Optimizing Brand Visibility Across Key Platforms
For effective video advertising, a simple but crucial element to consider is where to place your logo bug (also called a logo watermark, bug mark or brand mark). Your logo bug is your brand name, your app icon, or a picture — whatever you want to represent your brand in the video.
When we say “placement”, we mean where will your logo be positioned in the video. For some videos, that’s going to be your brand name in big words at the top, or it could just be your app icon in the bottom right hand corner. Placement is the decision of where your logo will be on the screen.
Your logo is the simplest possible representation of your brand. A logo is usually your company name written in a certain font or showing an image that describes your product or service. Imagine you only had one split second to grab someone’s attention for your business, what would you show or say? The logo!
In today’s over-saturated information environment, this isn’t a hypothetical situation, you may only have a split second to attract a viewer’s attention and deliver a message. A powerful logo does this job well, and we recommend that brands create the best logo possible. Once you have that perfect logo, then you’re ready to slap it on your video! But where?
We’d love to say there was one optimal placement, the logo placement that gets the best results 100% of the time, but there isn’t really a fixed rule. The best thing is always to look at competitor ads or brands that you admire and see how they display their logos. It can depend on your marketing goals or how you want to represent your brand. Some brands might not even show their logo except at the end of the ad, while other direct response ads might show a website and a logo to make sure they don’t miss an opportunity to get a sale!
As with other factors, placement best practices depend on the channel and platform. Put simply, you need to place your logo with your audience in mind. You need to view your ad as your audience will see it on the channel where they’ll see it, in order to make sure your logo is clearly visible and easily read. After all, the goal of your logo is to create a branded impression that a viewer will remember.
Let’s be honest, the most important part of the video is the content composed of the images and the message, but a strong logo placed strategically on a video can add a layer of credibility and brand recognition. This will only help your video drive stronger results and significantly increase conversion.
Before deciding on a final position, you should definitely be aware of platform-specific rules for text overlays and safe zones on the screen. Ensuring that your logo stays within designated safe zones guarantees that they remain visible and legible across various devices and screen sizes. Observing these guidelines ensures that the audience has an optimal viewing experience without obstruction from platform UI elements.
Let's explore the best placements for popular platforms:
One of the primary considerations for logo bug placement on YouTube is the platform's overlay features and video controls. For instance, playback controls, such as the play/pause button and video timeline, are predominantly at the bottom. Additionally, interactive cards, which creators often use for adding links or polls, pop up on the top right.
However, if you don’t want to permanently embed the logo bug in your video, YouTube offers an alternative. The platform provides a feature known as the "branding watermark." This is an overlay feature where creators can upload a watermark logo. To use this, navigate to your account settings, proceed to "View additional features," then select "Branding" followed by "Add a Watermark." This watermark is strategically placed at the bottom right corner of your video, ensuring it doesn't obstruct the main content. A significant advantage here is that this watermark not only serves as branding but also functions as a clickable element. Viewers can click on it, leading them directly to your channel profile page, potentially boosting your subscriber count. While this is an efficient feature, always ensure your logo bug is distinct and visible. Make sure it works in light and dark mode.
Within the LinkedIn feed, several elements surround shared videos. These include the profile picture and name of the individual or company sharing the video at the top, accompanied by the video title or description, and below, user interactions like likes, comments, and shares. Given these elements, the top left corner provides a relatively unobtrusive space for logo bugs. This position ensures that the branding does not overlap with essential content descriptors or become overshadowed by the platform's native UI elements.
It’s valuable to consider the behavior of LinkedIn users. Many are scrolling through feeds during short breaks or in-between tasks, so quick brand recognition is vital. An optimally placed logo bug in the top left ensures immediate visibility as the video starts playing and gives your brand a better chance of sticking in the viewer’s memory, even if the entire video isn't watched.
On the Facebook News Feed, where most video ads are viewed, several interactive elements surround shared videos. These include the profile picture or page logo of the publisher on the top left, the video title or post caption on top, reactions and share count at the bottom, and interactive buttons (like, comment, share) below the video.
Why is the top left corner the recommended placement?
While it's true that the publisher's profile picture or page logo is also at the top left, it's crucial to differentiate between the two. The profile or page logo is small and generally indicates the source of the content. In contrast, a slightly larger, distinct logo bug placed beside it will effectively capture the viewer's attention without being intrusive. This position ensures that the logo bug doesn't overlap with other crucial elements such as captions or interactive buttons.
Another aspect to consider is the auto-play feature. On Facebook, videos in the News Feed often start playing automatically without sound. An optimally placed logo bug can offer immediate brand recognition, even if the viewer scrolls past without activating the sound.
