Holiday Shopping Tips: Start Early with Engaging Video Ads

It's November, which means, whether we like it or not, the holiday shopping season has commenced. But while a new survey from YouGov has revealed that four in five (79%) Brits do intend to do holiday shopping this year, two-thirds (66%) say inflation will have a major (34%) or moderate (32%) impact on their shopping. It looks like Christmas shopping might look a little different this year. 

As inflation threatens holiday shopping, the challenge for Marketers is creating engaging, creative, and highly relevant ads that cut through the noise of the festive season rush. 

1. Invest in video

If someone asked you 10 minutes after you saw a text or image-based ad, will you be able to guarantee that you'll remember what brand or product was being advertised?

Video doesn't just grab attention, it holds it. Almost half of people who view the first three seconds of a video watch for at least another 30 seconds, and it's the most engaging type of social media content, typically seeing more clicks on social media than static images.

When it comes to your website, more than half of brands use video on their homepage, unsurprising, since marketers agree that video increases the average time spent on page. And, there's even evidence that video drives an increase in organic traffic from search engine results pages — an average of 157% to help you attract more business.

And with people being twice as likely to share video than any other type of content, it could even help spread your message beyond your original audience. We can't promise it'll go viral, but it definitely stands more chance than a stock image. 

2. capture hearts and minds through storytelling

Having moved beyond cookies and social demographics in this attention economy, your ads need to be designed to create a lasting impression in your audience's minds.

The aim is to create a video that's not only beautifully-executed, but that enriches people’s lives. Something that has the ability to transform the way a person thinks, feels and ultimately behaves.

Because inspiring, captivating, and getting people thinking and feeling is a surefire way to be memorable and stand out from the crowd.

There have been countless psychological studies that emphasise the role emotion plays in influencing where we spend our money.

Human society is built on storytelling, from myths and legends to the exaggerated accounts we give after a long day in the office. Stories have always helped us to communicate, empathise, and bring people together. 

We remember more about how something made us feel, so by tapping into the aspirations, feelings or psychologies that drive the people within your target audience, you'll create a story that moves them to take action.

Your story needs to start with insights into your target audience. After all, you're creating your video content for them, not for you. So, build a story that's tailored towards their interests, the problems they face every day, and the joys they share.

3. Go deeper with AI-powered data

Tools that harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) are where marketers should be investing to make a real impact.

AI can analyse huge amounts of data to gain a granular understanding of your target audience. With this data, you can identify audience psychographics, behaviour, influence, content consumption and more.

It gathers audience insights from all over the digital realm to find patterns in behaviours, preferences and interests, so you can be more relevant to your audience than ever.

All this can help inform your campaigns, what marketing activities to prioritise, and even how your brand presents itself much faster. 

Going forward into Christmas, when inflation is expected to rise, the competition for attention will really be on. But creative, storytelling and AI-optimized video ad campaigns will be the ones that your holiday shoppers will remember.