Today, almost everyone goes to YouTube to watch and look for great video content and stories. With brands and advertisers knowing this, it has been natural for them to be where their audience are. And, with such a wide variety of content present on the platform and elsewhere, there are (and not to mention, the Skip Button), marketers often find it challenging to keep their audiences tuned in to their content.
But what we know is that the audience actually does engage with branded messages and ads, especially when they find it to be relevant, relatable, novel, and engaging, and when they have well-told, genuine, creative and unique stories to tell.
And this is why the YouTube Ads Awards is here. The program was launched to celebrate creative storytelling on the platform and award the best work done by brand storytellers.
Creative storytelling can be done in so many ways, especially on a platform which offers a venue for different kinds of stories and content as well as various formats and features that can give a richer experience to the audience.
Taking a deeper look into the criteria, what we found sets it apart from other awards shows, which usually cites marketing effectiveness and craft according to medium (ex. film, print & publishing, radio, digital/cyber, etc.), is that aside from being specific to YouTube as the platform, the program recognizes creative work that employs both great storytelling and innovative use of formats within the platform.
What makes YouTube Ads Awards even more unique is that it recognizes brands and advertisers which have risen above the challenges of viewer behavior on the platform like short attention spans and the ability to ignore and skip ads they deem irrelevant or intrusive.
So what’s the judging criteria for the entries? Here is a rundown of all the qualities and components our judges will use to select the award-winning work.
- Does the entry have a strong story that elicits emotion? The most memorable ads have strong, relatable, and resonant stories that make Filipino viewers laugh, cry, sympathise, fall in love, be inspired, or feel a mixture of many emotions towards the story.
- Is the story universal; can people easily relate to it? Stories of love, heartbreak, laughter, humor, fun, family, friendship, nostalgia, surprise, inspiration, and everyday experiences all resonate with Filipinos whether they are from different backgrounds, places, and walks of life. The most relatable ads are those that are built on universal truths and values.
- Do the first five seconds have a strong hook that encourages a full view? In today’s viewing behavior, the first 5 seconds are crucial to viewers on screen. These first five seconds of your ad must convince viewers that your video is worth watching.
- Is it unique in its approach, style, perspective, etc? Given the whole universe of content on YouTube, your ad must have a unique element to make it stand out like a witty hook, catchy music or sound effects, cinematic visuals and effects, or an unusual camera perspective.
- Is it visually rich; does it maximise the power of sight and motion? A video as a storytelling medium gives a lot of room for rich and dynamic visuals, details in the background and environment of the story, special effects and animation, action and motion, and expressions and emotions of the characters. You can even create different worlds on video. The possibilities are virtually endless.
- Does it maximize the power of sound to embellish the story? Sound and music are important in setting the tone and mood of the story. Furthermore, viewers pay 2.4x more attention to ads with sound than silent or muted ones. Since Filipinos are very much attuned to sound and music, they remember and enjoy ads which make use of familiar and catchy tunes.
- Does it leverage substantial personalities/creators in its storytelling? Whether advertisers get celebrities, personalities, influencers, or upcoming artists for their ads, choosing the right people to portray characters or tell the brand story in a genuine and believable way is important in getting viewers to watch the ad and put across the message.
- Does it have an element of surprise or an unexpected turn? Sometimes, what makes an ad unique is a surprising plot twist. If your ad made a sudden left turn, chances are your viewers will find it quite memorable.
- Does the entry encourage unique-to-YouTube interactivity with viewers? The program recognises brands who take advantage of YouTube’s unique opportunities to engage with their audience through 360 options, outdo links, annotations, and the like. Furthermore, creatively crafted ads can engage with the audience by getting them to click, sing, dance, follow instructions, act on their side of the screen and other types of actions.
- Was it able to tell the brand story conversationally with the viewers? The brand story should still be at the core of the ad, but it must be told in a way that is relatable and resonant with the audience.
- Does the entry compel the viewer to share or talk about it? The brand must tell a story that makes the audience go beyond than just watching the ad. The ad must make viewers excited to share the video with their network.
There we have it! These are the judging criteria YouTube Ads Awards has. And we’re sure your portfolio is teeming with ads that would make great entries!
All ads that have been promoted to Filipino audience on YouTube any time within January 1, 2017 until January 15, 2018 are eligible to be entered by any representative of a company who was involved in the launch of the YouTube ad! And remember, submitting an entry is free, so don’t hold back in showing your best work.
Deadline of entries is on February 22, 2018, so hurry and enter away! Submit your ads today at http://g.co/YTAdsAwardsPH.
