Recent data from the IAB shows the rate of growth of digital display advertising continues to accelerate, in large part due to video (+33% year on year) and in particular smartphone video (+45% year on year). Video now accounts for over half of all smartphone display spend – a big vote of confidence in this format, but are advertisers right to put this level of trust in video ads?
A review of recent ODR Brand Impact studies certainly suggest they are. Across the 74 video campaigns in ODR’s ad effectiveness database, video demonstrates a significantly better brand impact than standard banner ads and it does so at each stage of the brand funnel.
Making the most of Video Ads
Remember though, not all video is equal. While the top 25% of video ads deliver brand metric uplifts 3-4 times that of an average display ad, bad video ads can actually have a negative brand impact. The bottom quartile of performers in our database offer no impact on Purchase Intent and a -1% point shift in Brand Consideration. If you’re going to invest video, make it count by…
- Harnessing the power of emotion - If you want to give yourself a chance to drive lower funnel metric improvements, then make sure you emotionally connect with your audience. The top 25% most emotionally engaging video ads drive brand far more effectively than the rest – on average improving brand consideration by +5% compared to the 25% least engaging ads which have no impact at all. The use of a human presence and humour is a good place to start, but there are many more subtle and brand specific levers that can drive emotion.
- Tailoring your video - Video is evolving… and typically shortening. While the top-performers from two or three years ago were essentially lifts of TV ads, more recent examples are just a few seconds long, and are almost a separate creative discipline in their own right. As we revealed in our recent blog post social video ads have maximum impact after just three to four seconds. With consumer attention fragmented in the digital space, making an immediate impact is key.
Finally, whilst video is proven to impact brand affinity, its benefits can also be seen in discovery and search activity. The most common action seen in our top performing video ads is visiting an advertiser’s website, followed by conducting a brand search. Last click attribution still gives more credit to search than it perhaps deserves, and the power of video in driving consumers through the digital conversion journey shouldn’t be underestimated.
Find out more about how On Device Research tests video ads here or get in touch with info@ondeviceresearch.com today.
