Ads Review - MVMT UGC Product Videos

In 2018, MVMT was acquired by Movado for $100 million. In 2021, they film clips of their watches on iPhones, add text on top, and run them as Facebook ads. Are we missing something here? Do they know something we don’t?

In this week’s Ads Review, I’ll break down MVMT’s ultra user-generated content style, explain why it works, and share a few ideas for improvement. I’ll also share a little bit of my history with MVMT to give context on their strategy. 

First, check out the ads. 

History

Shortly after MVMT was acquired by Movado, the creative studio I helped build, TOBK Studios, was hired to create a full brand campaign for them. This included three 30-second TV spots, three 15-second spots, six 1-minute digital films, one 2-minute supercut of everything, and a range of social ads. The talent included the world’s top skater, Nyjah Huston, massive creators Sam Kolder and Chelsea Kauai, model and entrepreneur Rocky Barnes, MVMT’s watch designer, Thomas Moran, and MVMT’s own founder, Jake Kassan. The entire budget for production, talent, and ad spend was over $5 million. This thing was a beast. 

This is still the most comprehensive project I’ve produced, and the project I’m most proud of. Take a look at a few of the digital pieces we created. Compare these to UGC product videos you just watched, and allow yourself to be perplexed for a moment. Why doesn’t MVMT put ad dollars behind their $5 million campaign anymore? 

Why this works

The reason MVMT runs UGC iPhone content over the branded pieces we created is because they drive more sales. All the pieces we created are aspirational brand-builders. But as cool as they are, they simply don’t drive traffic like these product ads. Here are three main reasons why their UGC ads work. 

Product-Focused 

The ads are 100% product-focused. At all times, in every shot, there’s a product. Like I discussed last week when breaking down Nike’s product slideshows, there’s a strategy in spending your ad dollars to get customers to look at your product. Not only does it increase product and brand lift, but it also presents a totally clear message as to what the ad is about. These ads are about watches. The branded pieces we created invite customers into the storyline, but they’re not clearly about watches. These UGC product videos crush for MVMT because they’re all about the watches. 

Relatable 

As advertisers, we sometimes need to step outside of the hip, progressive world we live in. Most of the market for direct-to-consumer brands is suburban America. They’re looking for convenience, for value, for simplicity. There are ads that win awards and turn heads amongst our colleagues in the big city. And then there are ads that drive sales across the country. What’s your goal with your campaign? 

These ads work because they’re hyper-relatable. They say that anyone can buy these watches. MVMT’s price point has always been consumer-friendly, and these ads support that. They don’t ostracize anyone with an overly classy feel. 

Social Proof

The captions that MVMT incorporates to these iPhone clips brings a sense of social proof. First, they’re done in a style that looks native to social media. It reminds you of an Instagram Story caption that one of your friends would use. Second, the copy speaks from the perspective of the customer. It feels like a recommendation from someone you know. These ads fly under our hyper-vigilant radar of when we’re being sold. At least for the time being…

Ideas for improvement

My first idea for improvement is to use more interesting music. It’s highly likely that MVMT is using a royalty-free track from a site like artlist.io, since they need the flexibility to run an unlimited amount of ad spend behind each of these ads. But music speaks strongly about a brand, and a little bit more natural-sounding track could go a long way in keeping a quality brand feel for MVMT. 

My second idea for improvement is to have a little bit more of a brand focus when creating these ads. As we’ve seen from The Marketing Spectrum, there is so much short-term money to be made with quick sales tactics. Flashing red “buy now” buttons and two-for-one deals move the needle today. But they don’t build a brand over the long-term. The greatest brands in the world have stayed true to their brand. My opinion here is that MVMT is following performance a bit too much here, and compromising the quality feel of their brand a little bit. But maybe that’s just because I spent six months of my life creating that quality feel for their brand. 

Closing

Two ideas I’ll leave you with: First, give these UGC product videos a try for your own clients and products. In 2021, they’re still flying under the radar, and coming off as natural. Over the course of the next few years, I imagine a lot of brands will start doing something similar to this, and customers will become more aware of when it’s happening. Then we’ll have to come up with another way to catch their attention. But that’s just how it goes, isn’t it? 

My final idea is this: great brands need a balance of both performance and brand marketing. Performance marketing works in the short-term, and is needed to keep cash coming in. But brand marketing creates a dedicated fanbase for life. Don’t skimp on either one.