Advertising Effectiveness - Sky and IAB
by Hamish McPharlin - Oct 2010
Decipher, IAB and Sky prove branding effectiveness of online video in
New research shows that consumers want to investigate brands in their own time, and are happy to receive ads around quality video content
The results of a year-long study from the Internet Advertising Bureau – the trade body for digital advertising - and Sky reveal the true branding effectiveness of online video, showing how consumers prefer to ‘store’ advertising information, rather than clicking-through immediately. The study, run by media research company Decipher, found that whilst 6% of people who recalled a video ad clicked to make an immediate purchase, around 54% of people chose to delay a purchase or investigate the brand in their own time.
The research, which featured 11 brands, 24 campaigns, 5 ad formats, and 12 months of testing is the most in-depth ‘live’ study dedicated to online video advertising effectiveness to date. It was designed to investigate the real impact of various formats across 6 websites with different types of content, including news, entertainment and sport.
METHODOLOGY
[The OCAT process]
[Methodology]
[Survey invites were animated, contextual to the site, and were served inside the ad serving system]
FINDINGS
Pre-roll video ads deliver highest recall levels
The research examined the recall levels of different online video ad executions, to identify which are most effective within branding campaigns. Pre-roll video used alongside companion banners were found to deliver the highest recall at 47%, capitalising on the anticipation and increased attention levels of the audience. This is compared to 44% who recalled the ad when only pre-roll was used, 43% with a branded video player, 37% for post-roll video ads and 36% recall with in-stream overlays.
Recall was also found to be influenced by mindset, showing the influence of recommendations from friends or family carries an increased amount of trust and higher expectation in the content. Some 53% of respondents recalled the ad when directed there from a specific link, whilst 39% who recalled the ad were ‘just browsing’ the online content. In addition, 48% were able to recall the ad if they were actively seeking out specific content.
Dwell-time increases call to action
However, for direct response campaigns, formats that provide dwell time, such as branded video players were found most likely to deliver, with a 1.23% click-through rate average across all campaigns. Second were pre-roll video ads combined with companion banners with a 0.89% click-through rate, followed by post-roll at 0.83%, and pre-roll on its own at 0.77%. Overlays were found to be the least effective online video ad format with a click-through rate of just 0.16% with respondents feeling less positive towards formats that appear to get in the way of the task at hand.
Branding has different effects at different times of the day
Advertising seen as ‘appropriate’ around quality content
The research highlights the significance of quality in and around online video advertising, and that associating your brand with the right content pays off – users were 10% more likely to recall the ad, if they enjoyed the content.
The study also found that viewers understand the trade-off between free content and advertising – but find ads more appropriate when the content is of a better quality. When asked how appropriate the various ad formats were, of those who recalled the ads, 47% stated they were around entertainment clips, 46% around TV programmes, but only 17% said the same about advertising around content posted by others.
Decipher’s Director of Research, Hamish McPharlin, said: “This study has really demonstrated to us that online viewing behaviour is every bit as deep and granular as TV viewing. The context in which viewers encounter your ad is equally significant, whether by day part, viewing environment, or site context, and the impact goes far beyond the click-through. It’s a fantastic call-to-arms for careful and intelligent branding online”.
Sorcha Proctor, senior insights manager at the Internet Advertising Bureau said: “The last few years have seen an unprecedented amount of excitement throughout the industry of the rise of online video advertising and what it can do for brands. Our job, in partnership with Sky, was to equip advertisers and agencies with the knowledge and insights to understand which formats are right for them, depending on the direct response or branding nature of their campaigns.
This research project is one of the industry's biggest to date, and provides an invaluable, holistic view of the role of online video advertising, showing how consumers understand the trade-off between ads and good quality content.”
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