More particularly, many brands are attempting to move their TV ads onto mobile, a transition that, quite bluntly, fails every time.

1. Shorter videos

Increasingly, audiences in Africa are shunning consuming many videos, especially 30-second ads, on their mobile devices. This is because data is expensive, while a tougher economic environment means they are less able to top up as frequently. Thus, a key trend for 2018 will be towards shorter videos of between five and seven seconds, which can deliver a brand’s message concisely.

We can expect to see more people becoming specialists in cutting a 30-second video ad down to five or six seconds, while still managing the core of the ad in a well-structured way. Another trend brands can watch out for is videos that can more easily be shared so as to go viral.

2. AR and 360-degree video

It is imperative that brands understand what is appropriate for every market and tailor their ads accordingly.

They also need to be clear about who they want to reach and hone in on their target. YDigital Media works closely with groups such as GroupM and the Dentsu Aegis Network on various mobile video campaigns, and it’s their live optimisation and 24-hour service that allows brands to instantly change creative, optimise to any given metric, and work towards a full video view with all tracking requirements for interaction thereafter.

While augmented reality (AR) will likely grow in 2018, at least in more developed markets, this is not a trend that South African and African brands need to be on top of – at least not yet.

This despite the success of the likes of Pokémon Go, an AR game that took the world by storm last year, but fizzled out just as quickly. This suggests that there is still a maturation process that must take place with the technology and its uses.

When AR does come to the fore, the facility to interact in real time with creative that overlaps the physical world will herald a massive change for marketers and brands alike. However, in order for this to take hold locally in a sustained way, data prices have to drop.

With regards to 360-degree videos, this sits in a very small niche at present. While large real estate companies and automotive brands may invest in it to offer interactive 360-degree video of properties and cars on the market, it is not yet embraced by the masses. As with AR video, this will likely become more common in the years ahead.

3. A focus on results

As to how brands can best leverage mobile videos in 2018, videos should offer the chance to engage with the brand, whether that entails following a link, liking a page, or filling out a form based on the brands' objective, as easily as possible, without disrupting the browsing experience.

For the immediate future, one trend that will hopefully take hold in the year ahead is a greater value of results, rather than just reach. Many businesses tend to still focus entirely on the latter and don’t understand their media wastage. Simply reaching 35 million South Africans is meaningless if the majority of those dislike the ad and only wanted to shut it off as quickly as possible.

Rather, brands need to identify the result they are aiming to achieve outside of and beyond views, upfront. The success of a mobile video should rather be measured by how well it performed, by its click-through-rate and how many consumers were prompted to have a meaningful interaction with the brand itself within the right content.

If that becomes a trend in 2018, then brands may well find themselves in a healthier position come this time next year.

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