Clorox unveils mobile video ad that breaks the fourth wall

Brief:

Clorox launched a multichannel campaign called "Caregivers" that has a big a focus on social and mobile, including a mobile ad using a unique video format called fourth wall, per a statement shared with Mobile Marketer.
The fourth wall ad shows two videos, one on top of the other, with characters in each interacting across them. In the top video, a worker in a disaster relief setting drops a bottle of Clorox down to a dad in the lower video who reaches up to grab it as he cleans the bathroom in his home.
Clorox seeks to highlight how workers and homeowners use its products in disaster relief settings, such as cleaning up black mold in a flooded home or disinfecting a school classroom that serves as a makeshift hospital to treat disaster victims. The mobile ad has a tagline that reads, "Because Clorox Bleach kills 99.9% of germs and bacteria, it's trusted by relief workers…and dads."

Because Clorox Bleach kills 99.9% of germs and bacteria, it’s trusted by relief workers…and dads. pic.twitter.com/MkhFV9SKgx
— Clorox (@Clorox) May 23, 2018

Insight:

The fourth wall ad format lets Clorox broaden its storytelling abilities for mobile video. As consumers watch more video on their phones, marketers are seeking creative ways to engage viewers that go beyond rerunning a TV spot and are more tailored for mobile screens.

The growth in six-second video ads is one example of how mobile is driving new ad formats. Vertical video — as opposed to the traditional landscape orientation — is another. In the case of the Clorox ad, the brand is leveraging a vertical format to showcase two landscape videos at the same time and having them interact, thereby telling a story in a unique way that makes the most of the vertical screen space while enabling the brand to keep the message brief for on-the-go viewers.

The Caregivers campaign arrives as Clorox is actively exploring opportunities in digital, including e-commerce, voice, content and programmatic. The brand is also experimenting with new storytelling strategies, including using real people in unscripted moments for the first time in TV ads and digital content last fall.