With the use of Google Ads, compelling video campaigns with a range of video ad formats can be created to engage customers in different ways on YouTube.

One of these formats includes the In-Stream Trueview ad which allows advertisers to only pay for wanted views. This ad format runs before, during or after videos on YouTube, giving viewers the option to skip the ad after 5 seconds. With Trueview in-stream ads, the advertiser pays when a viewer watches 30 seconds of the video (otherwise the duration if it's shorter than 30 seconds) or interacts with the video, whichever comes first.

According to Google, viewers who do not skip the ad are 10x more likely to share content, subscribe to the brand channel and engage with the brand. You can see why it is so important to engage your viewer within the first 5 seconds.

In order for viewers to be engaged immediately within this timeframe without thinking of skipping the ad can be tricky. Playing with the advertising codes and creating different messages to avoid creative fatigue is a good way to help with engaging users attention. Thinking of the viewer during conception and knowing your audience well is vital as it makes them feel part of the process and creates a connection with them.

Trueviews are easy to skip but if the ad is approached with contextual relevance while at the same time evoking emotion in an entertaining way then there is a higher chance of capturing viewers attention and keeping them engaged.

Below are some of Biborg's YouTube Trueview campaign examples :

1. Capcom - Resident Evil 2

The campaign Resident Evil 2 included a YouTube Trueview format that brought the audience into the heart of the intrigue and allowed them to choose the story. Biborg linked several videos with endcards that proposed different choices to users, giving them the possibility of selecting Leon or Claire and what they’d like them to go through. It’s one of the first multiple-choice Trueview ads in the video game sector that allows users to choose their own 1.5 minute story.

The immersive experience brings users into the world of the game, inviting them to uncover different scenes and ultimately order a copy.

33% of the people who watched the ad chose to continue the experience: quite high for a paid media campaign, and 85% chose to continue to the end.

Find out more here.

2. UGC - Gaston Lagaffe

For the launch of The Gaston Lagaffe film, YouTube Trueviews utilised the functions of the network (the play and skip ad button).

Having access to a UGC video shooting, Biborg filmed the scenes used in the ads keeping in mind the platform. For example, for the ‘Sieste’ video, instead of launching the trailer straight away so the viewer can watch it, Gaston was sleeping on the play button, so his boss had to wake him up and remind him to launch the trailer - an action that suits the character and context of the film.

For the machine trueview format, Gaston had invented a tool that will skip the ad so that the user doesn’t need to do it. However the machine breaks (like most of the machines he invents) and the ad didn’t skip.

Clear examples of incorporating the context of a subject with the tools of YouTube.

3. Wargaming - World of Tanks 1.0

For the launch of the new World of Tanks version 1.0 game, Biborg and Wargaming collaborated on an online digital campaign which included a set of YouTube trueview formats. The creative idea was to play on the notion of power - some directly relating to the countries of diffusion and others more on a general level. In a slightly humoristic twist, the creatives compared powerful subjects relating to the corresponding country with the power of the tanks, for example for France the videos referring to the old French war over what to call the famous chocolate-filled pastry treat, known to most as a “pain au chocolat” vs. the rival term “chocolatines”. In order to capture the users attention in the first 5 seconds, this element of power was boosted in the introduction, in a full CG video.

Find out more here.

4. Coty - Davidoff - Cool Water

For the launch of Davidoff’s Cool Water fragrance, the aim was to catch users attention within the first 5 seconds of the YouTube Trueview by using a play on words with an inspirational surf quote diving the user into the Davidoff Cool Water spirit, “You can’t skip the wave, catch it” and indirectly engaging the viewer to not "skip" the ad.

5. PlayStation - Spider-Man

For the YouTube Trueview format of Marvel’s Spider-man 2018 action-adventure game published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Biborg played with the skip ad button in order to surprise the viewer during the first five seconds. The text “99% of people who skip this ad are still prisoners of the web” - directly acknowledges the skip button as well as playing on the word ‘web’ linking to Spider-man's most famous powers – his ability to shoot webs. Through this introduction Biborg try to engage viewers to not skip the ad and to remain watching the trailer edit.

6. Warner Bros. - Dunkerque

For the Christopher Nolan new cinematographic film, Dunkerque, which was based on a major historical event, a YouTube trueview was created that was part of the launch campaign. The objective being to position Dunkirk as a spectacular and poignant experience without enclosing it in a niche war genre, the idea was to trigger our audience’s emotions with a sensational approach. The concept of the video formats was to reflect the feeling of frustration - for the YouTube trueview ad the first 5 seconds revealed this emotion in a poignant and powerful way.

7. Warner Bros. - Suicide Squad

“It would be crazy to skip this ad” “Don’t even think about it” “Behave and stay far away from this button”

For the Warner Bros. Suicide Squad YouTube Trueview campaign, three customised messages were created for the three main characters: Harley Quinn, Deadshot and Joker followed by trailer cuts of them in the movie. Biborg created custom introductions according to the different characters of the film. Each introduction cleverly plays with the skip ad button in the personality of the character, all inviting people to obviously not skip the ad.

8. Playstation - Horizon Zero Dawn

For the digital launch of Horizon Zero Dawn, Biborg produced 5 geo-contextualised introductions to create local relevance representing the deterioration of 5 capital cities over time. This degradation was represented through a timelapse effect during the first five seconds of YouTube Trueview formats before concluding with the endcard.

Find out more here.

9. Netflix - Narcos Season 1

For the Netflix series, Narcos Season 1 campaign, a YouTube billboard Trueview was created, revealing more content about Pablo Escobar, enticing people’s curiosity and having them not skip the video. During the first 5 seconds, an animation and voiceover outlining the amount of money Escobar would have gained before you skip the ad, hooked the viewer.

The video went on to display key figures comparing Narcos related facts to French topics that were meaningful to the French population, for example the size of Escobar’s property was compared to Stade de France, the largest French football field, the number of Pablo Escobar’s employees were compared to the population in Bordeaux, among other comparisons.

This format had the best view rate of the campaign, at 22.81% as well as best price per view, at 0.04€, among the lowest achieved by Netflix in France.

More info on Think With Google (FR).

10. BMW - Countryman

For the launch of BMW’s new Countryman MINI SUV vehicle, BMW and Biborg collaborated on a YouTube contextualised campaign which was diffused in France. Biborg developed a media strategy based on one of the most talked about topics on Friday and Monday : the weekend.

The objective of the campaign was to raise awareness, drive consideration and generate conversation. Formats were diffused at contextualised timeframes in order to stand out. The aim was to start engaging users before the weekend and keep them with the brand after the weekend. In order to reach the right people, different messages were created for each target audience: the young active crowd, young families and mature hedonists - all around adventure and emotion. During the weekend, remarketing formats were displayed to the engaged audience with YouTube bumper ads showcasing the vehicle features.

Find out more here.