Want your next launch to make a huge impact?

Last year we saw many great creative Christmas ads launched on Twitter. One of our favourites was from Boots. It was a genuinely human-centric ad, and it tapped into the heart of what Christmas is about. Boots launched its ad not only on TV, but also on Twitter using Promoted Video.

That’s a great starting point, as Twitter is a powerful video platform to launch a campaign on. But that is one step, and there are several others that brands can take to really land that launch and connect with their audience.

There are good reasons for doing this. The data shows that when brands use Twitter, they see 33% more sustained awareness¹ than when they don’t. Why does this happen? Essentially, when your brand is on Twitter, people notice, and it sticks. When you launch without Twitter, you launch with less — a lot less.

1. First View

Use First View to get your Christmas TV ad in front of an engaged and influential audience of millions. Run this in the first 24 hours of the launch at this crowded time of year when we know people are excited about Christmas ads. Think of it as the gold spot of your timeline, the chance to get your brand in front of millions of people in the UK for that 24-hour takeover.

2. Custom emoji

Combine the use of First View with a custom emoji and a powerful hashtag to drive conversation. This is an excellent tool to use at launch to boost visibility and to ignite and drive the conversation further. A custom emoji is a strong reinforcement for your campaign — in fact, we have data to show there is a 6X higher emotional connection² when you pair emojis with video.

3. Promoted Trend Spotlight

This is new to 2018, and it’s a product that should be used showcase your brand’s Christmas ad launch. This is found in one of the most valuable and visited places within Twitter — Explore. This is the first place people go to find out what’s happening, and your brand could appear there with your visually engaging video creative that captures attention. This format offers the perfect opportunity for your brand to be what’s happening and engage with the Twitter audience with full-bleed, edge-to-edge media.

4. Sponsorships —Don't launch and leave

The first three steps will provide a strong platform for launch. Then it's time to maintain the momentum you've built. We see a drop in consideration by 15% week-on-week if your brand does not support its presence. Sponsorships are a crucial way for brands to stay top of mind.

We have a range of products that help continue to drive that top-of-mind awareness that is critical for brands. One option is for brands to run six-second cutdowns of their content as pre-roll, aligning with a range of premium publishers on our platform to keep driving that brand association with Christmas.

There are many great examples of how brands have done this, here the @Tesco team partnered with Tastemade for the latest in its #FoodLoveStories campaign. Tastemade produced these tasty video assets, which weaved in some subtle uses of Tesco products within each video. It’s a perfect partnership and shows why sponsorship works so effectively on Twitter. Our pre-roll is very flexible in that you can select the partners you want to align with at scale.

5. Niche

Another way to refresh your core message is through Twitter’s creator network, Niche. This is made up of thousands of people who know what content resonates with their audience and can interpret and freshen up a brand’s core message during a campaign. They can create brand content fit for the fast-moving Twitter feed, making an impact in the first three seconds.

6. Video Website Card

People can be stressed and busy at Christmas, so why not help your audience out? Use a simple call to action to allow customers to instantly shop for gifts. A simple click of a button that is entirely customisable will direct users to any specific webpage on your brand’s website. Better still, this is all within Twitter itself, as the web link is pulled in directly to the Twitter experience. This allows the user to go from seeing the brand ad to taking action all in one immersive experience without leaving Twitter.

In this example, @jlandpartners became the first UK brand to use Twitter’s new customisation for Video Website Cards.