Converse with your users, and all else will follow: Part One

Google’s user-experience motto is, “Focus on the user and all else will follow.” This also rings true for great YouTube advertising programs: converse with your consumers, and all else will follow.

YouTube, as a video platform, provides advertisers with the ability to connect directly with their consumers, helping them start and sustain dynamic conversations through video. In the past few months, a few advertising programs have really caught our eye, for the ways they humanized their consumers, rewarded them for their engagement, and showcased their creative contributions.

This post is the first in an ongoing series that explores the inspiration and execution behind some of the more innovative and successful custom advertising programs on YouTube.

Lesson #1: Entertain and Reward Users

The success of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s (LVCVA) “Vegas Bound” campaign shows that even though media can drive users to a destination, keeping user interest depends on how an advertiser can enhance user satisfaction upon arrival – whether its through sheer entertainment value, a sense of community, or a suite of prizes.

LVCVA did just that and more: In a voyeuristic twist on their 2003 campaign tagline, “What Happens Here, Stays Here,” LVCVA’s 2009 “Vegas Bound” campaign made stars of everyday Americans by sending them to Vegas and sharing their adventures with a worldwide audience on YouTube. LVCVA then complemented the webisodes with a YouTube contest where users could explain why they need a trip to Vegas for a chance to earn their own well-deserved vacation.

Campaign developed by LVCVA, R&R Partners

Although the “Vegas Bound” campaign kicked off in January 2009 during difficult economic times, it was successful in accomplishing LVCVA’s objectives: in the months following the campaign’s launch, web traffic to VisitLasVegas.com increased by 6%, and referrals to hotel properties were up 36%. Not only did LVCVA reach their metrics, but “Vegas Bound” also won an OMMA award this year as the best integrated online campaign in the Travel category.

There are many laudable traits of the “Vegas Bound” campaign, but its most remarkable accomplishment was this: It allowed a small group of hard-working Americans from Cranfills Gap, Texas, a town of only 358 people, to share some of their most exciting moments with an online community of over 600,000. LVCVA granted a lucky few this priceless experience, and “Vegas Bound” allowed users from around the world to share in it, from start to finish. Now, that’s the ultimate reward.

Posted by Jane Yu, Sales Development