Does Every Second Count? Understanding New Video Ad Lengths

With the increasing popularity of new video ad lengths outside of the traditional :15s and :30s, marketers are faced with more and more questions around what works best

:15 :10

:5

:20

The purpose of this media trial is to go beyond a single case study to provide marketers with a guidebook for understanding what ad lengths work best across devices, by location, and beyond

We Had Some Questions

•  How effective are new, micro ad formats, such as the :5 sec and :10 sec ad?

•  Does the effectiveness of different ad lengths vary by screen?

•  What’s the consumer perspective on the value exchange between video ad experiences and the content they receive?

3

Participants recruited from

nationally representative online panel across PC,

Smartphone, and Tablet

Initial survey with demographic and

video consumption questions

Subset of PC sample turns on

webcam for attention &

emotion measurement

Participants randomized into a single test cell and driven to content that matches their

real-life consumption

habits

Post exposure survey to measure

attentiveness, traditional brand

metrics (ad recall, perceptions, etc.),

and qualitative feedback

Total Survey Sample N= 9,912

Approach

•  Consumers selected 1 of 3 pieces of content based on their choice/interests

•  The content was either 1 minute (short), 3 minutes (medium), or 5 minutes (long) of video

•  Each video is preceded by a pre-roll ad of 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 45-60 seconds (long form), or no ad (control)

What We Tested

5 Brands Tested

Key Takeaways

Different ad lengths perform differently. Developing a creative length strategy is a must!

1 When running short ads, must use creative and targeting best practices to make them effective.

2 When given 30 seconds of advertising space, consumers have an opinion about which ad lengths should be included.

3

Do micro video ads actually work?

17% 21% 24%

45% 51% 54%

5 sec 10 sec 15 sec

Ad Recall

Unaided Ad Recall Aided Ad Recall

Yes. Even the shortest video ads effectively break-through

Nearly ½ remembered ad after just 5 seconds

`24%

35% 42%

5 sec 10 sec 15 sec

Message Recall

Short video ads can also drive home the key message…

…and convey brand imagery

+3% +4%

+5%

5 sec 10 sec 15 sec

Brand Perceptions - Aggregated Score (∆)

+0%

+1%

+4%

+0% +0%

+4%

5 sec 10 sec 15 sec

Persuasion Metrics (∆)

Brand Favorability Purchase Intent

Minimum of 15 seconds generally needed to be truly persuasive

Micro Ad Best Practices How to make a big impact with a little ad

SCREEN SIZE Which devices work

best?

LOCATION Does the

consumer’s location matter?

CONTENT What content length should ads be next

to?

BRAND Do short ads work

better for some brands?

AUDIENCE Do they work better

for millennials?

CREATIVE Are there any creative best practices?

Screen Size Short ads have a leg up on smaller screens, where video takes up 100% of screen real estate and short content is the norm

94

97

101 102 101

105 104 104

107

5 sec 10 sec 15 sec

Brand Favorability (∆) PC Tablet Smartphone

96

99

106

98 97

100

106 105 107

5 sec 10 sec 15 sec

Purchase Intent (∆)

PC Tablet Smartphone

*Indexed Impact

Content Short ads + short content + small screen = big impact

Short ads with short content perform especially well on smartphone

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

5 sec 10 sec 15 sec 5 sec 10 sec 15 sec

Unaided Ad Recall %

PC Tablet Smartphone

5 sec 10 sec 15 sec

Short Content (1-2 min)

Medium Content (2-3½ min)

Long Content (3½-5½ min)

Location Micro ads work harder when consumers “on the go” We know that consumers are also more attentive and receptive when “on the go” from “Pursuit of Attention” research

16% 20%

23% 20%

23% 27%

5 sec 10 sec 15 sec

Unaided Ad Recall Home On the go

Audience Millennials respond best to micro ads, having grown up with short form content

20%

14%

Millennials Non-Millennials

Unaided Ad Recall 5 Second Ad

20% 23%

29% 25% 24%

34%

5 sec 10 sec 15 sec

Ad Enjoyment

Non-Millennials Millennials

Audience Millennials also see short ads as higher quality and more enjoyable than older consumers

33%

39%

46% 42%

49% 53%

5 sec 10 sec 15 sec

Ad Quality

Brand Use short ads for well established brands; new brands need more time to communicate information

49% 57% 55%

27% 27%

47%

5 sec 10 sec 15 sec

Aided Ad Recall

Well Tenured Brands New Brand

Creative With only 5 seconds to communicate, using a voiceover makes a difference

25%

31%

5 sec without voiceover 5 sec with voiceover

Unaided Ad Recall

Music only

Music + voice over that speaks to brand messaging

What about the old standards -:15’s and :30’s and beyond?

