Consumers encouraged to make split-second decisions by 15-second adverts

15-second advertisements that are only ever shown once incite shoppers to make quick decisions on pricey items.

We have already seen a trend in company’s seeking to find increasingly innovative ways to advertise their products, for example the advert that is invisible until taken outside, and an interactive touch-screen vending machine allowing consumers to buy products from a restroom. The Italian company Yoox has gone a step further, launching an inventive advertising campaign on Cyber Monday that shows consumers a 15-second advert just once, meaning that they have to buy the product there and then should they want it.

The advertisements target up-market shoppers browsing the website. Yoox was established in 2000 and, in its own words, is “the world’s leading online lifestyle store for fashion, design & art, offering an extensive assortment of hard-to-find clothing and accessories for men and women from the world’s most prestigious designers.” In 2015 the company merged with luxury online fashion retailer Net-a-Porter to form Yoox Net-a-Porter Group.

The website’s 15-second YouTube videos are brightly colored and use inviting animation to tell a short story featuring the product. Consumers must decide before the video finishes whether or not they want to by the product. The adverts encourage consumers to buy the product or risk someone else buying it, since the same advert will never appear twice. The campaign was launched on Cyber Monday (27th November 2017) and will run through to the end of December. The campaign uses this unique technique to entice shoppers to purchase expensive products without giving them time to think about it.

This advertising campaign combines technology and the consumer’s desire for exclusivity in order to sell them their products quickly and efficiently. Will we see other companies picking up on this idea and using it in their own way? How else could internet advertising be used to encourage consumers to purchase?