We’ve all heard the many adaptations of: “if content is king…” Including the retort: “…context is queen.”
Case and point: the recent Netflix YouTube campaign to promote the addition of ‘Friends’ to their television roster. The “Friendly Pre-Roll Campaign” is the first pre-roll campaign to utilize responsive search to serve relevant clips from the oldie-but-goodie sitcom. Meaning if you searched for “funny dance videos” on YouTube, your video might open with a pre-roll of Monica and Ross’ infamous “routine.”
With this innovative move, the decades-old show seeks to garner new users attention by tapping relevant interests and trending searches. And it seems to be working.
Which begs the question: is this the beginning of a new norm? Rather than the standard inclusion of online video, are we embarking on a new wave of branded content? One that is designed to serve contextually relevant pre-roll aligned to video searches in the moment.
Seems like a win-win. Shoppers can partake in more pertinent, related, and potentially enjoyable viewing experiences, while brands can win a spot in her lifestyle and on her list.
Photo source: Creativity-online
