos that show who they are, what they do and why viewers should care about them. If you step back and take the time to create a strong logo, memorable font, bold color palette, cohesive brand persona and impactful intros and outros, your mobile videos will be more likely to resonate with target audiences, increasing overall brand awareness and retention.
Check Out The New Martech Cube Podcast. For more such updates follow us on Google News Martech News
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rebecca Wikman, Head of Growth – Clipchamp at Microsoft
Rebecca Wikman is Head of Growth at Clipchamp, one of the first and only browser-first video creation, editing, and production platforms.