Video marketing hooks: Why human creativity still beats AI
Three seconds. That’s all you get before viewers scroll past your content into digital oblivion. While most marketing technology companies bet their futures on AI algorithms to crack the code of perfect video marketing hooks, Kaitlyn Pearce is placing her chips on something decidedly more analogue: human intuition.
As Head of Branded Content UK at Audio Network, Pearce has watched the industry’s rush toward automation with the detached curiosity of someone who’s seen trends come and go. Her contrarian stance isn’t born from technophobia – it’s rooted in hard data and cross-cultural insights that reveal why the most effective video marketing hooks still require something machines can’t replicate.
Following her recent participation in Digital Marketing World Forum’s (DMWF) panel session on “The 3-Second Hook: How to Dominate Video Marketing,” Pearce shared insights from her vantage point at the intersection of music licensing, branded content, and cross-cultural marketing strategy.
Her perspective is shaped by a transition from leading Audio Network’s APAC operations to spearheading UK initiatives, and reveals how geography reshapes the anatomy of effective video marketing hooks.
Geographic nuances shape hook strategy
Pearce’s cross-continental experience has illuminated differences audiences’ responses to content in those critical opening moments. “Moving from APAC to the UK/EMEA market has been eye-opening, not just due to the lack of sunshine,” she notes with characteristic candour. “Both cover large territories, encompassing multiple languages and various cultures. However, the approach to this does differ between the two markets.”
The distinctions run deeper than surface-level cultural preferences. While APAC markets demand localised approaches – “targeting marketing on an individual country level, with each country requiring its content and approach” – the UK market operates with broader strokes.
“In the UK market, the approach is on a larger scale and in more traditional media,” Pearce explains. “Creatives put on a global lens, perhaps due to the crossover with other markets and the number of head offices in the region.”
The geographic insight proves important for brands developing video marketing hooks in multiple regions. The implication is clear: what captivates audiences in Singapore may fall flat in Stockholm, not merely due to language barriers but because of fundamentally different consumption patterns and platform preferences.
The AI dilemma: Enhancement vs replacement
As AI music analysis approaches a projected $6 billion market by 2025, Audio Network’s position on artificial intelligence reveals a middle ground that many marketing technology companies struggle to define. Rather than embracing AI as a creative replacement, Pearce’s team uses it strategically for operational efficiency.
“We have made a stand as a business that we will use AI to make ours and our customers’ lives easier but we won’t use it in any way that takes creativity away from humans,” Pearce states.
The philosophy extends to the company’s approach to video marketing hooks, where AI assists in music searches and data analytics, while human creative managers retain control over the emotional resonance that defines effective content.
The stance becomes more intriguing when considering industry statistics showing that 82% of listeners cannot distinguish AI-generated from human-created music. Yet Pearce remains unconvinced about AI’s creative capabilities: “From the conversations we have had with clients, while it is a tempting offering, most are hesitant to use AI-generated music as the quality does not currently compare to human-made.”
Trailer music psychology meets branded content
Audio Network’s 2024 partnership with Audiomachine introduces Hollywood trailer music expertise to branded content – a development that could change how marketers approach video marketing hooks.
Trailer music, engineered specifically for instant emotional impact, offers lessons for brands struggling to capture attention in increasingly crowded digital spaces. “We are so excited about the partnership with Audiomachine, which brings their wealth of exceptional trailer music to our customers,” Pearce explains.
The collaboration is more than catalogue expansion; it’s an acknowledgement that the psychological mechanisms driving movie trailer engagement can enhance branded content effectiveness in platforms.
The intersection of entertainment and marketing psychology becomes particularly relevant as platforms like TikTok and Instagram prioritise content that generates immediate emotional responses. The question becomes whether brands can authentically adopt trailer music’s intensity without appearing contrived or overly aggressive.