Lastly, it's essential to remember that a significant portion of Facebook users access the platform via mobile devices. As screen real estate is limited, the logo bug should be adequately sized to ensure visibility without overshadowing the video's primary content. Consistency in placement across various video ad campaigns can also bolster brand recognition among Facebook's diverse user base.
Instagram, originally designed as a photo-sharing app, has since evolved to accommodate a variety of video formats, from Stories and IGTV to Reels and standard feed videos. Given its multifaceted nature, the platform poses certain challenges when it comes to logo bug positioning.
For Stories and IGTV, the user profile icons, metrics such as view counts, and the UI for navigating away from the video are situated at the top. Therefore, placing a logo bug in the top left corner requires careful consideration to ensure it doesn't clash with these elements.
Specifically, for IGTV, it's pivotal to remember that the first minute of the video will also appear on the main feed, meaning the logo bug needs to remain visible and not be overshadowed by feed elements.
For regular video posts on the main feed, the top left is typically less cluttered. Here, the video's caption and user interactions (likes, comments, share) are situated below the video, and other interactive elements, like saved collections or the shopping tag, appear on the right.
Lastly, Reels, Instagram's answer to TikTok, also presents its own set of user interface elements on the right side of the screen, similar to TikTok's layout, reinforcing the choice of the top left for logo bug placement.
TikTok, a platform celebrated for its bite-sized video content, has rapidly become a key destination for creators and advertisers alike. With its unique interface, there are certain considerations to bear in mind when determining logo bug placement.
The right side of the screen is generally populated with interactive icons, including the profile picture of the content creator, the heart (like) button, the comments button, and the share button.
The bottom section displays the caption and the music or sound being used, which is often interactive, allowing users to explore other videos using the same sound.
For traditional branded television broadcasts, logo bugs or channel watermarks are most frequently located in the top right corner. This placement has become almost synonymous with channel identification, making viewers accustomed to seeing channel-specific watermarks there.
Consequently, for advertisers looking to include branding watermarks displaying their company's logos in TV commercials, the top right corner might seem redundant or even cluttered. This makes the top left or the bottom right corners ideal placements. These positions are less saturated and can make a brand's logo stand out distinctly from the channel's own branding.
Furthermore, the data from the TV ad-buying platform, Tatari, reinforces this rationale. According to their studies, incorporating a branding watermark in either the top left or bottom right significantly enhances viewer engagement. Specifically, this strategic placement has been shown to boost the response rate by a significant 8.3%.
Let’s boil it down to the key elements. With the following basic guidelines, your business can ensure that your logo but or watermark provides consistent branding without compromising viewer experience across a diversity of platforms:
Size Appropriately: Keep the logo bug appropriately scaled to ensure it's noticeable but not overwhelming. It should be complementary to the video, not a distraction.
Design Flexibility: Ensure your logo bug is designed to be visible against both light and dark backgrounds. This enhances its visibility regardless of video content or platform background variations.
Positional Awareness: Always be mindful of platform-specific UI elements and interactive controls. Place the logo bug in areas that are less likely to overlap with these elements to ensure consistent visibility.
Maintain Brand Integrity: While your logo bug might be small or subtly designed, it should always be recognizable and true to your brand's original colors, proportions, and aesthetics.
Test & Iterate: Periodically test different placements or designs and gather feedback. Platforms and viewer behaviors evolve, so your logo bug strategy can too.
Transparency Balance: Consider making your logo bug slightly translucent to avoid it being too obtrusive. However, ensure it remains visible enough to serve its branding purpose.
Stay Updated: Keep an eye on platform updates and design changes. UI overhauls can affect logo bug visibility, so staying updated allows for timely adjustments.
Consider Subtitle Space: If your video content includes subtitles or captions, it's important to ensure that your logo bug doesn't interfere with them. Subtitles typically appear at the bottom of the screen. In such cases, positioning the logo bug at the top, either left or right corner, can prevent it from obstructing the text and ensure a smooth viewing experience for the audience.
Logo bugs and watermarks play a pivotal role in branding and viewer recall. Knowing where to place logos and brand names optimally across platforms can enhance their effectiveness while ensuring a pleasant viewing experience. Always remember to test placements periodically and be adaptable to changes in platform UI or audience behavior.
Logo bugs are just the icing on the cake of a great video. Check out our post on how to make effective video ads on social media to improve your video's chance for success on various digital platforms.
Reach out to our team at Filmkraft if you're looking for expert guidance on creative video production or branding!
