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Jeep?s native video campaign drives 50pc higher completion rate

Jeep used native video advertising to capture the attention of mobile users with strong visuals and a quick-hit message that stoked a love for adventure, delivering a completed-view rate that was 50 percent higher than the auto industry average. 

The car brand partnered with Yahoo to create a native video campaign that fit in seamlessly with the surrounding content on sites such as Yahoo Travel. The campaign points to how marketers are experimenting with both native advertising and mobile video as both gain steam. 

?Jeep's native video ads really spoke to their audience because they were creative, relevant and put the customer at the center,? said Brad Piggott, vice president and industry lead for autos at Yahoo. 

?There's no question that Jeep has been blazing new trails in the digital ecosystem, and by using native video ads across screens the brand is increasing both consumer sentiment and purchase intent,? he said. 

Distilled messaging
Jeep wanted to drive digital engagement engagement and recognized that digital video continues to grow. Over the past year, video viewing on computers and smartphones grew by 34 percent and 55 percent, respectively. 

The challenge was distilling the brand?s usually messaging into short 15-second and 30-second videos, the standard length for native video ads. The videos need to be visually arresting to capture the attention of mobile users who may be quickly scrolling through content. 

?What's powerful about these ads is that they bring together two very engaging formats, making it possible for brands to share compelling video content and easily integrate it within our experiences across devices,? Mr. Piggott said. ?We also conducted recent research and found that consumers ranked short ads, meaning those that are 30 seconds or less, as the most important feature of a quality video ad experience. Jeep has been doing video advertising for quite some time, so they understand what it takes to deliver compelling content for their audience and optimize these campaigns for success.?

Jeep leveraged Yahoo Gemini, a marketplace for mobile search and native advertising to test how short videos tailored to a younger demographic of potential car buyers. 

?Brands are creating more content with mobile in mind - they know it will be playing on smaller screens and must capture attention quickly,? said Mitchell Reichgut, CEO of Jun Group.
 
?They also realize it needs to be compelling on its own and live outside of a pre-roll context,? he said. 

The brand sought to provide meaningful content that would engage these consumers with thoughts of adventure, a concept that many already associate with Jeep, and help tell a story about the brand. 

Jeep also worked with Yahoo to achieve a cost-per-completed-view rate that was 60 percent lower than the industry average. 

When consumers engaged with Jeep's native video ads, they viewed a 15 or 30 second video. The ads also directed consumers to the Jeep Web site to learn more about the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Nice view
Native mobile video is providing strong results for other brands as well. 

In September, real estate firm Century 21's use of text overlays and a strong call-to-action for a mobile native video campaign resonated, with more than 25,000 video views at a cost of $0.02 per view after the first five days (see story). 


Other marketers are exploring native video?s potential. 

In the spring, Bud Light brand leveraged native video in Tinder?s mobile dating application to promote the return of its Whatever, USA contest in which users get to show how ready they are to bring an up-for-anything attitude to a party town that will be created somewhere in the United States (see story)
 
As native video continues to grow, mobile applications are likely to be a big focus for marketers. 

?In 2016, brands - and publishers - will think more about how to integrate content natively into mobile apps,? Mr. Reichgut said. ?According to Flurry, as much as 90 percent of mobile time spent happens in-app; brands and publishers will find innovative ways to integrate their content and videos into app environments.?

Final Take
Chantal Tode is senior editor on Mobile Marketer, New York