With the introduction of adverts in the online, marketers have the task of juggling between the available online video advertising formats. Depending on the type of campaign advertisers have in mind, they can choose between pre, mid or post roll ads. To avoid doing this by ear they can follow the studies conducted on exactly what type of format has the best response from viewers and which one works best in what type of situation. This type of information is useful to anyone working in the industry. Here are some interesting findings on how these formats fare.
Pre-roll vs. mid-roll vs. post-roll
Most market studies show that viewers are more prone to sit through a mid-roll as opposed to any other type of ad. According to Adobe, for example, pre-roll ads have a completion rate of 67%, mid-rolls have a completion rate of 87%, whereas post-roll ads have a completion rate of 50%, the lowest rate scored by any of the online video advertising formats.
The explanation in this case if quite simple: since viewers cannot skip mid-roll ads, they will watch them, all the while wishing to enjoy some free online content. Thus, the mid-roll ads are the compromise made by all viewers when they do not intend to give up on the content which has already caught their attention and interest, not even when it is forcefully paused. Post-roll ads are the most difficult to manage as they must match the content and must complement the information perfectly in order to keep the users engaged.
Also, since mid-roll ads manage to keep viewers with their eyes on the computer/laptop/tablet screen, they are also the ones which keep them engaged even when the content is displayed on a very small mobile screen. Again, the explanation is quite at hand: should Internet users be so interested in the content that they would strain their eyes watching it on a small screen instead of waiting to get home and watching it in better conditions, then those users are pretty engaged and will not give up on it because of an ad. Making decisions based on this type of information is how clever online video advertising is done.
What type of content goes best with what type of ad?
The advantage online video advertising has over traditional TV advertising is the fact that, unlike the hourly schedules with the highest rating scores, we can watch online content at any time, making the tariffs for this type of service more linear. On the other hand, it all depends on how well an advertiser can match the ad with the content it is inserted in.
It seems that viewers are more prone to watch an ad for a longer video, such as a movie or a presentation. On the other hand, they will give up on it sooner if the content they are about to view is a song video or a short presentation. According to the Adobe Digital Advertising Report, a video shorter than 5 minutes will have a 63% completion rate. Normally, ads are 10-15 seconds in length, but some marketers may insist on using longer ads, to the detriment of the whole idea.
Another thing online video advertising specialists have noticed is the fact that professional content is much more engaging than other types of content. According to Adobe, viewers are 72% more likely to keep engaged and there is a 14% higher completion rate. What is more, live content ads have a completion rate of 85%, compared to the completion rate of video-on-demand content, which is of 69%.
We should take into account all of these pieces of information when drafting an online video advertising campaign plan. This would make great use of the targeted audience and of their high engagement with the content they are really interested in.
