Kumar Saurav, Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer, AdCounty Media
The enduring shift towards a rush hour lifestyle has remarkably placed silence on the tongue of many. businesses have mastered the art of advertising: silent ads. As interesting as it seems, it is a smart move as everyone embraced new video trends of scrolling through videos on mute. I mean for businesses why bother paying to integrate any type of sound within an ad when people won’t bother listening to it.
The Evolution of Soundless Consumption
With the fast rise of social media, quiet engagement has become a common practice as people scroll their phones mindlessly. What’s even more amusing is that Facebook videos have a mute rate of 85%. People have gotten used to this new norm as the vast majority of users like using the Instagram’s, Twitters’, etc. silent scroll that does mute the video.
Without a doubt, sound did gain its place within advertisements; however, it was not required. This was all done for greater ease of use and respecting other people especially with how common subtitles have become. As an outcome, it means that companies have to address a complete rework in their ways of enrolling audio tools in marketing strategies.
Resonating With Silent Marketing
Quiet marketing is an opportunity, not a limitation. There are a lot of things that you would find to be new and vice versa. Let us quickly consider the following factors.
Firstly, it takes into consideration the user’s context in which he would prefer not to listen to sound. So such marketing would respect the surroundings of the user. Imagine an ad that is mostly focused on graphics but also includes enough text that you wouldn’t have to put it on mute. It works everywhere and anywhere.
Secondly, there are speaking individuals with disabilities. It can make the message clearer or include other information making it accessible for the hearing impaired person.
Thirdly, the average attention span for individuals is decreasing on a rapid scale, with the average attention span being many levels lower than that of a goldfish. It forces the brand to modify its thought process when marketing and have the aim of engaging audiences with higher quality to create visuals, text, and graphics that appeal to the audience.
Lastly, a few percentages of research suggest that videos which don’t have audio have captured more attention than ones which do, where all the focus is on the audio only. More often than not, viewers will watch a muted video if they see something valuable in it first.
Mastering the Art of Silent Mobile Marketing
Having an understanding of how to target mute audiences is a game changer but how can we break through in that cluttered communication space? Here’s a strategic guide:
- Compelling Visuals – In silent marketing, design is everything, so a stand-out aspect such as aesthetics, bold colors, and correct positioning of brand logos can adequately grasp a person’s attention within a frame. Your first frame is your first shot – make it count. In this regard, regardless of whether it is a video or a display ad, the viewers must be able to recognize the main idea of the content within the first three seconds as it is the span of time that is given to a visual content.
- Subtitles and Text Overlays – When it comes to communication, text is king. The good use of bold subtitles or creating unfinished sentences makes things easier and entertaining. Captioning assists readers in weaving through a storyline, pinpointing important words or phrases to promote action or emphasizing the important points that need to be highlighted. For instance, a travel brand quietly states, “We’re all wondering when we can escape? Soon, I’ll fly from Paradise on a 30% off ticket,” makes perfect silence in UAE’s winter sun while portraying images of a tropical beach.
- Micro-storytelling – In silent marketing, less is more. Micro-storytelling (15-30 seconds) engages the viewer’s attention ensuring that they do not scroll away. Applying this without the use of words means that each and every single scene should be useful to the developing of the narrative but all of this must be the case without a commentary.
- Contextual Ads – Silent marketing is successful when there is synchrony between the content produced and the user. Advertising that is informed by data and is helpful to the consumer, for example, advertisements for coffee shops in the morning are only more effective if they coincide with a person’s preferences, and these commercials work without sound.
- Interactive Creativity – Even though silent marketing is called quiet, this type of marketing is not meant to be quiet. Enhance your marketing with swipe-up, carousel, and motion graphics features.
Brands Spearheading the Change
Savvy brands have already taken to silent marketing in order to promote their campaigns. for instance, Netflix uses silent teasers which are fun to watch in order to promote shows. In the same way, Apple’s product launches are based largely on a potent imagery and minimal written target when also in silence.
The moral? Silence helps in the storytelling process by accompanying strong visuals. It helps brands reach their audiences naturally regardless of the situation.
The Future of Silent Mobile Marketing
As we enter the new era of digital evolution, silent mobile marketing will be even more dominant than before. The emergence of A.I. generated creative enhancement and AR technology means that branding can seek for advancement in conveys without the effect of sound. New possibilities abound, from exciting no-sound ads to eye-capturing graphic-ad center ones.
To brands caught up in the world’s digital span, silence is not a disadvantage. It is a deliberate strategy at which their clientele’s busy schedules will dictate the pace. The most important problem however is creating materials that can be impactful without the incorporation of sound.
Silent marketing encapsulates an advertising principle I hold dear: one must demonstrate instead of only narrating. As marketers, we are responsible for coming up with content that captivates eyes, arouses interest and prompts action without verbal communication. There is a way brands can engage the mobile-first and silent-first generation by emphasizing visual storytelling that is succinct with a clear message.
In the more mechanics world today, silence is mightier than gold; it is much stronger than gold. The question is, are you prepared to experience it?
