At the Zero Moment of Truth, speed is key. In this case study, we learn how Dermablend moved fast to leverage viral buzz around its video of tattooed "Zombie Boy." The video generated millions of views within several days, building strong awareness for the brand.
Goals
Boost brand awareness
Take advantage of a viral hit video
Win more new customers at ZMOT
Approach
Reach millions of viewers, just as they’re looking for content, by taking over the YouTube masthead for one full day. Demonstrate the advantages of the Dermablend Leg and Body Cover product through sight, sound, and motion.
Results
2x clickthrough rate compared to the YouTube average, 1.5x longer video watch time compared to YouTube average
54% increase in US subscriber base on Dermablend’s YouTube Brand Channel
In 24 hours, drove as many unique visitors to their e-commerce website as in the entire month of September
Small Brand, Fast Impact
Be fast. That's one of the first rules of success at the Zero Moment of Truth. Digital marketing teams have to be poised to make the most of any edge.
Dermablend showed how that's done when its video of tattooed model Rick Genest – better known to fans as "Zombie Boy" – went viral in 2011. The short custom video showed Genest appearing to scrub away his skin (actually a Dermablend cover) to reveal the skeletal features of his tattoos underneath.
Dermablend hit the jackpot on a limited budget with the video, which generated millions of views within days. But that was just the start.
Taking It to ZMOT
The next step was to bring the video to more people at ZMOT. When the Dermablend team at L'Oréal was approached by Google about turning the video into a YouTube masthead, they jumped at the idea. And fast: barely 24 hours after being approached by Google, the Dermablend team had their high-impact YouTube masthead campaign in place.
Dermablend was looking not only to boost its brand awareness and drive new visitors to its site, but also to encourage viewers to share the content. On YouTube, 100M people take a social action on videos every week. Dermablend's YouTube masthead ran on November 19, 2011, and the company saw a surge in site traffic, engagement, and sales (plus a search uplift for the brand name that went beyond the creative).
Search measurements on Google and YouTube showed the great results in brand awareness: one spike when the video went viral, and then a second spike when the masthead run brought it to a new group of viewers at ZMOT. Even better: after the masthead campaign, Dermablend saw Dermablend searches outpace Zombie Boy searches for the first time.
Looking to the Future
Dermablend added a remarketing pixel so it could re-engage users at ZMOT in the future. They also delved deep into YouTube Analytics to help their creative agencies understand how users had interacted with the YouTube masthead spot and make better branding decisions for the future.
I don’t have tattoos, but I wish I did, so I could support this company. What an ingenious ad
Not every video can be viral, but take it from Dermablend: anyone can be bold and move fast at the Zero Moment of Truth
