Localised video advertising is a global brand’s best friend

For global brands looking to enter a new market or expand efforts locally, video advertising is a powerful storytelling device. Yet videos should be carried out with specific target audience tastes in mind and with expertise on the local markets to yield the best results.

Video advertising is a good way for international brands to build momentum and awareness in local markets. Video remains a key priority for marketers, its importance moving at an all-time high. 

Doing video marketing locally means replacing generic advertising with highly effective brand messages that speak to local audiences while supporting global strategies. Making video efforts count starts with good, data-based planning and expertise on audience behavior. 

International brands should pay attention to certain key things when considering video for local markets.

Localised video advertising often makes for better reach

It’s all about the target audience, and global players may not have the necessary insight when it comes to local consumer behavior. Local partners and agencies, on the other hand, often have essential knowledge about the markets and data on target audiences: what type of messaging works, and which channels they prefer.

“Consumer insight is key when doing video advertising locally,” says Olavi Kajantie, Key Account Manager at Sanoma. “It all starts with defining what types of target audiences international brands need to reach, and how.”

Data about audiences also allows for brands to tie metrics to the overall goals of the video advertising, and to effectively measure and analyse results. The most common metrics are reach, impression and the amount of completions, but every campaign is different and may require specific approaches tied to local audiences – something local partners can help with.

Localisation translates into relatable brands

Authenticity is appreciated by audiences, and utilising local influencers and messaging makes the brand more relatable, even if the brand is already well known. In 2018, Finnish CokeTV was produced for Coca-Cola, featuring locally known vloggers and influencers as hosts of the YouTube show produced across Europe. The channel was extremely popular: it was Finland’s most watched brand content in early fall 2018, and Finland’s results were the highest in a country comparison. Video production of the channel was done by Videolle, which now operates as part of the Sanoma brand. 

“Getting visibility locally can be very tied to local tastes. International brands should get creative in how they can reach their audiences,” says Markus Malvisalo, Key Account Manager at Videolle.

Compared to other Nordic countries, Finland as a market has its specific peculiarities and preferences that should not be overlooked. Finnish humour, for example, is a genre of its own.

Local partners can help at every step of the way

Local partners should be included as early as possible in the process, and should ideally support both the creative as well as technical side of production. The best partners can help with all the stages of planning the marketing, including the concept, messaging and distribution of the videos.

Including local partners from an early stage is also cost-effective. “Designing videos with a local approach from the get-go is a much more effective strategy than advertising for globally produced videos,” Kajantie confirms. “Videos designed with the local target audiences in mind produce brand awareness on a different level.” 

The role of partners is enhanced when a brand is entering the Finnish market for the first time. For example, Danish car sharing company GoMore expanded its operations into Finland as a relatively new service and employed a multichannel approach with direct access to Sanoma’s campaign support and own channels. This resulted in building top-of-mind awareness on a large scale for the company. 

Producing videos locally does not always have to be a massive effort or include shooting endless amounts of material – it can also mean animations with a local partner. “Partners can help brands see the big picture of where to get started locally and tailor video production to small or large needs,” says Malvisalo.

When planning local video advertising, remember the basics:

1) Use a local partner

2) Gain understanding of local target audiences

3) Define key goals & metrics 

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