5 great interactive video examples

Summary

We have talked a lot about video and interactivity. In this post, we will take a look at 5 examples of highly successful interactive videos!

Tips to create an interactive video

We are drafting a full cycle of posts around the topic of interactive video. We started with this first post, about “What is an interactive video?“, where we examined what interactive videos are, how they work in practice, and the benefits for those who choose to implement them in their video marketing strategies.

In the second post “how to get creative with your video ads“, we provided some practical tips and best practices for producing interactive video marketing campaigns in the most creative, memorable, and effective way.

We isolated 5 main points:

1) Always start with storytelling that can capture attention and trigger engagement. 

2) After storytelling comes the call to action, which must be “the right one in the right place” that can naturally lead to conversion.

3) There is no such thing as an effective video for all target audiences. But you can build videos based on the characteristics of each individual target audience, automatically – this is the breakthrough of one-to-one communication and personalization.

4) Pay close attention to the different channels where your interactive video is distributed. Each has its own rules, best practices, and target audience. The theme to watch is: omnichannel.

5) Every campaign can and should be continuously improved, starting with the careful analysis of results and feedback. 

After these tips, we’re ready to go even further. Indeed, we’re convinced that much can be learned by observing and analyzing what the best companies do.

In the continuation of this post, we will share some examples of interactive videos. We have chosen 5 that stand out not only for their success, but also because they allow us to approach the topic of interactivity (with all the opportunities to be seized) from 5 different sides.

Nike Air Max Dia – A store-like experience 

We open our list with a video marketing campaign by Nike, a company known to all, not only for its success, but also for its ability to stay ahead of the times and ahead of trends. 

In this case, the U.S. multinational company has initiated a collaboration with Barbara Malewicz, a Parisian blogger and influencer who is widely followed in the fashion and streetwear sphere. 

In this interactive video, it addresses the viewer directly, with the goal of building a tailored outfit by choosing different garments, starting with a pair of sneakers. What is the most interesting effect? 

In our opinion, it’s the simulation of the in-store experience, an experience that is transported to the digital world from the comfort of your own computer or smartphone. 

We said it above: Nike has always stood out for being ahead of its time. Well, this campaign dates back to 2019, before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Sure, the emergency phases are (hopefully) behind us, but the theme of pairing the physical, in-store experience with the digital one is more relevant than ever in the world of design and fashion. 

In this particular case, thanks to the interactivity, the viewer finds himself immersed in a fun and engaging experience. He can interface with a knowledgeable and interesting person on the other side of the screen, and at the same time, he can get a very realistic and concrete idea of how the outfits he chooses will look, as well as the products available for purchase. 

The various calls to action in this video, of course, lead very smoothly and intuitively to the company’s online shop. 

This interactive video is part of a series that has involved other streetwear personalities and influencers. 

Paymentshield – Starting with customers’ needs 

Now, let’s take a look at an interactive video campaign of Paymentshield, a major British company in the insurance industry. 

What interests us in this example is the breadth in the use of interactivity and even more so the fact that the different options and touchpoints were designed from the needs of their customers. 

The company, first of all, conducted extensive research on the different reasons why financial advisors were not addressing the topic of general insurance (GI) with their clients. Different reasons emerged, which were featured in the video. 

As a result, the viewer can click on the specific reason why they haven’t chosen to act on this topic. Depending on the choice, therefore, the viewer is directed along a tailored path that aims to provide the best information and dispel all possible doubts. 

In this example, in our opinion, two aspects play a key role: 

1) The “education” part 

Education is increasingly valued by users. It’s the effort on the part of companies to be, first of all, useful, and willing to provide valuable information to the viewer. It’s about offering something before being asked. A strategy that is critical, now more than ever. 

2) A “data-driven” construction.  

One of the great strengths of interactivity, we have seen, is to break the linear, one-way communication (from the brand to the passive customer), turning the recipient into an active agent of the dialog. By implementing a data-driven perspective, this recipient is preliminarily identified in a number of different, increasingly specific targets. The natural consequence is increasing effectiveness.  

Let us ask a question, which ties in with what was just said above: what is the ultimate boost of the data-driven perspective? The answer is very clear: personalization.

Through data analysis, match the target audience to the individual person. So, tailor each interactive video to the characteristics of each viewer. Today, all of this is possible, simply, immediately, and without wasting energy. It involves relying on specialized platforms such as Babelee.

Buzzfeed quizzes – personalization and gamification 

All successful interactive video campaigns involve personalization in some way. It’s very important for companies to have this awareness. 

It’s about moving from one-way to two-way, and at the same time, moving from one-to-many communication to one-to-one communication. The secret to the success of interactive videos is all here. 

In the case of Buzzfeed’s “Get Styled by Jazzmyne” campaign, the gamification component is added to this. 

It starts with a rather traditional quiz format. The host (along with her guests) addresses exactly what you are watching. There are questions to be answered by clicking on one of the possible choices. The ultimate goal is to receive advice related to your outfit based on your personality. 

You have all of this with the perception that you are participating in an engaging and entertaining show. 

Ana Grade for Amazon – An interactive video for B2E 

So far, we have looked at examples that are aimed at a brand’s customers. 

But the tool of interactive videos is also very useful for internal company communications. In short, we’re referring to B2E. 

What are we talking about? 

It’s about Business to Employee, a series of strategies aimed at improving the employee experience within the company, stimulating employee engagement and thus advocacy, aiming to make the team spirit increasingly solid.

Given that today’s labor market is more fluid and accelerated than ever before, this is an absolutely central aspect for a company today. The most attentive companies have long understood this. In this specific case, we are talking about an interactive video that uses animation and gamification to introduce an employee on her first day of work. The department is Customer Service. 

The video, therefore, takes the form of a kind of course–but not a boring, face-to-face one–to follow Amazon‘s corporate onboarding process, teaching Customer Service employees how to handle various scenarios. 

It’s an immersive digital training for situations that the employees are likely to experience on the job. 

Delta Air Lines – Interactive videos to target loyalty 

For a company, it costs 6 to 7 times more to win a new customer than to retain one (source: inc.com). A 5% improvement in Customer Retention can produce up to 25% more profit (source: bain.com). 

From this dual awareness of the importance of retention comes the interactive video campaign built by Delta Air Lines. 

Again, and certainly not by accident, we’re talking about a campaign where personalization is one of the primary elements, along with interactivity. 

In concrete terms: the company has created thousands of personalized, interactive videos aimed at its Delta Skymiles customers. The name of the campaign (also aimed at individuals) is: “The Path You Make”.

The goal is to make each individual recipient feel special, to make them feel that they are truly at the center of the company’s interests, both in terms of service and, even before that, in terms of one-to-one communication. 

With this last example, we come full circle in this chapter. We have looked at some great cutting-edge tools, leveraging the most advanced technologies, the most effective digital tool (video), and the possibilities opened up by Big Data analysis…but the center of everything always remains people. Or, rather, every single person!