About the ABCDs of effective video ads

The 4 principles of creating effective YouTube video ads are Attention, Branding, Connection, and Direction. This article explains the core ABCDs and the principles by marketing objectives to help you build better performing video ads for YouTube.

For video specs and safe zones, learn more About video ad specs.

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Benefits

  • Apply guidelines to campaigns of all sizes.
  • Refine your creative execution with data-backed guidelines.
  • Deliver as much as a 30% lift in short-term sales likelihood and a 17% lift in long-term brand contribution.*

*Source: Google/Kantar, The Short & the Long of ABCDs Effectiveness, Global, Apr 2021.


Core ABCDs

Principle Guidelines

Attention

Hook and sustain attention with an immersive story.

  • Jump in: Get to the heart of the story faster, and use engaging pacing and tight framing to draw viewers in.
  • Support the story with audio and supers: Reinforce your message with audio and text. Avoid competing elements.
  • Keep visuals bright and high-contrast: Ensure visuals are optimized for all devices.

Branding

Brand early, often, and richly.

  • Show up early and throughout: Introduce your brand or product from the start and maintain that presence.
  • Reinforce with audio: Audio brand mentions enhance onscreen brand visuals’ performance.
  • Draw on all your branding assets: Use a variety of branding elements to fit your message and objective.

Connection

Help people think or feel something.

  • Humanize the story: Feature people to help you tell a better product story and relate to your consumer.
  • Focus the message: Avoid doing too much in your ad. Keep messaging and language focused and simple.
  • Engage: Lean into emotional levers and storytelling techniques such as humor, surprise, and intrigue.

Direction

Ask them to take action.

  • Include a call to action (CTA): Be intentional and add a CTA to drive a specific objective. Say what you’d like viewers to do.
  • Supercharge CTAs with audio: Reinforce your onscreen CTA with voice-over to ensure the next step is clear.

 

 Learn more about the core ABCDs of effective video ads.


ABCDs by marketing objectives

Great video ads start when you apply the Core ABCDs, but you can optimize your ads for specific marketing objectives. Customize your ads to achieve what matters most with tailored ABCD guidelines, whether you aim to raise awareness, drive consideration, prompt action, or a combination of the 3.

  Attention Branding Connection Direction
Awareness: Get noticed Pump up the volume by using audio to get viewers to pay attention Put your brand front and center

Make the people core to the story

Be different, yet simple

Apply core principles
Consideration: Show users how your product fits into their lives Apply core principles Hero the product

Show how it works

Be relatable

Plant the seed of urgency
Action: Present an enticing call-to-action with the right context Apply core principles Make the product the ad Be exact and tangible Present the ask after the context is set
Full funnel: Maximize effectiveness by incorporating all objectives Hook attention with audio and focus on elements that deliver the message Start with a mix of branding elements and finish with the product Establish a connection with your audience to help support your product Use CTAs throughout your ad, and be more direct as you go

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