Video teasers create FOMO
Think about why hype is so extremely relevant in today’s day and age: If you don’t generate buzz, you’re dead in the water. We live in a world that is constantly churning out solutions and ideas. And truly, this statement isn’t just a platitude. To put this into context, look at an industry and geography – just take technology and India for example. A study by the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry on the startup ecosystem recognised 1,300 new tech startups born in 2019 alone – implying there are 2-3 tech startups born every single day – that’s just new solutions: in not the first, not the second, but the 3rd largest startup ecosystem in the world. Setting that statistic aside for a second and focussing on what some of the largest businesses in the world are doing – Statista’s Global report on Video advertising and marketing worldwide noted – in 2020, online video ad spend amounted to 49.8 billion U.S. dollars and thereby accounted for almost 30 percent of total display ad spend positioning businesses, services, and products worldwide.
The fear of getting lost in the clutter can get very real, very soon. Generating hype around your product or service can create a highly appealing perception of your brand and product, and impact consumer behaviour by grabbing their attention across channels.
Hype is most often used right before a product or event launch, creating a sense of urgency that puts your output in a bubble, forcing your audience to focus on nothing else. Take some of the top players who are killing it with hype marketing – Supreme’s attention towards exclusivity and limited supply has taken the world by storm, Apple’s unique and classy events and teaser videos strategically launched well in advance of their products, Sony’s teasers on their playstation console; all have one thing in common – they create a red velvet carpet for their products.
So what about generating buzz makes it impossible for your audience to miss your product?
Leveraging FOMO to generate buzz
It has always been ingrained in our minds since the dawn of time to be part of a community, and one of the ways to belong is by being ‘in the know’ of the happenings around us. Think about it – Have you ever been in a situation where someone said, “Dude, did you hear about that crazy thing that happened to someone famous sometime ago?” And everyone delves into it, leaving you clueless and left out. Who wants to feel that way!?
The fear of missing out or FOMO is a real phenomenon that taps into our primitive need to be where the action is. As social creatures, we do not want to fall behind the latest trends and this makes it easier for brands to tap into our fear by emphasising on what we’ll miss out on.
Bringing back Supreme’s hype strategy, the brand is an expert at leveraging FOMO. Their art of limited supply has invoked a sense of need among their fans, making them want to be one among those who own the product. The “demand outweighs supply” strategy has worked wonders for them, making them one of the top players in marketing.
But when it comes to hype and teasing your audience, we have identified that the best way is through a product video category that has stood the test of time: teaser videos.
Putting the tease in teaser videos
Take Sony’s teaser on the Playstation 4 in 2013. One of their most frustrating teasers ever, they opted not to show how the console looked and capitalized on their audience’s need to know what’s coming to stores. The entire 40 seconds clip was a mix of zoom-ins and outs, a blurry console and it revealed absolutely nothing! Except for the fact that the product was going to be rectangular. And the most frustrating part? They released it a full month before the actual launch, generating conversation, hype and at the same time competing with their rival’s launch.
On the other hand, Carlsberg’s relaunch went with creating a highly appealing perception of their brand in 2011, promoting the phrase – “That calls for a Carlsberg”. The video, which is essentially their logo filling up with beer with an attractive voiceover reflecting the brand values, looked so appealing that it created a sense of ‘want’ all within 15 seconds.
So why did Sony’s and Carlsberg’s teasers work so well? Why are videos the perfect medium to build hype?
The simplest reason would be that people have a super short attention span and a high demand for good content. But diving deeper, product videos are a way to show the world your unique approach and brand philosophy. It also helps you connect with your audience on an emotional level, allowing you to build loyal consumers. The storytelling narrative that comes with videos can be invaluable in marketing to engage with people.
LinkedIn’s trailer for their B2B guide on what they called their ‘secret sauce’ to turn up the heat on marketing campaigns is a great example of how exaggerated storytelling coupled with a distinctive animation style can even help drive traffic towards gated content pieces.
Or take for instance SAP’s event teaser video that uses high-contrast imagery interspersed with, and masked within elegant typography, driving registrations to their virtual event – The SAP Sustainability Summit.
What makes these videos so special is that they bring the limitless creativity of B2C to B2B without losing out on their message and values.
So combining this with FOMO and hype marketing, you’ve got yourself a great strategy to generate buzz over your launch. It creates need among your audience, driving traffic to your channels. This is a phenomenon that brands should adopt to stay relevant, especially in a world where your content can easily get lost in the mix.
But with great power comes responsibility, it is also important to keep in mind that FOMO tactics can create a lot of negative emotions that can backfire on you big time and drive a wedge between you and your consumers. There’s a fine line between teasing and being plain cruel!
We’re headed towards fast-moving, easy to consume content and a teaser video that speaks to your audience in less than a minute and creates hype around your product is what will set you apart from the crowd. Want to create engaging product videography? We at Red Bangle can help you with just that. Get in touch with us to hype up your product like never before.
Leave a Reply