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Unruly opens social video lab

Unruly has opened the doors on its social video lab that aims to help brands and agencies create video content that gets shared more frequently at its London headquarters.

In the basement-lab, brands can pre-test videos before they are released online using eye-tracking technology and tools that measure a viewer’s emotional response to content.

The social video company’s viral video chart is being used to drive the video analytics used to measure the success of content. It has tracked more than 300 billion video streams since its launch in 2006 and data gathered by the lab will be blended with techniques in conjunction with academic institutions. This will include psychometric testing and focus groups with bloggers.

Unruly’s over-arching goal is to explain the science behind sharing and will investigate the emotional and cultural triggers that content delivers.

At the lab’s launch, Wired contributing editor Frank Rose gave a keynote speech concerning neuroscience in relation to social video, explaining that sharing content gives a user a small hit of dopamine, a chemical that controls the reward and pleasure centres of the brain.

“Having delivered award-winning global campaigns, including T-Mobile's ‘Life's for Sharing’, Evian's ‘Roller Babies’, Old Spice’s ‘Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ and Heineken’s ‘The Entrance’, we have the knowledge, technology and the best historical data in the industry to help marketers pinpoint which content is most likely to be enjoyed and shared online by consumers,” says Unruly co-founder and chief operating officer Sarah Wood.

Purchase intent increases by 97% when a viewer enjoys the ad content and enjoyment increases by 14% when an ad has been shared with a consumer according to recent research by Unruly.

“Because it is emotionally powerful and so easy to share, social video advertising can ignite and amplify conversations at speed and scale,” adds Wood. “As social video advertising becomes more prevalent in marketing budgets, we want to ensure our clients are maximising this fantastic approach to its full potential.”

David Hing, London