YouTube users can shop at 3 Suisses via video ads

Otto is experimenting with interactive video clips on YouTube. Viewers can purchase the products that are presented during the pre-roll video advertisements with one simple mouse click. They will be directed to the relevant product page on Otto’s French subsidiary 3Suisses.

This is what Otto revealed on its German blog Unterwegs. Before they can watch a video, YouTube users often have to watch a short advertisement, which then can be clicked away after a few seconds. “Exactly this ad space we use for our new, technically innovative advertising spots, with the difference that the YouTube user can take advantage of such videos, as the promoted garments in the clip are directly clickable.”

If a customer clicks on an article, he gets directed to the online store of 3 Suisses, where he can order the products he wanted. “This technique is is so far unique in the European market and makes us pioneers in generating traffic to online stores through video clips”, the German company states in its blog.

New web store
“This is made possible by a new comment technology from Google, which at first released the beta version to a few select online stores with a wider target group.” The innovative marketing campaign has launched on YouTube simultaneously in France and Belgium. The campaign is part a complete overhaul of Otto’s brand identity. It has given itself a complete new visual identity, as well as a new web store, while it also launched a new media campaign. The YouTube spots were developed in collaboration with Belgian agency I-stories, strategy firm Mountain View and Google.

Since the 30th of June this year, 3Si Group (which Otto Group owns) has shut down 3Suisses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.