How Interactive Ads Are Driving Brand Discoverability

Today’s digital landscape is rapidly becoming hypersaturated, and capturing the average consumer's attention has become more challenging than ever before in the history of marketing and digital advertising. Conventional static ads quickly lose appeal and effectiveness, as audience and customer demographics seek out more engaging, dynamic, and even personalized ads that add value to browsing. This is the space where interactive advertisements have become invaluable marketing assets.

‍

Everywhere, but particularly in spaces where connected TV systems are used, interactive ads are becoming one of the most powerful tools to cultivate more meaningful brand engagement with viewers. By creating innovative experiences like shoppable ads and “choose your own adventure” formats, advertisers can break through the noise, while inviting consumers to actively participate in a story. 

‍

As these ads evolve, streaming platforms like Hulu, Roku, and others will lead the charge by using built-in interactivity that can entertain and convert. From trivia games to direct purchase buttons, these groundbreaking ads will craft a seamless blend of engagement and shoppability, a winning situation for brands and viewers.

‍

What is Discoverability?

In the digital marketing sphere, discoverability is how easily a brand, service, or individual product can be found on the internet by potential customers. With endless oceans of content competing for the same limited attention, having substantial discoverability means coming up in search results, as well as having algorithmic visibility on social media from likes, shares, comments, and other engagement.

‍

This engagement is a key part of why interactive advertisements are becoming so critical. Their interactive elements help encourage engagement in the target audience, which boosts visibility and increases the chances of reaching more consumers. In the current digital landscape, information moves at a blistering speed, and discoverability can make the difference between a loyal audience, and getting completely overlooked.

‍

The Rise of Interactive Ads

As technology has advanced and bandwidth has exploded, interactive ads have redefined how brands can connect and interact with audiences, with a drastic shift from passive to active engagement. Traditional ads like radio spots, newspaper ads, and even direct mail don’t offer much more than a one-way message, and maybe some snappy graphics. 

‍

With interactive ads, however, users discover, participate, play, and explore, whether through clicks, swipes, or mini-games. This instantly immersive experience captures their attention while offering deeper interaction and deeper connection, making the content experience more memorable. With consumer expectations for more personalized content growing, the importance of interactive ads has never been greater.

‍

Types of Interactive Ad Formats

There are many forms of interactive ads, and each ad format offers a unique way for brands to reach their audience and build engagement. Playable ads are popular ways to get customers to try a game or play a quick demo before committing to a download or purchase. 

‍

Chatbots are being integrated into ads at lightning speed, giving potential customers instant access to a wealth of product knowledge in a conversational format. Augmented reality, AR, and 360-degree videos are perfect for giving users an immersive experience that lets them use products or explore environments in real time and space. 

‍

Finally, interactive social media ads on leading social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and more, let users vote, react, or participate in challenges that help build engagement, encourage clicks, and facilitate conversions. Interactive Facebook ads specifically garner high interaction rates. These ad types and more revolutionize the way brands and customers interact.

‍

The Power of Interactive Advertising for Brand Discovery

Interactive ads are one of the most powerful tools for boosting brand discovery. They easily outperform the ROI of traditional formats and offer far higher engagement rates. This is all due to the core tenet of active participation based on user behavior. Let’s explore three of the biggest ways interactive ads are driving brand discovery.

‍

Engagement and Shareability

Interactive ads are designed to boost user engagement, leading to higher levels of interaction than static ads. When consumers are actively engaged, whether by clicking, reacting, or participating in polls, they’re more likely to share it with their social circles. The ripple effect is geometrically expanding the brand’s organic reach, and pushing that brand awareness well beyond the original target audience. 

‍

User-Generated Content (UGC)

One of the most powerful benefits of interactive ads is their ability to inspire user-generated content or UGC which reflects user satisfaction. By encouraging customers and potential customers to create content through mobile devices, interactive ads boost engagement, while also building credibility with the audience. UGC acts as an authentic endorsement for the brand, which organically amplifies discoverability. 

‍

Algorithmic Boost

Higher engagement rates from interactive ads often translate into better performance within platform algorithms. Social media platforms and search engines reward content that generates interaction, pushing it higher in search results and news feeds. 

This algorithmic boost magnifies the visibility of your interactive ads without additional ad spend. By keeping a focus strictly on formats that drive engagement, brands can improve discoverability in UX, while also making their campaigns more cost-effective.

‍

How to Make Ads More Interactive

Crafting the most compelling and engaging ads requires the right blend of creativity, technology, and insight into the audience’s needs and preferences. One of the most effective approaches is gamification. 

‍

This is where brands integrate game-like interactive elements and features into their ads, offering potential rewards to the most engaged customers. It can be anything from a quick poll to a wildly immersive mini-game.

‍

Interactive storytelling is another powerful strategy, built around letting users control the narrative and finding their own path through the ad. Finally, personalization involves tailoring ads to the user’s behavior or preference. One example would be an ad for pizza appearing in a user’s feed, with the pizza graphic featuring their favorite or most-ordered toppings and sides. 

‍

The Future of Ad Discoverability

With the evolution of digital marketing unstoppable, interactive video ads will play an important role in shaping the future of brand discoverability. The spike in AI and machine learning for ad creation and targeting will further individualize, making each ad personally relevant to the viewer. 

‍

As brands leverage these cutting-edge technologies, they’ll see a massive increase in their potential engagement and brand discovery, like they’ve never experienced before. This will keep interactive ads at the forefront of digital marketing strategies for a long time.

‍

Embracing the Power of Interactivity

Adopting more interactive ad formats isn’t just a luxury, it’s a critical element for any organization seeking the answer to how to get found online in this incredibly competitive digital landscape. Interactive ads provide a revolutionary way for brands to engage consumers, enhance discoverability, and ultimately boost conversions. 

‍

As the tech continues to grow and evolve, brands with early adoption will stand out with stronger initial audience connections. For the company looking to get ahead of the curve, now is the time to experiment and harness the power of interactivity. Work with The Influence Agency to get found online. Contact us today!