Facebook’s virtual reality videos have been a success, with BMW proving to be the top performing brand using the 360 video ads in News Feeds, according to new research.
When Facebook rolled out its 360 videos in News Feed in 2015, it did so with the aim to “connect you with the people and things that matter, every single day”. Consumers’ growing interest in immersive content was cited as one of the top reasons to why video has been so successful on Facebook and 360 videos were introduced to take that trend to the next level.
Close to a year and a half post launch, it is safe to say that 360 Videos boost engagement levels – they have given marketers a significantly broader visual canvas to play with and opened the door to enhanced storytelling experiences.
Socialbakers has rounded up the top UK Facebook Live 360 Videos in 2016, and analysed what the top performing brand – BMW – did so well to outsmart its competitors. Here’s a list of the top 10:
Top Facebook 360 videos (by number of interactions)
1. BMW UK (Auto) – 14,872 interactions
2. Cadbury (food) – 10,878 interactions
3. BMW UK (auto) – 10,188 interactions
4. EE (telecoms) – 9,628 interactions
5. Xbox UK (electronics) – 8,387 interactions
6. Thomson Holidays (travel) – 7,740 interactions
7. John Lewis (retail) – 7,449 interactions
8. EasyJet (airlines) – 7,035 interactions
9. Renault UK (auto) – 6,022 interactions
10. BMW UK (auto) – 3,666 interactions
Socialbakers’ analysis of the data:
• BMW is completely owning Facebook 360 videos in the UK – so, what is BMW doing right and what can brands / marketers learn from its marketing strategy?
Immersive storytelling – BMW is inviting its followers into an immersive environment to experience not only its product range but gives them a flavour of the opportunities and experiences that comes with driving its car – this is a big departure from the traditional screen experience
Product launch brought to the next level by tapping into emotions – The ability to build up a desired emotion is a deal breaker – certain emotions can trigger the desire to share content / news with others and judging by the level of interactions generated, BMW is successfully tapping into people’s desire for adventurous, luxurious and refined experiences through its 360 videos
Take part of exclusive partnerships – BMW teamed up with McLaren to build the “BMW supercar, CAR+” – the first Supercar Run was livestreamed at Facebook, in 360° providing an exciting and novel experience for its audience
• With the list being dominated by the automobile industry, John Lewis is the only retail brand making it onto the list (with a 360° experience of the brand’s recent Christmas campaign) – this showcases how tapping into highly anticipated industry events is another great tactic for brands wanting to make buzz on social media
• Majority of the listed videos are focused on taking the follower on a (branded) journey which immediately bridges brand and customer
360 videos are becoming mainstream and marketers need to ensure they optimize their content and its reach accordingly
Moses Velasco, VP Product & Chief Strategist, at Socialbakers, said:“360 videos take the audience a step beyond standard video content, bringing them into the experience and getting them closer to the brand. BMW does this brilliantly. The brand doesn’t just report on a race, it puts the audience in the driving seat and ensures its 360 videos capture all the action from the most exciting perspectives possible. BMW knows which content to boost and is using a combination of organic and paid to maximise ROI. If the content works well organically, it will perform well once promoted and BMW boosted its high quality 360 content to great effect, helping to secure three out of the 10 top spots in 2016”