Video stays a dominant force in consumer engagement, solidifying its role as a vital tool for brand storytelling. From short-form social clips to immersive long-form content, video shapes how brands connect with audiences across generations.
Marketing surveys highlight video’s growing influence, with platforms like TikTok inspiring 55% of consumers to buy gifts through the late 2024 holiday shopping season. This trend underscores the effect of video on buying decisions. Its versatility allows brands to tailor messaging for various audiences, making compelling content — relatively than fleeting trends — the important thing to standing out year-round.
In response to Chris Roebuck, CEO and founding father of Clicktivated, video is amongst essentially the most widely consumed media globally. His company pioneered efforts to successfully monetize video for retail and travel, demonstrating its potential beyond passive viewing.
Despite the medium’s simplicity, Roebuck argues that video has historically been a passive experience — more look-but-don’t-touch than truly engaging. As brands navigate shifting expectations around engagement, measurability, and personalization, traditional metrics like views and completion rates aren’t any longer enough to drive real value.
“We’re starting to witness the evolution of video as we’ve traditionally known it into an immersive, engaging, and measurable format and experience. This transformation, also widely generally known as shoppable or interactive video, will create massive opportunities [monetization, data, personalization, better overall experience] for all content creators to maximise the impact of their story in 2025 and beyond,” Roebuck told the E-Commerce Times.
Marketers Must Embrace Interactive Video to Compete
Shoppable and interactive videos aren’t any longer only a trend — they’re becoming essential in today’s hyper-connected world, Roebuck noted. Content creators must produce videos that drive measurable outcomes and meaningful engagement to remain competitive. Counting on outdated metrics like completion rates isn’t any longer enough to ascertain a brand’s value.
“Content creators now have a definite selection: leverage technology for higher outcomes or slowly fade into irrelevance,” Roebuck said.
He added that the numbers make an unquestionable case for more video engagement. Consider that 89% of companies already use video as a marketing tool. Then consider the success rate: 96% of video marketers report increased brand awareness, and 99% say it enhances understanding of their services or products.
“Interactive videos, specifically, can achieve engagement rates as much as 300% higher than standard formats. At Clicktivated, we see a mean 500% increase,” he said.
Consumer Demand for Interactive Video Ads Is Growing
In response to Roebuck, 43% of consumers prefer interactive videos over traditional ones. The opposite 57% just haven’t experienced one yet, he quipped.
Roebuck noted that 81% of individuals want interactive content from brands, with Gen Z’s interest soaring to 94%. As demand rises, he predicted these numbers would proceed to grow, signaling a fundamental shift in video as a marketing format.
“Interactive media helps businesses stand out and create personalized, engaging, measurable experiences. Interactive videos are reshaping how brands connect with their audiences, they usually provide a transparent ROI,” he insisted.
Audience-Centric Video Beats Trend-Driven Content
Success is set by the audience, not the platform. While trends might offer a short-term boost, content must meet the audience’s must avoid losing consumers’ trust and loyalty. Roebuck cautioned that the whole lot is in danger.
We asked Chris Roebuck to share his expertise on avoiding costly errors when transitioning to the developing recent role of shoppable and interactive videos.
E-Commerce Times: How can brands discover and address their audience’s pain points or aspirations through video content?
Chris Roebuck: Use common sense, and don’t try too hard. For too long, we’ve got seen brands attempt to do an excessive amount of and move way too distant from the voice that got them there, which often doesn’t work out all that well!
Understanding your audience comes right down to leveraging data and actionable insights to craft content that resonates on a deeper level.
What are the important thing elements to contemplate?
Roebuck: Video is a dynamic medium that thrives on personalization. The flexibility to tailor campaigns to specific audience needs makes all of the difference.
For instance, shoppable video technologies like Clicktivated allow brands to trace engagement patterns, revealing viewers’ interests and preferences. This helps brands understand their audience and empowers them to handle specific aspirations or challenges of their messaging directly.
Why is it critical for brands to prioritize their audience’s needs over platform-driven trends?
Roebuck: TikTok’s potential U.S. ban showed how temporary platforms could be. By specializing in what your audience values most, your content will remain relevant and impactful, irrespective of how trends or platforms evolve. Not to say, it lets you construct differentiated experiences that suit your narrative.
How can brands tailor video content to reflect different generations’ unique values and preferences while maintaining a unified brand voice?
Roebuck: Tailoring content is an imperfect science. It typically starts with understanding what each generation values most. As an example, Gen Z gravitates toward authenticity and humor, while baby boomers reply to clarity and practicality.
The challenge is to adapt your tone, visuals, and message to align with those preferences while maintaining your core brand identity. Your brand’s voice should act as the muse. What changes is how that voice is expressed.
Highlight your values to resonate with each generation, and balance content that meaningfully connects with diverse audiences while reinforcing a unified brand image.
When should brands prioritize short-form videos for quick engagement, and what strategies make them best?
Roebuck: For too long, brands have created videos to suit a format relatively than the story they try to inform. Short-form videos are best when you’ll want to grab attention immediately. Long-form videos are perfect for telling a sturdy story and constructing a stronger audience relationship with helpful, in-depth information.
Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts have recently placed loads of emphasis on short formats. While this isn’t at all times good for you, it allows them to create a brand new revenue path.
To make short-form videos stand out, deal with the primary few seconds or the “hook.” Make them visually dynamic and clear. Keep it easy, compelling, and to the purpose. One of the best strategy is to remain authentic and deal with content that appeals to the viewer’s emotions.
To integrate these two forms effectively, brands should deal with consumer engagement and create various pieces of short- and long-form content to maximise impact.
What key storytelling elements help video content resonate with each Gen Z and baby boomers without losing focus or effectiveness?
Roebuck: Find universal themes that bridge generational gaps, like humor, authenticity, and shared values resembling trust. Whatever the generation, great storytelling relies on the basics of authenticity, value delivery, and relevance. The story should align with what each generation values most.
Do specific video formats or platforms perform higher for multi-generational engagement?
Roebuck: At all times meet your viewers where they’re. Create great content that feels natural and authentic. Nobody-size-fits-all format guarantees success. Concentrate on what resonates together with your audience, not what platforms or trends inform you to do.
