Brands

The Magic of Interactive Videos [VIDEO]

By Kylie Jane Wakefield

Storytelling doesn’t need to just happen on the brand’s side of things. Sometimes it’s a good idea to let consumers in on the fun.

Ryan W. Neal of Business2Community covers the trend of interactive videos and the brands that have succeeded in producing them. One great example comes from the New Zealand chain Hell Pizza that created an interactive story on YouTube, “Deliver Me to Hell.”

The zombie story gives users choices. For example: To pick up the stranger or not to pick up the stranger? Is it better to kill a zombie with a bowling ball or chair? In some instances, the main character dies. In others, he succeeds. The video was a hit and received nearly 9 million views.

Neal also praises the video created by Perrier in 2011 that saw over 2.9 million hits on YouTube. The premise of the “Le Club Perrier” video is a party, and the more people that watched the video, the steamier the party scenes became.

In August of last year, Old Spice, king of viral video hits, released “Muscle Music,” a video in which users could play instruments and create their own songs. That video got 8.5 million plays.

The Creative Grid reports that interactive video receives five times the engagement of normal video ads, and that 70-90 percent of viewers interact with the video. In addition, they see twice the retention.

This is probably because when users make a bad choice, they go back and play again. They stay engaged with the videos because there are stakes involved. Interactive advertising, when done right, can turn an ordinary marketing campaign into a viral sensation.