7 Best Brand Video Marketing Campaigns

The past decade has been an exciting one for brand marketers, with digital video solidified as the most critical tool to attract, engage, and convert their audiences. 

How effective is video marketing? Research indicates that video content facilitates a fantastic 95% message retention rate among viewers, in stark contrast to the mere 10% retained when the same message is delivered in text format. Moreover, video influences the way consumers make purchasing decisions. Surveys have shown that 84% of consumers have been persuaded to buy a product or service after viewing a brand’s video content.

The rise of social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube has dramatically amplified how much video marketing brands are doing and how impactful it is. YouTube platform alone boasts over 2 billion monthly active users, while TikTok has surged past the 1 billion user mark. Similarly, video content’s tendency to be shared (we all love to share a great video) – 1,200% more than text and links combined – positions it as a formidable tool for viral marketing and enhancing brand visibility.

Recent years have also seen a notable shift in shopper preferences towards content that resonates with authenticity. Brands that have adapted to this change by using video in innovative ways to share their stories, or at least the ones that have been successful, have. The campaigns we’ve lined up in this article come from a diverse range of industries but have one thing in common: they’re interesting and engaging in a way that only exceptional video marketing campaigns can be.  Let’s dive into 7 of the best video marketing campaigns we’ve seen in the past few years:

Starbucks – Every Table Has a Story

If every table has a story, then Starbucks set out to tell them. This campaign centered around the unique stories that unfold within coffee shops and featured individuals who share the role Starbucks played in their lives. From aiding in overcoming social anxiety to fostering creative pursuits, the campaign highlights the coffee shop as a place where anyone, regardless of who they are or aspire to be, can find solace, inspiration, and community. Featured in the campaign were real people and it was their stories that the brand showcased in 20 to 60-second cuts versions across cinema, broadcast video on demand, online, social, and owned channels, as well as in-store.

The results speak for themselves when it comes to considering the efficacy of the campaign. On Twitter, the VTR (view through rate) was 56%, while on YouTube it was 91%. The Facebook/Instagram VTRs were 89% and the YouTube cost per completed view came out at a very cost-efficient £0.0044. 

Samsung – Join the Flip Side

Crafted by Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam, this campaign by Samsung targeted loyalists of rival brand Apple using a blend of humor and innovation. In the video to promote the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, we see a protagonist enchanted by the foldable feature of a friend’s phone to the point of obsession. Nothing too complex there right? But what made this work well is that the narrative was supported by social videos emphasizing the phone’s unique folding capability and portability, as well as out-of-home advertising. In Belgium, the tech company’s ad agency replaced bus bench seats with chairs that mimicked the Z Fold phones, further emphasizing the foldable aspect in everyday life​​.

The campaign focused on users’ emotional connections with their smartphones and encouraged them to reconsider their brand loyalty. Samsung aimed to leverage the uniqueness of its phones’ foldable feature to prompt consumers to notice and consider its product. The results show that an impressive 11.4% of users switched from Apple devices to the foldable range of Samsung phones (according to the mobile retailer itself), a significant impact on market share.

The campaign not only aimed to showcase the innovative design of the Galaxy Z Flip4 but also to keep building Samsung’s appeal among trendsetters and consumers seeking the best experience from their mobile phones. The creative execution of this campaign spanned TV, social media, online video, and out-of-home.

Mattress Firm – Don’t Sleep on Sleep

Mattress Firm’s “Don’t Sleep on Sleep” campaign was an extension of its “Junk Sleep” initiative and dug deep into the consequences of poor sleep quality. Featuring actor Liev Schreiber, the campaign highlighted the dangers of neglecting good sleep habits with scary representations of sleep deprivation’s effects on daily life. The campaign unfolds through a series of films, introducing viewers to a sleepless scenario in which the whole concept of good sleep is challenged. Extra films explored various aspects of how “junk sleep” could affect individuals physically, mentally, and emotionally by merging late-night experiences with metaphors for poor bedtime habits like binge-watching, looming work deadlines, and excessive social media use. 

