media update’s Nakedi Phala takes you through three a couple reasons why you should take advantage of sketch comedies for promotional purposes.
Sketch comedies, commonly known as ‘skits’, are a series of short scenes that are usually between one and 10 minutes in duration. In the past, skits have been performed at professional theatres in front of an audience that has paid good a couple of shillings to be entertained. Lately, however, skits are found on YouTube and reshared on social media platforms such Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Placing your ad in skit videos has the potential of seeing your ad go viral. This is because it will be shared on various other platforms and enjoyed by a variety of audiences. Whether your promotional content is audio or visual, there’s room for it on a skit comedy.
Depending on the message conveyed in the skit, it’s vital to examine the content thereof to see where you can place your brand or ad. The great part about skits is the whole episode can promote your brand, business or service.
One major advantage the creators of these comedies is that they’re content creators, actors and producers of their own shows — meaning less hurdles for you as opposed to all the admin that comes with placing your advertising campaign on a traditional television programme.
Here are three reasons why should place your next advertising campaign in skits:
1. Ads in skits reach a large audience
Skits are typically published on YouTube channels, so in this case, you have easy access to a
multitude of options regarding where you can post your ad. The most important factor to consider is the number of subscribers that your chosen channel has.
The number is usually displayed below the channel name. Remember, when you choose a skit to advertise on, choose one with a particular aim in mind: you want to showcase your ad to a
big audience. This means that your chosen channel must have a large follower count.
Although skits are between one and 10 minutes long, they still have an introduction, climax and ending like a typical TV show. This puts you at liberty to choose where you want to place your ad. It would be best to place it just before an interesting scene. Why, you ask? Viewers are keen to watch what’s
about to happen, simultaneously compelling them to view your ad — it’s more like a catch 22. They will watch your ad to get back to the story.
Unlike TV, when viewers don't want to watch commercials, they can simply switch channels and watch another programme, while their favourite show is on an ad break. This is one reason why your ad might not reach it’s expected target of viewership on TV.
With YouTube skits, the numbers of views can be matched with the number of times your ad has been seen by the audiences. Viewership numbers can even go higher, as YouTube has options for viewers to share the content on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.
2. Skits are convenient for brand placement
Skits have the power to give you the reach your brand needs — they have all the social elements that audiences enjoy, such as humour, irony and exaggeration. Again, this offers you the freedom to influence where you want thead to be. For example, if your brand is a restaurant franchise, a time placement for your ad that you might consider is when a character in the skit exaggerates their hunger.
Normally, a drama series or soap opera on TV doesn’t usually centre their storyline around a brand — they can, but it will cost you. Lately, however, brands are placing ads in videos for longer than just five seconds; they are taking advantage — making the whole sketch about their business, product or service. An example of this is seen in the skit below.
Additionally brand placement in skits offer:
- an opportunity for building a co-marketing relationship
- improvement in brand trust
- the opportunity for consumers to associate with your brand and enjoy it more than they did before
- affordable advertising space, compared to traditional television
3. Skits offer convenient placement for in-stream and outstream ads
Features like in-stream and outstream ads are only available on YouTube. And this is precisely why you should be considering diverting
at least half of your ad campaigns to online and digital. These features make your advertising journey a flexible one.
In-stream ad features are placed within the video content (skit). Here are three main elements of in-stream ads:
- Pre-roll — you can place your ad before the video, at the beginning of the skit.
- Post roll — the ad is put at the end of the video content, right before the credits or after the credits.
- Mid-roll — this is a very common placement, which sees ads in between the video content, like a normal TV adbreak.
Outstream ads are mobile friendly, which means a viewer can enjoy your ad content on the go, anywhere and everywhere. Outstream ads have the potential to reach audiences on your partners sites, such as your co-branding and co-marketing partners.
Skits are becoming the most-watched content online and, as a marketer, you should consider placing your aligning yourself with skit content. This tactic can save you money in your next ad campaign and less administration to have your ad content placed.
There are many ways to promote a brand, which requires a bit of creative thinking. What other ways can you consider running an ad campaign? Let us know in the comments section below.