Content Strategy, Search, Production — Meet Client’s Expanding Needs
With digital video emerging as the fastest growing form of interactive content being distributed and consumed online, Ogilvy & Mather has formally launched a specialty video practice, a unit that has been in development for two years.Ogilvy’s Advanced Video Practice works with brands to take video engagement beyond the “viral” view; targeting measureable engagements that place viewers directly into the sales funnel. Over the past two years the team has been developing strategic interactive video experiences for IBM, Nestle, DuPont and other global clients. The practice has evolved and expanded as more clients seek to martial the growing opportunities in the online video space.
The new practice augments a number of growing Ogilvy specialty areas in the new media space including Digital Influence, search optimization and search marketing, creative, content strategy and social selling. It is led by Robert John Davis, an interactive media veteran who joined Ogilvy in 2008, after leading Rainbow Media’s cable network websites, and serving as MTV Networks’ first Executive Producer of Convergence.
“Driving engagement with a brand, product or service is our ultimate goal. Online video content is a new frontier for building brands,” explained Brandon Berger, Chief Digital Officer for Ogilvy. “Our practice is unique in that we are using the medium to drive business, not just collect views. We have proven success with our clients in developing experiences that optimize search results, drive click-through to websites or purchase, and impact sales across both B2B and consumer brands.”
The practice focuses on several key aspects of online video: the creation of strategic content, video search engine optimization (VSEO), the production/distribution of video across multiple digital platforms and measurement. It brings together experts from online video strategy and production with the Neo@Ogilvy search practice and OgilvyEntertainment, to provide clients with a full service online video platform.
Maximizing the potential of YouTube as a marketing channel for clients is one of the key ways in which the practice has grown. Among its signature achievements is the creation and implementation of global and regional YouTube strategies for IBM, Raisinets, Purina, DuPont and others.
Creating content informed by online consumer behavior is central to the team’s approach.
Using a best-in-class technology work flow managed by Ogilvy’s Redworks, the Advanced Video Practice has developed a low-cost solution to distributing and transcoding high-quality video content that is optimized for viewing across different video channels. Davis notes that, “historically users have not expected high quality from online video, but that is changing. Our process puts the same emphasis on visual quality that we apply to our television work. Anything less is not acceptable to today’s top brands.”