imc², a 12-year-old interactive agency based in Dallas, has developed vivilogues, which use a variety of videos to tell a detailed story about a brand. The most recent vivilogue, for GlaxoSmithKline’s alli™, an over-the-counter weight loss product, uses 11 different videos in three section areas to provide an all encompassing look at the product, from who it’s for to how it’s used. Vivilogues take video beyond the short form that runs with web content and beyond the repurposed TV commercials to a novel use of long-form video that provides a full story and extends an advertiser’s ability to reach a prospect. Doug Levy, imc²’s President, tells us how the agency developed vivilogues and how they’re being used.
iSPOT: Can you provide background on your agency?
Levy: The agency started 12 years ago in 1995 and we’re a next generation ad agency focusing on digital media. Our client base includes Procter & Gamble, Pizza Hut, GlaxoSmithKline and Norwegian Cruise Line.
iSPOT: Did you develop vivilogues on your own?
Levy: Yes, we created the concept because we saw the opportunity to unite TV and the Internet. TV does a phenomenal job of capturing people’s attention and telling a story. The Internet has traditionally been good at providing a depth of content. But there wasn’t something uniting the two. We created vivilogues to create a rich compelling experience to unite the emotion of video with the depth of the Internet. The name vivilogue comes from vivid dialogue and dialogue is the chief benefit. You’re not just a passive recipient of content like you are with TV, but instead you have an opportunity to create the experience.
iSPOT: Do vivilogues always appear on a client’s web site?
Levy: No, they can appear in lots of different ways. We create the content and can use it as a product website, but we can use it other ways too, as marketing pieces at trade shows, as direct mail pieces and online as links to product websites. When people are surfing online and come across an ad, they’re not always intent on getting more information. Click through rates can be high, but action rates are low because they drop off from there. If we can connect online media with a vivilogue, they get into the story and they’re inspired to go for more information.
iSPOT: How is video used in vivilogues?
Levy: Most are flash, and flash combined with video and voiceovers. As an example, there are three vivilogues on the alli site, it’s been a great way to engage the target audience in understanding the product. There’s one that’s a tour of the product and packaging. There’s one that talks about how it works in your body and the third is for people who have already purchased the product, it’s a tour of the plan. You can get to them by going to Myalli.com and click on the modules on the right side of the page to view the videos. Each individual video explains another factor of the product. It marries the benefits of video with some of the unique attributes of the online experience. It marries video with voiceover and chapter methodology and gives the user a chance to understand where they are in the story. It offers the opportunity to jump around from chapter to chapter, control volume and pause. It gives the user control of the experience so they can get a look at the product at a high level.
iSPOT: Does your agency create and produce the videos in the vivilogues?
Levy: We produce the videos, sometimes in house, sometimes with external experts, including directors and videographers, depending on each project’s requirements.
iSPOT: The use of video in vivilogues differs from the traditional use of video in online advertising. What is the major advantage of using video this way?
Levy: Thirty-second TV spots on the Internet don’t take advantage of the unique aspects of the media. The goal of the Net isn’t the same as TV. TV is mass a channel, the Internet seeks to engage people in deeper relationships and we think video is something that we can use in service of that.
iSPOT: Vivilogues are long-form video, because if you put all the clips together in a vivilogue you could spend a long time with the ad.
Levy: You can think of it as long form with user control, which is an important attribute.
iSPOT: Most of your clients who have used vivilogues are pharmaceutical. Who else can use them?
Levy: Pharmaceutical companies find it very helpful because they often have a complex story to tell and vivilogues are useful for that. They can also be used for any new product, an expensive product that requires thought. Luxury goods, hotels, cars, any new product introduction that requires explanation and loyalty programs where you want to do deeper engagement.
iSPOT: How do you measure vivilogues?
Levy: It’s one of the core benefits because it’s highly measurable. We can tell how many started the vivilogue, how many go to each chapter and if there’s a call to action, how many have jumped in. Clients want more accountability and vivilogues provide it.
iSPOT: How can users update vivilogues?
Levy: There’s a shorter production cycle for vivilogues than a TV spot. We can make changes, adapt them and they can be customized. You can take a vivilogue and customize it for different audiences or allow users to adapt it based on the chapters they choose. If you have a single vivilogue and you’re sharing it with different audiences, such as existing users and new users, you can make multiple vivilogues or make changes to the vivilogue itself to reach different audiences. Users can adapt the vivilogues themselves by choosing options a, b, c, or d at the end of a chapter. It’s like a logic tree, they branch out to areas that are most appropriate to them. You engage the user and it provides a unique experience, much more than TV.
iSPOT: How do you get clients interested in using vivilogues?
Levy: We start at the beginning talking about what their objective is. We take a step back and find their business objective before we select the tactic. We engage in a strategic dialogue on their business objective and if vivilogues make sense, we’ll recommend it.
