Tag: São Paulo

Video Campaigns: When the Player Is Message

Two videos that did not just play, they proved the point

In digital marketing, video innovation rarely comes from “better footage”. It comes from changing how the viewer experiences the message. These two campaigns are clean examples of that approach.

In the last week or so I came across two campaigns that used video to innovatively deliver their message.

Volkswagen Hidden Frame – using the YouTube play bar as the story

The Volkswagen Side Assist feature helps drivers avoid accidents by showing other vehicles when they are in the side mirror’s blind spot.

To drive home the message, AlmapBBDO developed a film that used YouTube’s play bar to show the difference the VW Side Assist made in people’s lives.

No Means No – a player that interrupts denial

Amnesty Norway, in an attempt to change the Norwegian law on sexual assault and rape, developed a film that used a custom video player to pop up the key message.

The campaign was a success and the law was about to change as a direct consequence of the campaign.

Why interface-led video lands harder

Both ideas shift the viewer from passive watching to active noticing.

Volkswagen used a familiar interface to make a safety benefit visible in the moment. Amnesty used an interface interruption to force the key message to be seen, not skipped. In both cases, the “player” stopped being furniture and became the persuasion device.

In digital storytelling, interface design becomes a competitive advantage when it shapes what the viewer notices and cannot easily skip.

What these campaigns were really trying to achieve

The business intent was not “engagement” as a vanity metric. It was message delivery with minimal loss.

Volkswagen aimed to make an invisible feature feel tangible and memorable. Amnesty aimed to change perception and behavior at the cultural level, and the player design reinforced that urgency by refusing to be background noise.

What to steal from player-hacking storytelling

  • Use the interface as evidence. When the message is hard to show, let the UI demonstrate it.
  • Design for the skip reflex. If your message is often ignored, build an experience that makes ignoring harder.
  • Keep viewer control intentional. Interactivity works when it serves comprehension, not novelty.
  • Make the “point” happen inside the viewing moment. Do not rely on a voiceover claim when the experience can prove it.

A few fast answers before you act

What is an “interface-led” video campaign?

A campaign where the video player experience. The progress bar, overlays, or controls. Is part of the storytelling, not just the container.

How did Volkswagen Hidden Frame use YouTube differently?

It used YouTube’s play bar as a narrative device to demonstrate the value of Side Assist, making the benefit feel visible rather than described.

What did Amnesty Norway’s No Means No change about the player?

It used a custom video player that surfaced the key message via a popup, ensuring the point was encountered during playback.

Why do these ideas work better than a standard film in some cases?

Because they reduce message loss. The viewer is guided to notice the point through the viewing mechanics, not just the content.

What is the practical takeaway for brands?

If your message is often missed, redesign the viewing experience so the message is structurally harder to ignore and easier to understand.

British Airways: Barcode Reader

You pick up a travel guide, walk to the barcode reader, and scan it to check the price. Instead of only showing numbers, the scanner delivers a British Airways message that nudges you toward destinations beyond the UK.

The placement is the whole strategy. British Airways runs this in the travel section of a bookstore, right when people are already thinking about leaving town. If someone is browsing Rome, New York, or Buenos Aires, the brand can show up in a way that feels like a useful prompt rather than a random interruption.

The mechanic is simple. The barcode scan is the trigger, and the barcode reader becomes the display. British Airways uses that moment to broaden perception of its route network, aimed at Brazilians who may only associate BA with the UK.

In travel marketing, the planning moment is the highest-intent moment, and well-timed messages can feel like help rather than advertising.

Why the bookstore aisle is the right “media channel”

Travel guides are a proxy for intent. People do not usually buy a destination book by accident. So a bookstore travel aisle acts like a real-world keyword search, with the added benefit that the customer is already in decision mode.

What makes the barcode reader feel credible

The message arrives from the same device people trust for pricing and checkout. That matters because it borrows the authority of a functional tool. The ad does not ask for a click or a download. It simply uses an existing action and adds a relevant layer.

What the campaign is really trying to change

This is not a fare promotion first. It is a mental map update. The brand wants travellers to store British Airways as “global option,” not “UK airline.” The work is credited to AGE Isobar São Paulo and was later shortlisted in the Direct Lions under Ambient Media, small scale.

What to steal for your own context-first activation

  • Target the moment of intent. Find the real-world behaviour that signals “I am planning.”
  • Use the tools already in the environment. Functional devices carry trust and reduce friction.
  • Make the message additive. Add information that fits the action, do not derail it.
  • Design for instant comprehension. If it needs explanation, it will be ignored.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the British Airways Barcode Reader activation?

It is a contextual bookstore execution where scanning travel books on a barcode reader triggers British Airways messaging about flying to destinations beyond the UK.

Why does it work better than a generic travel ad?

Because it appears at the exact moment people are considering travel. The placement creates relevance before the copy even starts.

What is the core behaviour the campaign hijacks?

Price checking. The scan is already happening, so the brand adds a message to an existing action rather than asking for a new one.

What business problem is this solving?

Route perception. It aims to expand awareness that British Airways serves many destinations, not only the UK, in a market where that belief is limited.

What is the main risk with this kind of tactic?

If the message feels intrusive or slows down the checkout flow, it turns from helpful to annoying. The execution has to stay lightweight and quick.

Billboard On Hold Jam Session

Billboard Magazine features the best of pop music and entertainment in Brazil, and according to them waiting on hold is one the most boring music moments ever. So their ad agency AlmapBBDO created the “On Hold Jam Session” that made the moment into a fun interactive experience and showed the magazine’s concept of music and entertainment.

To make the magazine subscribers aware of this new on hold feature, they sent direct mails explaining how one could jam along with their phone buttons when they were put on hold at Billboard Magazine.