Sometimes, the best video advertising lets the product speak for itself. That is the case with one online video ad submitted by two design students.

A 3.5-minute video ad fully explains the product developed by two female Swedish designers: an invisible bicycle helmet. The internet video ad runs mostly as a short-form documentary about the team's efforts and concept, and that inventive concept has proven appealing: From August 14 to August 21, the spot had about 1.4 million views and more than 2,600 "likes" on Vimeo.

David Kiefaber, in an August 20 Adweek article, noted that while the General Electric-sponsored video contains a lot of information and the reveal of the actual product was not exciting, the product itself was noteworthy enough to garner attention.

"[B]y the time we actually see their invisible bike helmet, the reveal of what's basically an airbag for your head is a bit underwhelming," Kiefaber wrote. "However, it's still way more impressive than the B-movie poster I made for my final design project last year, so I both congratulate and envy their overachieving here."

The helmet itself is worn as a type of scarf around the bicycle rider's neck. The last minute of the video reveals the invisible helmet in action. When the rider is violently jerked forward or backward, the helmet inflates to cover nearly the entire head in protection.

Product-centric marketing tips
When marketing a product that is especially noteworthy, in that it is unlike anything else available or offers a significant upgrade over a competitor's offering, sometimes it is best for the online video ad to simply present the offering as is, brand strategist Caroline Beaulieu argued in a Bostlnno.com article in February.

"Because if your product, or the story behind that product isn’t telling a compelling story, no amount of polish and lipstick is going to change that," Beaulieu wrote. "The best, brightest, and most successful brands on the whole planet share a something very special: the product is the marketing."

She compared brand advertising to storytelling, saying that it is easiest for a company or brand to tell its story through its offering. This method increases transparency in the eyes of the public, an asset in an era of social media sharing.

"Often times the hardest problems to solve are the ones with a simple answer: make sure the product is serving the customer first, not you," Beaulieu wrote. "There is always a story in that.