DuckDuckGo Video Production Case Study
Creating effective, data-driven direct response ads
Data-driven ads for a client who doesn’t want anyone’s data. Huh.
Ok, let’s rewind. DuckDuckGo is a software company focused on online privacy, and they offer a search engine that doesn’t track searches or browsing history. That’s peace of mind for users everywhere. But just because your product is based on not collecting data, doesn’t mean that you can’t have smart data-driven marketing.
DuckDuckGo’s team is always looking for ways to scale their content in a crowded industry, and are always testing new video styles, new talking points and new distribution strategies to see what resonates best with their audience. We made the perfect video production partner, not just because of our name, but because of our speed and versatility. If they want to experiment with a new style of direction, we can handle it. After initially partnering on some storyboard projects—with variants tested with focus groups, our relationship evolved to full productions with smart and strategic thinking.
Leveraging Social Styles to Improve Engagement
For marketing videos, sometimes the best ad doesn’t look like an ad. It helps the audience avoid an immediate skip or swipe, and convinces them to stay a while. We explored some popular video styles that felt native to social media, creating a nice little Trojan Horse to deliver our messages.
If you open your social feed, you’ll probably see videos of your favorite podcast hosts in their studios. Aka, simultaneously recorded video to tease out interviews, episodes, etc. We decided to explore this style for a DuckDuckGo video, featuring a fictitious podcast host (shot with a microphone and studio lighting) talking about their experience with the product.
The podcast world is built on hot takes, so here’s ours—the ‘fake podcast ad’ style is pretty ubiquitous now but we really beat the trend a year or so in advance! We also ventured into the “Person on the Street” style as well, which has seen a resurgence over the last few years due to how accessible it is for creators. Sometimes this approach can be very DIY (to put it nicely) so we still elevated the video with a little production polish.
Remaking and Enhancing an Old Video
Experimenting with video marketing can also mean revisiting past work too. Years ago, DuckDuckGo made a classic side-by-side comparison video that performed well in its time. Instead of letting it collect digital cobwebs, they asked us to remake the video with new talent and some fresh motion graphics and animation.
With DuckDuckGo’s guidance, we remade the original spot with a few variations to give us some options in post, but ultimately ended with a more straightforward remake. We subscribe to the “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” mentality but with the caveat of “don’t forget to tweak it.” A remake, a remix, a cutdown, BTS, etc. can extend the shelf life of a video with an evergreen concept and message.
Cutting to the Chase with Direct Product Language
In a marketing world filled with fluff and noise, sometimes it’s great to just get to the point. We worked with DuckDuckGo to develop scalable styles that would allow us to quickly introduce the core value propositions of the product, while also being able to film multiple actors and talent in a day. We shot a classic spokesperson direct-to-camera video in front of an LED wall, allowing for quick-change backgrounds instead of having to shoot at multiple locations. We then shot a UGC-style series with talent speaking direct-to-camera in everyday locations like their car or living room. Quick messaging, quick shoots, winning videos.
Optimizing Success Through Versioning
Testing, testing. The data-driven folks at DuckDuckGo always are tinkering and experimenting with how ads perform—whether they are live action or animated video productions. How do they drive engagement? Direct action? To collect this type of data, they needed versions. Lots of ‘em. Different aspect ratios, QR codes vs. Click Bars, UK broadcast. Our team managed all of these deliverables through detailed spreadsheets, keeping production moving efficiently and content delivered to the client in neat, organized fashion.
Ducks of a Feather
Our work with DuckDuckGo was a reminder that sometimes it’s advantageous to just get out and shoot some videos. Developing thoughtful high-level concepts is indeed important, but if you spend too much on the “drawing board” phase, you might lose out on learning what your audience likes. What they react to. And then using it to inform the next round of work. Smart, scalable ideas allowed our team to move quick, creating videos that help customers and also help the client.