The human curation advantage
Perhaps most significantly, Pearce’s insights highlight the irreplaceable value of human creative intuition in an algorithm-driven landscape. “Music is so subjective, everyone hears it differently and interprets it differently,” she observes. “In our team, we also have a group of dedicated Creative Managers that know our catalogue and the music landscape inside and out.”
The human-centric approach to video marketing hooks suggests that while technology can enhance efficiency and provide valuable insights, the emotional intelligence required to create resonant content remains a distinctly human capability.
As brands navigate the complex media landscape, the balance between technological enhancement and human creativity may prove to be the most sustainable competitive advantage.
Our conversation with Pearce highlights that mastering video marketing hooks today requires more than technological sophistication – it demands cultural sensitivity, creative intuition, and a clear understanding of when to embrace AI and when to rely on human insight.
(Photo from Kaitlyn Pearce’s LinkedIn post)
See also: TikTok pushes AI ads that look just like real creators
Find out more about the Digital Marketing World Forum series and register here.
Google brings AI updates to Search and YouTube in Southeast Asia
At the Google Marketing Live event in Singapore, Google announced new updates to its AI tools across Search and YouTube. The updates are intended to help marketers keep up with changes in how people find and interact with content online, particularly as more users turn to voice, video, and visual search instead of typing.
Search is no longer just about typing words into a box. More users now ask questions using photos, voice, or a mix of formats. Google says tools like Lens, Circle to Search, and AI Overviews are helping people search in new ways, with Lens alone handling more than 100 billion visual searches this year—about one in five showing commercial intent. Younger users, especially Gen Z, are also using Circle to Search to start more than 10% of their searches.
Google says it now supports over a billion shopping-related searches a day worldwide. In Southeast Asia, Gen Z users are driving more activity on Search than any other age group. This shift opens up new ad opportunities, especially for businesses looking to meet users earlier in their decision process.
YouTube stays strong in Southeast Asia
YouTube remains the most-watched video platform in Southeast Asia and continues to see high usage across generations. Independent surveys suggest users in countries like Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines trust YouTube creators more than those on other platforms.
That trust appears to translate into stronger business results. Google shared figures showing YouTube ads deliver more return on investment than traditional TV in Southeast Asia—4.1 times higher in Indonesia, 2.3 times in Thailand, and 2.9 times in Vietnam. YouTube also outperformed other social platforms in ROI comparisons.
New AI tools for marketers
Google outlined several upcoming tools that aim to simplify campaign management and improve performance using AI. These include new ways to generate ads, find audiences, and fine-tune campaigns without needing as much manual input.
- Ads in AI Overviews: These are summaries that appear above standard search results. Google is now expanding ad slots in these summaries to desktops and mobile devices in selected English-speaking markets, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia later this year.
- Asset Studio: A new Google Ads workspace that uses generative AI to help marketers create many versions of ad visuals and videos using models like Imagen and Veo.
- AI Max for Search: This tool uses Gemini models to generate headlines and match ads to searches without depending on long lists of keywords. Shopee ran a five-week test with it in Southeast Asia and saw conversions double, along with a 49% increase in ROI.
- In Malaysia, telco Maxis used AI Max for Search to find new postpaid customers. The tool picked up on long-tail and multilingual queries that traditional keyword targeting had missed—including Chinese-language searches. Aileen Soo, Head of Discovery at Maxis, said the tool helped them match or beat their regular click-through rates with very little manual setup.
- AI Mode: A new setting in Google Search that supports longer, more complex queries using multimodal input. It allows follow-up questions and provides links to the web. Google plans to begin testing ads within AI Mode in the US soon.
- YouTube Creator Partnerships Hub: A tool inside Google Ads that helps brands find YouTube creators to work with. Marketers can search by category or trend and view engagement and audience insights before reaching out. The tool is already available in Singapore and Indonesia, with other markets to follow.
- Agentic AI features: These are built into Google Ads and Analytics to help automate tasks like writing keywords, adjusting creative assets, or generating reports. The system learns from existing landing pages and performance data to offer suggestions or handle basic campaign management.
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