User-generated video reviews can complement traditional media - study

In addition, the rates of presence of many of these elements were greater than those typically seen in the rival digital format of banner and rectangle display ads, the study found. Videos in the study were scored using comScore ARS’s content assessment methodology, ARS Zipline, which is used in the marketing industry to quantify the potential of advertising creative to be recalled and to persuade consumers.

“The results of our research suggest that user-created video is a format that not only yields promising persuasive executions, but does so in a way that complements traditional forms of media,” said Frank Findley, vice president of comScore ARS. “When advertisers think of user-generated content, they mostly consider the impact of creative going viral. By applying our research methods to Expo consumer product review videos, comScore ARS is helping to develop a broader understanding of this unique marketing format.”

In the research, a sample of 25 video product reviews across various categories was selected and evaluated according to their inclusion of content known to be key drivers of persuasiveness and memorability. The product reviews were drawn from the Expo online product review database in a manner similar to that used by advertisers when searching the database for marketing content. The TV and digital ads were selected from the ARS database, which includes ads that were pre-screened by clients and then submitted for qualification via copy-testing.

The videos were scored based on comScore ARS’s validated elements of video persuasiveness and memorability, including the presence of rational, emotional and structural attributes. The distribution of scores for the 25 select cases demonstrated that there is potentially much marketing value to be mined from user-generated video content. Among the highest performing videos were reviews for Clairol, Gain, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, LG Electronics and Apple. (See example videos here.

“It’s no surprise that consumers can persuade each other, but it is surprising that in consumer-produced video, people are naturally exhibiting behaviors that years of research have found to be persuasive in professional television commercials,” said Joe Torpey, director, digital marketing for LG Electronics USA, Inc. “Brands are only beginning to uncover the value that lies in giving consumers their own voice on the social web.”