Unskippable YouTube Ad -- GEICO

Type

The above advertisement is an extended cut of a YouTube ad by GEICO, a Government Employees Insurance Company. The original ad is only up to the 10-second mark.

Ad's appeal/Benefit of the ad

The major problem in advertising on YouTube is that viewers have an option to skip advertisements ten seconds into it, so if an advertisement is not appealing enough, the core message of it is often ignored. This ad overcomes the problem, condensing the message into a simple family setting and one line uttered by one of the characters, "Don't thank me, thank the savings". The ad closes off with a voiceover saying "You can't skip this GEICO ad, because it's already over" and the tagline: "GEICO. 15 minutes could save you 15% more on car insurance". It is quick, supplying information without the usual dilly-dally.

What I like about the ad

The ad is in itself a smart way of putting the viewers' attention on the product/consumer benefit through its duration of 10 seconds. The teasing lilt in the voiceover as he says, "You can't skip this ad because it's already over" provides biting humour that leaves an impact on the viewers perception of the ad, making them feel tricked. Though that may not necessarily be a good thing, the ad is memorable as it evokes some kind of emotion from the viewers and generates response from them. (As shown by the likes/dislikes bar and comments on the extended cut of the video, many are upset by the ad but have chosen to view click on the ad to view the extended cut anyway.)

Others

There is a formula to make ads that are unskippable besides making it literally unskippable. The key is to gain attention from the get-go and retain it -- force the audience to spare their precious few seconds they intended to use on whatever video they are on and use them on the ad instead. Tapping into today's humour is relevant in any form of advertising and sometimes it is even advisable to make the ad unrelated to the product or service itself. The most difficult yet highly impactful of all is to make the ad go viral. On a platform such as YouTube, it is not impossible to gain such great exposure as YouTube is, essentially, a video platform that is used by millions of people worldwide.

(Source: http://mashable.com/2011/11/04/youtube-ad-campaign-tips/#gallery/8-ways-to-represent-your-small-business-on-youtube/50bdf0a15198407f800029ea)