Overall, Mattress Firm’s campaign aimed to raise awareness about the impact of poor sleep quality and showcase the brand’s products during its summer sales events. And it worked extremely well, according to Droga5: Consideration and purchase intent upped by 18% and 17% points, respectively, and sales saw a 13.7% year-over-year increase from launch until a week before Labor Day. As for Labor Day sales, these went up by 11% year-over-year. 

Honda – The Other Side

This campaign leveraged interactive video technology to showcase the dual characters of the Honda Civic and its sportier cousin, the Civic Type R. In a narrative that flips between two storylines at the press of a button, the audience learns the story of an ordinary man leading a double life. By day, he’s a dad picking his daughter up from school in a white Civic. By night, he’s an undercover cop driving a crew of art thieves in a red Type R. The transition between these parallel narratives was enabled by pressing the ‘R’ key, mirroring the Type R’s race button, which shifts it into high-performance mode​​​​​​.

The creative execution of this campaign involved meticulous editing to synchronize the day and night narratives, as well as CGI for the red Type R model. And it worked! The campaign resonated with its audience, achieving an average engagement time of over three minutes per viewer – a significant accomplishment for an automotive campaign. Further, traffic to the Civic website doubled during the campaign period and the campaign was celebrated for its innovation and creativity.

Toggl – Track

Seeking to elevate brand recognition, Toggl set its sights on YouTube pre-roll ads, Facebook, and Instagram to create engaging video content. The premier time-tracking software both businesses and individuals, has been used by companies from Amazon to Uber and even sports giants like Serena William. In this video campaign, Greek philosophers were brought to the present day to illustrate the stark contrast between outdated methodologies and the avant-garde capabilities of Toggl Track. This was Toggl’s first step into live-action content, a challenge for agency Vidico, which tried to distill the complexity of Toggl’s software into content that was not only accessible but captivating enough to retain viewer engagement.

The campaign’s achievements are pretty impressive: The product overview video soared to 1 million organic YouTube views within a month, with an average view rate of 94.7%. The explainer video achieved a YouTube paid view rate of 33.54% from skippable ads, and the overview video secured a Gold at the 2022 MUSE Creative Awards. 

Amazon Books – That Reading Feeling Awaits

Launched by Amazon Books, this video marketing campaign was a significant effort to rekindle the world’s love for reading. This global campaign reflected on Amazon’s origins as a bookseller, revisiting its roots to highlight the enduring mark that books still make. The campaign was created through six films, each exploring different reading experiences like wonder, love, fear, loss, and calm. These narratives vividly illustrate the personal connections readers have with books, transitioning from focusing on the reader to immersing viewers in the world of the book itself. To achieve this richly, the campaign collaborated with over 20 illustrators, representing various genres and the unique emotional responses they produce in readers.

The campaign leveraged social media through a bespoke sticker pack and emojis, encouraging readers to share their experiences. Influencers on #BookTok promoted ‘that reading feeling’, urging the public to share their favorite books and add animated stickers to visually represent the feelings books inspire in them​​.

Liebherr Home Appliances – OpenDrawer Relaunch on Onyx

Liebherr Home Appliances collaborated with Brand Studio to redefine video storytelling on Outbrain’s Onyx platform. The initiative, named OpenDrawer, came from the desire to let users dive deeper into the product’s features through enriched video content and innovative interactions. Liebherr, known for its sophisticated refrigeration solutions that marry freshness technologies with sleek design, faced the challenge of introducing its OpenDrawer refrigerator to a US market filled with consumers who prioritize cutting-edge design and technology in their home appliances. 

For Brand Studio, the solution was to craft four unique custom video players specifically for Onyx’s contextual pre-roll video format. The strategy was to not just capture but also keep user attention, and it worked well. The campaign’s performance notably surpassed standard video engagement benchmarks, with a 20% higher attention rate, 79% viewability, and an impressive 38% engagement rate, as per Adelaide’s benchmarks.

The campaign’s success was apparent in the high engagement and video completion rates and is an excellent example of how interactive video content and premium placements can effectively bridge the gap between product awareness and customer views.

Video Marketing Campaigns – Innovative and Inspiring

The 7 best video marketing campaigns above demonstrate how a combination of creativity and innovation can take the video format and make it into something so much more powerful and engaging. From commercials to social videos to native video formats, use the examples above to inspire your next success in video marketing.