Creating Memorable Advertising Experiences: How Virtual Product Placement Engages Audiences and Drives Results

As an advertiser, you know the importance of leaving a lasting impression on your audience with a memorable and stimulating ad experience. With viewers’ attention increasingly divided across a plethora of platforms, now is the time to prioritize creative strategies that effectively capture your target audience.

A powerful tool now available is virtual product placement which falls under the category of in-content advertising — a  technology that places products, signage, video, 3D models, and other digital creating into content post-production seamlessly. This ad format empowers advertisers to manifest meaningful ad experiences for their audiences by combining contextually relevance and effective brand messaging and placement.

In this article, we explore virtual product placement as a method for creating highly engaging user interactions that help drive success in today's ultra-competitive advertising landscape.

WHAT IS VIRTUAL PRODUCT PLACEMENT, AND HOW CAN IT HELP YOU ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE?

In today's fast-paced digital world, advertisers must continuously find new ways to engage viewers. Virtual product placement is an ad format that can help you do just that. It involves integrating images or videos of your product into a pre-existing piece of content, such as CTV, linear, steaming, or Influencer content. This method is effective because it allows you to reach a wider audience while also seamlessly blending your product into the content, making it less intrusive than traditional product placement, and because it is placed into content that is less likely to be skipped, such as a TV spot.

By using virtual product placement, you have the potential to connect with your audience on a more personal level while strongly increasing brand awareness. Placing branded product ads in video content helps to strengthen the association between the brand and the positive experiences users have within that content. When viewers encounter the brand in a TV show that they enjoy, it can create a positive impression and reinforce brand recall. This association can influence viewers’ perception of the brand.

ADVANTAGES OF VIRTUAL PRODUCT PLACEMENT FOR YOUR BUSINESS 

As the world continues to shift towards all things digital, virtual product placement has become an incredibly useful tool for businesses looking to make a lasting impression on their customers. With virtual product placement, advertisers can easily target specific audiences by placing their products in relevant digital content. This not only increases brand recognition but can also result in higher sales revenue.

When executed correctly, virtual product placement can provide a seamless and impactful way for businesses to reach their customers and stay ahead of the competition.

Find out more about the advantages of virtual product placement in our blog.

CRAFTING CONTEXTUAL RELEVANCE THROUGH VIRTUAL PRODUCT PLACEMENT

Crafting contextual relevance through virtual product placement has become crucial for brands to engage with their audience.  By strategically placing products in a way that aligns with the narrative of the content, marketers can create a strong emotional connection with their prospective customers. This approach not only enhances the viewing experience but also creates a memorable brand image in the minds of the audience.

With the right placement and creative execution, virtual product placement can effectively increase brand awareness and drive consumer engagement.

Mirriad’s work in embedding brands directly into video content that’s contextually relevant is already paying off for marketers. Our work across the globe for companies such as T-Mobile in the U.S. with Univision and  SEAT in France with TF1 demonstrated outstanding effectiveness in engaging viewers.

BEST STRATEGIES FOR UTILIZING VIRTUAL PRODUCT PLACEMENT FOR MAXIMUM IMPACT

With the growing competition and abundance of digital content, it can be challenging to make your virtual product placement stand out. To maximize the impact of your product placement, there are a few strategies that you should consider.

Strategic Placement

Advertisers should strategically place their ads in prominent scenes or moments that receive high viewer attention. This could involve featuring the product during a crucial plot point, a visually striking scene, or a memorable character interaction. Placing the ad in these key moments ensures maximum visibility and impact. At Mirriad, our team helps you find the right moments for your brand to achieve these results.

Emotional Resonance

Aim to evoke emotional responses from viewers through virtual product placement. By connecting the product with positive emotions, advertisers can create a stronger bond between the audience and the brand.

We are moving ahead with our research to explore the carryover impact of emotionally charged content on embedded brands. To get started, we commissioned a research study from neuroanalytics company, SPARK Neuro, to investigate how different emotions in content can influence brand value across multiple categories.

In the initial phase of the study, we had 900 participants perform a valuation task for eight different emotions, including emotions that aren't always associated with brands, such as disgust and sadness. We then went to a neuro analytics lab to test the emotions that resulted in the most significant increase in brand value for three brand categories — Automotive, CPG/Cleaning, and Food & Drink.

The study yielded outstanding results and opened up multiple strategic options for brands willing to look beyond traditional marketing routes. A billboard advertisement for Jeep Wrangler, placed in a suspenseful hostage scene during an action drama, prompted a 6% increase ($1,898) in perceived product value due to viewer "anticipation." Similarly, Lysol disinfectant wipes inserted in a gruesome scene, causing "disgust" among viewers, spiked perceived product value by 22% ($1.30), and a potato chip brand in a sad scene involving a mother and child, causing "sadness" among viewers, raised perceived product value by 27% ($1.28).

CREATE MEMORABLE ADVERTISING EXPERIENCES WITH MIRRIAD

Mirriad leads the field of virtual product placement, providing a strong slate of research, industry partnerships, and integrations that set industry standards for virtual product placement. Our proprietary end-to-end solution simplifies virtual product placement campaign execution, with over 37 patents and driving a consistent record of improved campaign effectiveness, proven by Kantar. If you're looking for a game-changing solution or are just curious about virtual product placement, Mirriad is your go-to. Join the ranks of advertisers who already made the switch and get in touch today to learn how our innovative approach can take your campaigns to the next level.