How FMCG brands are using online video

Source: Warc Exclusive, February 2017

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This article explains how FMCG brands are using online video to humanise their content, connect with younger audiences,
demonstrate brand purpose or build emotional resonance, among other reasons.

Shareable online content can encourage the quick dissemination of important, complex messages and helps consumers
to establish a personal relationship with a brand.
Online video can give FMCG brands the opportunity to prove their commitment to ethical values and Corporate and
Social Responsibility, as well as justify a price premium.
Personal, emotive stories can demonstrate empathy with a target audience and lead to considerable PR for brands.
The article includes case studies from Always, LifeBuoy, Kenco and Dove.

Overview
This report describes how FMCG brands are using online video

FMCG brands are using online video in a number of ways:

1. Using shareable content to generate PR impact

FMCG brands are using online video to humanise their content, convey authority and earn brand trust. Shareable online content
can encourage the quick dissemination of important, complex messages and helps consumers to establish a personal
relationship with a brand.

2. Galvanise and engage young audiences

Young people are more likely to engage with branded content than any other demographic. Online video is increasingly important
to FMCG brands that seek to stimulate dialogue and build long term relationships with Generations Y and Z.

3. Demonstrate brand purpose and justify premium prices

Online video gives FMCG brands the opportunity to prove their commitment to ethical values and showcase their Corporate and
Social Responsibility initiatives, in greater depth. Further, effective brand films can help to justify profitable premium price
positions.

4. Building emotional resonance and personal stories

FMCG brands are using online video, featuring personal, emotive stories, to demonstrate empathy with their target audience.
Compelling, real-life content can inspire online conversation and lead to considerable PR for brands.

5. An opportunity to take risks with bold advertising strategies

Online music videos are often a bold communication choice for FMCG brands but a departure from conventional advertising
strategy allows them to showcase their personality.

6. Use humour to demonstrate brand efficacy

Online videos allow brands to clearly educate consumers and demonstrate product efficacy in an engaging medium. FMCG
brands use video content to communicate mundane, yet important, information in a surprising, stimulating format.

7. Further reading
1. Shareable content
FMCG brands are using online video to humanise their content, convey authority and earn brand trust. Shareable and strategically
seeded online content can encourage the quick dissemination of important, complex messages and helps consumers to establish
a personal relationship with a brand. Video can be a powerful way to educate consumers and influence behavioural change.

Case Study: LifeBuoy

This case study describes the launch of an online film from Lifebuoy, the germ killing soap bar, in India.
The brand was already considered to be a medical authority and used this position to educate mothers on the importance of
handwashing, in order to protect babies from the unhygienic conditions often surrounding them.

Lifebuoy targeted India's 10.5 million online mothers, by creating a cultural movement which made them more empathetic towards
the child mortality rate and educated them on basic hand-washing habits.

Research had found that mothers in India were more likely to consume and share content about child welfare
The brand's online film, Chamki, seeded a simple, yet powerful, message and was shared by influencers, celebrities and
mothers.
It received an overwhelming response, becoming the number-one most-viewed video on YouTube, ultimately attracting 15
million views, and garnered an unprecedented PR reach of 890 million people.
Lifebuoy became the third-most-purchased FMCG brand in the world, gaining penetration in 24 million households.

Read more and view campaign video in: Lifebuoy: The Story of an Unborn Child - Chamki
2. Young audiences
Young people are more likely to engage with branded content than any other demographic. Online video is increasingly important
to FMCG brands that seek to stimulate dialogue and build long-term relationships with Generations Y and Z. Teens, in particular,
regard YouTube Vloggers as trusted sources and they can play an important role, delivering brand messages in familiar
surroundings.

In this case study, Always, the feminine hygiene brand, created a campaign aimed at building young women's confidence at
a critical time in their lives, using long form video content to take the viewer on a journey of self-realisation.
The #LikeAGirl message resonated with its Canadian audience. It became part of popular culture and was the number one
viral video in the world.

Case Study: Always

Always forged an emotional connection with teens and drove brand awareness with a video campaign which stemmed from the
insight that somewhere between puberty and adulthood, women internalised the phrase "like a girl" to mean a bad thing.

The #LikeAGirl video ran as pre-roll on YouTube, which was chosen as the primary vehicle because it was adept at stirring
cultural conversations through video content.
Leveraging a hashtag strategy invited participation by encouraging girls to let the world know what they were proudly doing
"like a girl." The hashtag allowed the brand to amplify and aggregate the conversation throughout social platforms.
Influencers, who were credible with the young audience, bolstered the conversation and organic support came from
prominent women, including Melinda Gates and Chelsea Clinton, as well as high profile women's groups.
The digital video sparked a social movement which garnered over 76 million views. It eventually spread to 22 global markets
and inspired society to change the meaning of "like a girl" to an entirely positive connotation.

Read more and view campaign video in: #LikeAGirl

3. Brand purpose
Online video gives FMCG brands the opportunity to prove their commitment to ethical values and showcase their Corporate and
Social Responsibility initiatives, in greater depth. Further, effective brand films can help to justify profitable premium price
positions. Commercial gain can be a by-product of brand purpose and successful online video campaigns can deliver significant
return-on-investment.

