Volkswagen gets 30% more out of their budget with an online-first commercial

Volkswagen achieves 30% more impact with online-first for a completed view

Last year Volkswagen launched the amazing TV commercial (TVC) “Afscheid” in collaboration with Dentsu. A man cries in his car, not because he bought a new Volkswagen, but because he has to say goodbye to his old one. A great concept and a beautiful production. Volkswagen asked us to make the commercial suitable for online while keeping the message as strong as it would be on TV. Together with our Advertising Lead Less Goes, we created a storyboard. We kept the emotion but also made it fit for online. Our studio produced a 20” and 34” edit. Two versions that perfectly fit the digital world and how people consume advertising. First, capture attention, in this case by starting directly with emotion and a medium shot. Branding at the beginning, for maximum exposure (also for those who may click away). Then, maintain attention by increasing the pace in the edit. And end with a clear call-to-action.

independent research compared the TV version to online, with great results

To conduct a reliable A/B-test, EssenceMediacom compared the old 20” tv commercial to the 20” online version on Meta. The results were impressive! The cost per thruplay decreased by 30%: €0,070 vs. €0,10. This means that it’s 30% cheaper to make people watch the 20” online version instead of the 20” tv version.

Beter Bed’s commercial grabs attention and retains it – for a lower cost

Let’s talk about Beter Bed. They launched their new commercial ‘De Overval’ in May 2023, a great creative concept, created and produced by Joe Public. We helped translate this ad to online, with a focus on YouTube, where Beter Bed’s audience spends most of their time.

the results are crystal clear: 30-sec YouTube ads are the way to go

Looking at the interest rate chart, results are seen on YouTube right after the skip button. It shows that between five and seven seconds the 30” online-version triggers better: 89% vs 84%. From this point, the difference gradually becomes a bit larger. After ten seconds the gap is already 10%, and after 15 seconds even 12%. This shows that the online version (30”) not only grabs attention, but also retains it. The difference in CPCV (cost per completed view) is 38%. We however look at two different versions with two different lengths. If we assume both versions to be 20”, it would mean that the online 30” version performed 28% better, resulting in a 28% lower CPCV. This difference shows the effectiveness of creating an online version of your format.

team5pm’s online-first program

Do you also want to achieve great results? You can. As a CMO or marketing manager, you will be involved in all stages during the creation of a great commercial. We would love to take you along with us in this process. Together, we make the transition from TV to online and we make sure that you get the most out of your commercial. Let me explain the stages of your new commercial step by step.

➤ Audience insights

Even before starting with a creative idea, we provide you with audience insights. With this tooling mix, including topictree, we gather data about your audiences on the biggest video platforms. We then translate this to concrete and human behaviour. This is how we map out your specific target group. We take a step back, and your creative agency steps in. Their brilliant minds will come up with a creative concept – also called the ‘big idea’.

➤ Fit for platform

Next, we provide advice on how to adapt your big idea for different online platforms where you plan to upload your commercial. What works on YouTube, may not work on TikTok for example. We create a storyboard fit for platform. Your production agency then creates the commercial.

➤ Review deliverables

Once the content is created, we put it next to the concepts and storyboards and see what is the best version according to objective research and pre-testing. Have the right deliverables been produced, or do we need to make changes? Yes, check? Then we can forward it to the media agency.

you’ll never forget online from now on

Volkswagen grabs the right attention and retains it with their online-first commercial, all at a lower cost. Just as Beter Bed. By simply placing your TVC online, you’ll miss out on great results. Such a bummer! So are you planning on making a commercial? You could generate at least 30% more impact with our digital-first approach. We’d love to help you out :-) Come by for a coffee (or beer) – and we’ll talk further!

Born and raised on YouTube, we’ve developed a unique, data-driven approach to create effective videos. As the second-largest global search engine, tapping into YouTube’s full potential requires more than just uploading videos. Our YouTube agency 5pm can efficiently navigate this complex platform, ensuring your marketing investment translates into measurable results. Click here to learn more about anything YouTube related.