The objective of this original content video series was to increase video views by creating engaging and shareable content that reinforces Lennox's brand positioning. HVAC is a low-interest category, and typical content within the HVAC category can be solely informational with little creativity and aesthetic value. This doesn't always translate into something engaging and shareable. Consumers are spending more time than ever watching video online, but time is precious and in order to grab their attention the content needs to provide value. This can be in the form of information but more importantly it needs to be entertaining.
The strategy to achieve our objective was finding topics that related to the categories Lennox has expertise in, (energy efficiency, air quality, etc.), but to add a creative angle. The output resulted in two different video shoots, one that was brand focused showing behind-the-scenes footage at the Lennox research and development facility, on location at a Lennox customer's home and another that was lifestyle focused at the Toronto Zoo.
Through social posts across Facebook, Twitter, G+ and Instagram, along with limited paid promotion using enhanced social targeting, the videos earned over 600K+ total views. This increased 45X compared to the original video content created in 2013. We contribute this growth to the popularity of the topics this past year coupled with the promotion and distribution strategy.
Original online video content is growing exponentially and approximately one in five American adults age 18+ watches original digital video each month. Lennox understood the importance of creating content that was specifically designed for social, and not just re-purposing a commercial spot to run online. The objective of these videos was to be engaging and share worthy. The videos had to be informative it show our areas of expertise, yet entertaining, so people would watch and share them. Being that HVAC is a low interest category, this made our objective that much harder in grabbing people's attention and making them care about what we had to say. There were two areas of focus that were settled on to achieve this, brand and lifestyle. Both laddered back to our ultimate brand message, "The Pursuit of Perfect Air".
The brand shoot was done at the Lennox R&D Facility. We took a behind-the-scenes look into how the products are made and tested. We interviewed product experts to talk about the quality and thoroughness Lennox takes in developing its products. The goal was not to shoot a typical video showing HVAC products, but instead to appeal to the innovative and tech minded consumer that has interest in how things work and the thinking behind the product. Additionally, we filmed a testimonial-type video of a family that suffered from allergies and how the PureAir™ Air Purification System changed their lives. This drove home how Lennox is not just about heating and cooling. The products can have a major impact on your life and your overall health.
The lifestyle shoot took an entirely different approach. We chose to look outside the more traditional HVAC box that was product focused and visit a Zoo to see what animals could teach us about energy efficiency and how they could inspire a company like Lennox. We chose the acclaimed Toronto Zoo given the variety of animals they had and their willingness to provide their expertise in the field on the videos. We focused on polar bears due to the way their fur has made them energy efficient and butterflies whose wings were the first-ever solar panels. The Zoo experts shared their knowledge about the animals as well as how the Zoo protects their climate for year-round comfort.
This content stands out because of how innovative and unique it is not only within the HVAC category, but within online video content in general. Many brands aren't creating original content for online use, let along social specifically. These videos were produced with all channels in mind, catering to the specific audiences of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For Instagram specifically, content was developed with the platform in mind and what content we have seen perform well. With a limited paid budget for promotion, we focused in on our exact social target audience to limit waste as much as possible.
The content tied back to the brand objectives and focused on key content areas for Lennox, it wasn't trying to overtly sell products. These videos simply were engaging and entertaining, and the result proved it. They earned collectively over 600K views across Facebook, Twitter, G+, YouTube, Instagram, and pre-roll. This increased 45X compared to the original video content created in 2013. We contribute this growth to the popularity of the topics this past year coupled with the promotion and distribution strategy.
As secondary KPIs we looked at CTR, completion rate, and engagement rate. The pre-roll completion rate was 87%, 16% above the Consumer Electronics industry in-stream video benchmark (75%). Coupled with a CTR as high as 1.96%, this showed consumers were not only watching the video, but clicking through to the website to learn more. 3.4% engagement rate on Facebook shows users were likely to comment, like and share the video to their friends.
Beyond the video analytics themselves, this campaign has helped Lennox grow its SOV to now be the largest among its competitors. This is a huge fete for the brand and original content is a key component of this growth and success and a large differentiator among our competitive set.
