Long Form Advertising: A Growing Opportunity
Research continues to show that consumers are becoming increasingly willing to watch long form content from brands. In 2015, the average length of the top 10 ads on YouTube were over two minutes long, proving that creative and insightful storytelling can lead to increased time spent with a brand.
But when does long form advertising make sense? And how long is too long? The research and collected learnings below intend to show when long form film may be a tactic worth exploring:
1. To Tap Into Emotion
Brands will often execute long form advertising as a way to connect emotionally with their target audience. Brands like Barbie, Wrigley’s, & Lowe’s have all used this tactic to further their communications beyond product messaging, and into a territory that aims to connect with consumers on a deeper level. Research from the IPA shows that emotional campaigns can be twice as more efficient as rational ones, helping brands to connect with their audience on longer term basis (Reference: The Long and the Short of It).
2. To Support a Cause
Long form advertising can also be an effective way of creating a rallying cry behind important causes. Brands like Dove, Pantene and Always have all used long form film as a female empowerment tool, but all do so in a way that stays true to who they are as a brand. It is critical to ensure that brands evaluate which causes will best align back to their core values as a company in order to appear authentic in the public eye.
3. To Increase Shareability, Awareness, and Recall
Studies have shown that people tend to associate :15 & :30 messaging with “advertising”, and long form (over a minute) messaging with “content”. It is likely because of this that long form film averages 50% more organic views, meaning more people are actively seeking out branded video content. Additionally, Google also found that branded content longer than 60 seconds led to a 40% lift in brand awareness and 70% lift in ad recall, compared to the shorter versions created for standard TV durations.
Overall, long form film proves to be a good opportunity for advertisers. High success metrics prove that consumers are still willing to spend a substantial amount of time with brands, especially when they succeed in telling stories that their targets can relate to. While there are still no best practices for how long a film should be, long form film gives brands the flexibility to find the right length for their individual story — whether six seconds of three minutes long. It is important that brands find an authentic story that brings who they are to life in order to make a true connection with consumers and create lasting impact.
