Tide is running in-stream mobile video advertisements aimed at striking a match with football fans this season.

Tide?s ?Show Us Your Colors? campaign is part of the brand?s partnership with the NFL and is meant to tap into the passion that football fans have for their favorite teams. Mobile video ads supporting the campaign are running as commercial breaks inside the ABC News iPhone application's video content.

"We are seeing CPG brands increasingly shift into multichannel strategies as the battle for share of mind and wallet intensifies given the vast options of competitive CPG products available to consumers to purchase and the broad shift into mobile as a consumer content destination," said Nikao Yang, senior vice president of new business development and marketing at AdColony, Los Angeles.

"No longer are TV-only or TV-plus-online campaigns sufficient to make a dent in the CPG space," he said. "Brands intent on winning in their respective product categories are placing an increasing importance on mobile video as a complement to TV and online campaigns to form a truly cohesive three-prong, multichannel strategy.

Mobile is recognized among marketers and agencies as a new battleground for consumers ? video in particular is recognized as a superior channel over display because of its ability to deliver sight, sound and motion to drive engagement and ROI." 

Mr. Yang is not associated with Tide. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

Tide did not respond by press deadline.

Short and snappy
Tide is running an online photo contest through the company?s PC Web site and a Facebook app to reward one lucky football fan with a trip to Super Bowl XLVII. 

The mobile video ads are being used to primarily increase awareness about the campaign.

Tide is repurposing Web video into the ad. The 15-second clip tells the story of a family of Oakland Raiders fans. Per the commercial, the family uses Tide products to help soothe their child's sensitive skin and keep their favorite team?s apparel from color fading.

A button placed prominently at the bottom of the screen encourages consumers to tap to visit Tide?s mobile site.

When users tap on the button, a landing page comes up of Tide?s mobile site. A call-to-action for the current ?They?re Not Just Colors? campaign is featured at the top of the page.

Users can learn more about Tide?s role as the official detergent of all 32 NFL teams and watch YouTube clips of the campaign?s commercials. Additionally, buttons to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are placed at the bottom to let users connect with the brand?s social media networks.

After consumers are finished browsing the site, they can close the landing page, which prompts the app?s video content to automatically begin.

Tide is smart to use mobile video to help build brand awareness around the campaign.

However, the mobile site does not include a direct call-to-action or any information to let consumers participate in the photo contest.

Mobile multichannel
Tide regularly incorporates mobile into its multichannel efforts.

For instance, the brand used QR codes to bring its print advertisements earlier this year as part of a launch campaign for its Tide Pods detergent products (see story).

Additionally, the brand ran a mobile ad campaign inside the Pandora iPhone app last year to promote its Tide with Downey product (see story).

Mobile video in particular tends to have high engagement rates and can be effective for pushing short, snappy video content. The key is to keep content short and to the point though.

"Video spots on mobile should be limited to 15 seconds in length ? the 30-second spot is an eternity to a mobile consumer especially if the video ad is running as pre-roll or as a video interstitial," Mr. Yang said.

"This is just the first piece to engaging the consumer," he said. Beyond the length of the video is its quality ? video ads should run instantly without any buffering and they should be razor-sharp or in high-definition.

Finally, there is the matter of driving user engagement through calls-to-action. Brands should offer rich media end cards that appear after the video spot concludes for post-viewing engagement opportunities or companion ads to allow consumers to make a decision about whether they want to engage with the brand. These rich media end cards shouldn't be complex landing pages or mini-websites ? they should be simple, elegant, rich media experiences that engage the consumer and allow him or her to take action with the brand."