We’ve all seen them: those short videos that show off your brand’s best moments of the year. A few years ago, brands only used these year-in-review campaigns for internal purposes — to highlight company milestones and successes for employees.
Nowadays, however, many brands are turning to year-in-review video campaigns as a way to reach their audiences and engage with them.
With the latest video technology, it’s possible for any business to create its very own year-in-review campaign — and the benefits are invaluable. From driving deeper engagement across social platforms to boosting loyalty, we’ll share why these videos are a must-have for your own brand.
Year-In-Review Videos: Explained
Spotify’s “Wrapped” campaign takes social media by storm every year, and it’s likely your brand has heard about its success, too. Subscribers love learning new things about their listening history, from their favorite artists to their top songs.
Now picture putting this kind of content in a shareable, short video. It’s called a year-in-review video, and they’re becoming a fan-favorite among top brands. Check out what one of these videos looks like in action.
Essentially, a year in review is a series of video clips you can send out at the end of the year — or beginning of the new year — to wow and delight your customers.
What makes these videos work so well? They offer a level of personalization today’s consumers don’t only want, but also expect. A staggering 71% of consumers now expect personalization, according to McKinsey & Company.
Year-in-review videos celebrate every viewer as the individual they are, showcasing their best moments and how far they’ve come with your brand. We’ve seen firsthand the benefits these videos bring to businesses — we’ll dig into what they are below.
They’re Incredibly Shareable
A year-in-review video is an incredibly shareable piece of content. Viewers can easily share their video on social media to show off their biggest and most memorable moments from the year.
This type of campaign works especially well in the gaming world, which heavily relies on community. Players use gaming as a way to connect with friends and teammates across the globe, whether it’s through live chats or on social media platforms like TikTok and Twitter.
Year-in-review videos speak to the social interactions today’s gamers care about. Take this campaign from Ubisoft, for instance.
To kick off the launch of Ubisoft Connect, the top gaming brand launched a data-driven video campaign recapping the last 5 years of gaming for players. Each video featured players’ top stats, favorite video games and more, telling its own story of the viewer’s journey within the game.
Once players had watched their video, they took to social media to share their video, showing off the milestones they had reached and the memories they had made with the hashtag #UbisoftConnectWrapUp.
THIS IS SO NEAT!! #UbisoftConnectWrapup https://t.co/gu0pOxVzxX pic.twitter.com/wNWTBrBmBr
— sara 🦇 (@sarabeaarr) November 21, 2020
To make their campaign even more shareable, the brand repurposed the video content into an additional infographic featuring the same personal stats as the recap.
The campaign was a hit, driving social engagement across platforms. The brand saw a 5x uplift in Facebook and Twitter share rates.
Tip: Join in on the conversation by reposting your customers’ videos. It’s a special shoutout they’re sure to appreciate — 81% of Gen Z agrees they would be excited if a brand wanted to use their content in their marketing.
They Boost Your Brand Reach
A year-in-review campaign not only drives social engagement among your current customers, but also helps you reach new audiences.
Imagine you’re scrolling through your newsfeed. You notice a friend you follow has shared the video below from CCP Games. After watching, you check out the game for yourself to see what all the hype is about.
This is just one example of how shareable content lends itself to word-of-mouth marketing — a key tool in boosting your brand’s reach. This works especially well in today’s digital landscape, where consumers look to their peers for their next purchase. A staggering 80% of consumers say UGC highly impacts their purchasing decisions.
They Build Brand Loyalty
A year-in-review campaign is a great way to connect with your customers in a meaningful way. Sending them a video that celebrates their unique achievements is a welcome surprise that builds long-term loyalty.
Our recent market study shows that consumers who receive a Personalized Video are 4.5x more likely to feel valued, compared to generic video. And when customers feel valued, they’re more likely to stick with your brand for years to come.
A year-in-review video does exactly this, making customers feel valued by celebrating them with personal touches they’re sure to appreciate.
They’re Versatile
While we’re focusing on the idea of a year-in-review video, you could easily create a video for any length of time — whether it’s one season or several years.
And that’s not all. Companies can leverage these videos for internal marketing purposes, too. Tell your brand’s success story with a video that recaps its achievements, then send it out to current employees and new hires alike to keep team morale high.
Not sure which to pick? You can create a video that does both, as Autonation has below.
Powered with dynamic data, this video highlights memorable moments from every viewer’s year with the brand — plus the company’s own achievements.
The takeaway? Whatever video idea you have in mind, this format is perfect for recapping best moments in a concise, engaging way.
Celebrate Your Customers With Year–In-Review Videos
You now know why year-in-review campaigns create a lasting impact on your customers. They offer a unique way for people to share their experiences with your brand and help make sure you’re always top of mind when they need something.
Want to learn how to make a year-in-review video? We wrote a piece sharing our best practices for launching your very own campaign to help you get started.
And don’t forget about using the right digital tools. If you’re a small business, you may be able to use your own video editing software to create a video for every customer, but larger businesses need a more efficient way to launch these kinds of campaigns at scale. Brands have found our Next Generation Video Platform to be the perfect solution. It’s easy to use. It’s secure. And it’s the perfect way to end your year on a high note.
Interested? Let’s connect.