In this case study, Kenco, the coffee brand, used online video in a social media campaign which told the story of real people
who had been spared a life of crime by the brand's investment in coffee farmers.
The film helped confirm Kenco's ethical credentials and the social media activity delivered 30% of the brand's incremental
UK sales, resulting in ten times the average digital ROI.

Case Study: Kenco

Kenco funded a social and educational programme that provided disadvantaged young Hondurans with the opportunity, training,
financial and emotional support they needed to leave their dangerous urban lives behind them.

TV drove mass awareness but social received a significant amount of the budget, and the brand video was used to build an
emotional connection and ensure that the message was widely shared.
Bespoke content on a dedicated website tracked the progress of recruits over the course of a year, showing the brand's
ongoing commitment in a range of videos.
The activity succeeded in changing perceptions of Kenco, allowing it to reaffirm its ethical positioning, and consumers
exposed to the campaign rated the brand much more highly.
The campaign delivered £22.7m additional sales revenues.

Read more and view campaign video in: Coffee vs gangs: How a strong brand purpose changed lives in Honduras and
changed fortunes for Kenco
4. Emotional resonance
FMCG brands are using online video, featuring personal, emotive stories, to demonstrate empathy with their target audience.
Compelling, real-life content can inspire online conversation and lead to considerable PR for brands. Real stories featuring
genuine human experiences are more likely to resonate with consumers and can have a significant impact on brand awareness.

In this case study, Dove, the personal care brand, targeted UK fathers with an emotional video which showed the actual
moment real men learned they were to become dads.
During the first month of launch, the brand received considerable media coverage and topped trending charts.

Case Study: Dove Men+Care

Dove drove awareness of its Men+Care range with a video which emphasised commitment to an evolved vision of masculinity
where strength also embraces caring for one's self and another.

Video was deemed to be the best medium to represent men's powerful personal stories and confirmed that the brand truly
understands and relates to this consumer segment.
Online behavioural insights served as the central inspiration for the creative idea.
By celebrating 'the modern man' with relevant and authentic content, the brand cut through in a way that it had not been able
to do before.
The campaign enjoyed significant earned media on traditional channels and achieved first position on Buzzfeed's 'Trending'
list.

Read more and view campaign video in: Dove Men+Care: Men find out they're pregnant
5. Bold strategies
Online music videos are often a bold communication choice for FMCG brands but a departure from conventional advertising
strategy allows them to showcase their personality.

In this case study, Brooke Bond Red Label, a tea brand in India, used social listening techniques to identify that hostility
towards transgender people was a barrier it could address, in keeping with its position as a brand that brings people
together.
The campaign proved that music videos are an effective way to deliver radical messages in an engaging manner.

Case Study: Brooke Bond Red Label

Brooke Bond Red Label recognised there was a considerable amount of social buzz about transgender people and this could be
a unique, untapped space for the brand.

With the number of branded tea players multiplying and intensifying competition in the Indian tea market, Brooke Bond Red
Label needed to innovate to make itself relevant and drive loyalty among consumers.
Behavioural segmentation of small town Indian housewives, a key audience, proved that video consumption was a growing
trend and music would be an effective way to deliver brand messages.
The 6 Pack Band, India's first transgender band, was considered to be the radical initiative which would revive the brand and
give it a new lease of life.
Data analysis influenced the strategy of six video releases, including the use of online celebrity advocates, which ultimately
led to positive brand association and considerable earned media.

Read more and view campaign video in: Brooke Bond Red Label: 6 Pack Band - Happiness that truly went viral!
(Powered by the PIVOT)
6. Humour
Online videos allow brands to clearly educate consumers and demonstrate product efficacy in an engaging medium. FMCG
brands use video content to communicate mundane, yet important, information in a surprising, stimulating format. Successful
campaigns can establish a differentiated tone and drive mass trial.

In this case study, MiO, a liquid water enhancer, reached an elusive young male audience in Canada, with a quirky,
humorous video campaign which clearly showed the functional benefits of the brand.
The brand launch campaign massively outpaced Kraft's objectives and sales were 350% higher than forecast.

Case Study: MiO

With a small media budget, MiO supported its TV activity with an online video campaign, which persuaded a new, young male
target market that drinking water was not boring.

MiO partnered with Dude Perfect, a male millennial YouTube phenomenon, who swapped basketball trick shots for trick
squirts to create unique branded content.
The brand introduced the cheeky, provocative tagline "Squirt some" as a way to celebrate the user experience and educate
the consumer on how to use the product.
The content was fun and shareable and helped the brand drive reach and awareness through earned media.
The online campaign proved to be unexpected enough to sustain the target audience's interest, effective enough to drive
massive sales, and flexible enough to support the eventual launch of a brand extension, MiO Sport.

Read more (and view campaign videos) in: MiO: Launching a disruptive product
7. Further reading
Online Video – Topic Page

The eight trends shaping online video ads in 2017

How to develop an effective YouTube content strategy

5 steps to social video success

What we know about online video audiences

What we know about online video effectiveness

7 steps to success with online video

Content in 2017: How video is transforming social marketing

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