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AMC, McDonald?s reward app users for watching branded videos

Brands including AMC, McDonald?s, Trident and Hollywood studios are leveraging video platform Kiip Rewarded Video to greet consumers with branded videos after reaching significant levels in applications.

Kiip?s platform takes advantage of what it calls ?achievement moments in apps? and presents consumers with media content as rewards. Rewarded Videos may also be accompanied by other bonuses such as digital coupons or virtual currency.

?Our research showed that the favorability for a brand with a typical mobile banner ad began to decline with the more people who were exposed to it,? said Brian Wong, CEO of Kiip. ?We?re trying to send a message to brands that just being in mobile is not sufficient; you may cause a detrimental effect.

?We see an opportunity and responsibility to create a product to increase favorability, which is what we see with Kiip rewards.?

Rewarding fans
Top brands have been using Kiip Rewarded Video to target directly to fans and facilitate more memorable experiences to increase brand awareness. The videos have been shown to improve user engagement and direct-to-retail consumption, simply by focusing on creating moments instead of impressions.

Television network AMC used Kiip Rewarded Video to reach fans of its hit show, The Walking Dead, in a targeted zombie mobile game titled Into the Dead. When consumers beat a level of the game or increased their high score, they received the opportunity to win virtual currency by watching a video clip advertising the Season 4 premiere of the show.

Kiip aims to offer the power of focused storytelling to brands.

?I really think the tools that allow brands to story tell are quite limited,? said Mr. Wong. ?The story needs to be oriented around the user experience.?

The company has also run campaigns with Trident, McDonald?s and Hollywood studios to advertise their products and services. Studios partnered with Kiip Rewarded Videos during the promotion of major motion pictures such as ?Hercules? and ?The Wolf of Wall Street.?

The results for these campaigns displayed view-through rates of approximately 77 percent, much higher than the industry standard for short video clips.

For marketers looking to capitalize from video promotions, Kiip?s strategy builds on the extra layer of engagement that videos provide, and offers enhanced context for rewards.

Exciting consumers
Consumers are more likely to connect with content that they have chosen to view themselves. By reaching individuals at these moments of achievement in apps, users are more receptive and the moment creates a larger context.

Brands can therefore bring messages to targeted viewers at times that they know the viewer is more likely to engage back. Kiip has found that this method of targeted marketing respects consumers and facilitates more meaningful mobile engagement.

For example, Kiip?s campaign with Trident offered a free pack of gum when a user bookmarked a recipe with garlic as an ingredient, providing an additional layer of user engagement by offering a tangible reward.

?This is such a great platform for not only being able to tie a brand to a product when it?s super relevant, but also do it in real time,? said Mr. Wong.

With Rewarded Videos, the experience remains branded, but still relevant to the consumers? tastes. Kiip aims to place precedence on the users? experience above all else, and prevents computer bots from generating false views.

?Mobile is such a delicate user experience that your relationship with the consumer is how they end up seeing you,? said Mr. Wong.

Final Take
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York