It has already been proven, despite popular belief, that the format of online video advertising with the biggest completion rates and consumer engagement is the mid-roll. Yes, you heard right! That very format which is the most intrusive of all. It is the one most websites do not allow users to skip ahead on and the one which resembles the most the TV commercial breaks we all got used to when growing up. This pause in our entertainment program is not something foreign or difficult to understand. It is just something we had hoped to get rid of with the transition to the online environment.
It is this format and for this reason that viewers seem more responsive, at least in theory. In reality, while ads disrupt their viewing of online free content, they could just as well sneak a quick peek at their e-mail or Facebook accounts. Since this cannot really be monitored, the mid-roll is considered an online video advertising success in matters of viewer engagement. It is worth taking into account the fact that very few viewers are willing to give up on the content they have sought by themselves and which has already caught their eye and interest.
The mid-roll ad in numbers
Nothing expresses success in marketing more than rough numbers and literally raising brand awareness. Until we can get solid information on how brands were lifted in the eyes of consumers, here are some online video advertising data regarding the performance of the mid-roll ads.
- Viewers are more prone to watch an ad to completion, 87% of the time, when it is a mid-roll.
- This number is even better when the content in which the ad is inserted is shown on a mobile device – 93% completion rate.
- Viewers are more prone to keep watching longer videos – 76% of cases.
How viewers react to mid-roll ads
It takes very little for users to become distracted and to lose interest in whatever it is they are watching. This makes it a real challenge for those dealing with online video advertising. Here is what they know so far:
- Viewers are more likely to skip ahead than to watch an ad all the way.
- Viewers are more likely to give up on the content early in the video.
- 33% of viewers will quit the video in the first quarter.
- 66% of viewers will quit the video halfway through.
- Depending on how long the video content is, the viewer will be more or less prone to watch the ad. Should the video be too short, the ad will not be watched as the viewer will not feel that it is worth the time.
With a completion rate of 70%, viewers will watch ads in exchange for premium video content. Marketers have their chance to make it work and to do great online video advertising by using all of these valuable resources and the field data collected so far.