Persuasion: the +15 second turning point

0% +1%

+4%

+8%

+12%

0% 0%

+4%

+7%

+13%

5 sec 10 sec 15 sec 30 sec 45-60 sec

Persuasion Metrics (∆)

Brand Favorability

Purchase Intent

Longer ads especially fruitful for new brands

-10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

5 sec 10 sec 15 sec 30 sec 45 sec

Brand Favorability (∆)

Well Tenured Brands New Brand

-10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

5 sec 10 sec 15 sec 30 sec 45 sec

Purchase Intent (∆)

Longer ads are a must for PCs and recommended for tablets

94 97

101 101

109

102 101

105 108

110

104 104 107

115 118

90

95

100

105

110

115

120

5 sec 10 sec 15 sec 30 sec 45-60 sec

Brand Favorability

PC Tablet Smartphone

*Indexed Impact

Considering completion rates, longer ads are not the end all be all

*adjusted scores based on typical video completion rates

Aided Ad Recall Brand Favorability

Purchase

Intent

Aided Ad Recall Brand Favorability Purchase Intent

15 seconds 87 50 55 111 70 78

30 seconds 103 99 88 122 129 117

45-60 seconds 110 151 156 67 101 105

Raw Scores (Indexed)

Re-proportioned to Take Video Completion Rates

Into Account (Indexed)*

Food for Thought

What’s the consumer POV?

People want to be able to skip! We offered people four choices of skipping ads and people preferred to skip ads sooner even if it meant they had to watch more ads

6.7

5.5

4.0 3.4

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Ability to skip ad(s) after 5 seconds, frequent commercial

breaks

Ability to skip ad(s) after 15 seconds, regular commercial

breaks

Ability to skip ad(s) after 25 seconds, occasional commercial

breaks

No ability to skip ads, least number of commercial breaks

Impo

rtan

ce(0

-10)

Preference of Skipability

Question: “The following features can be part of your viewing experience when watching online video advertisements. Please select your most preferred and least preferred option for each set shown below:”

Consumers more satisfied with longer ads after watching

23% 24%

32% 37%

43% 38%

43%

50%

58% 61%

5 sec 10 sec 15 sec 30 sec 45-60 sec Ad Length

Perceptions of Ad

Ad Enjoyment

Ad Quality

Question: “Thinking back to <brand>’s ad followed by the content you saw, rate the following:”

And acknowledge one developed story is better than many shorter stories

We offered people seven choices of watching a total of 30 seconds and they much preferred to watch one longer ad to multiple shorter ones.

7.4 6.9

5.4 4.4

3.8 3.5

1.8

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10

One 30 second ad Two 15 second ads Three 10 second ads

One 15 second ad, one 10 second ad, and one 5 second

ad

One 15 second ad, three 5 second ads

Two 10 second ads, two 5 second

ads

Six 5 second ads

Impo

rtan

ce (0

-10)

Preference of Ad Length

Results may also be explained by wish for fewer interruptions

Question: “The following features can be part of your viewing experience when watching online video

advertisements. Please select your most preferred and least preferred option for each set shown below:”

No interruptions please!

6%

13%

34%

34%

42%

52%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

None of the above

Longer ads have more time to tell an interesting story

Less total amount of time watching ads (e.g. 60 total seconds vs. 90 total seconds)

Ability to choose the ad(s) you watch

Watch one longer ad rather than multiple shorter ads

No interruptions during the middle of the content

Percent of Exposed

Reasons Would Watch :60 Ad Instead of :30 Ad

Question: “Which of the following are reasons you would be willing to watch a longer (:60 second) ad compared to a shorter (:30 second) ad? (Select all that apply).”

But, need to entice early on before skipping becomes an option Because, after watching the entire narrative arc, less likely to have skipped longer ad (had the option been available)

45% 45% 42% 40%

37%

5 sec 10 sec 15 sec 30 sec 45-60 sec

Those That Would Have Skipped Ad

Question: “Thinking back to the ad you watched today, would you have skipped the ad?”

Non-millennials prioritize ability to skip ad, millennials prioritize 1 longer ad

37.9 37.4

24.7

34.9

39.1

26.1

Length Skippability Choice

Impo

rtan

ce (1

-100

)

Millennials prioritize watching fewer, longer ads

Non-millennials prioritize skipability

Millennials

Non Millennial

s Millennial

s

Non Millennial

s Millennial

s

Non Millennial

s

In Summary…

Consumers perceive similar value exchange regardless of ad length

56 56 55 55 55

5 sec 10 sec 15 sec 30 sec 45-60 sec

Perceived Value Question: “In order to provide free content for you to watch, websites generate income by allowing brands to advertise on their site. Based on the content you watched today, how much value do you

think you got by watching the video ad in exchange for free content?”

In summary (by device)…

Good Better Best

PC TABLET SMARTPHONE

Aided Ad Recall

Brand Favorability

Purchase Intent

Aided Ad Recall

Brand Favorability Purchase Intent Aided Ad

Recall Brand

Favorability Purchase Intent

5 seconds

10 seconds

15 seconds

30 seconds

45-60 seconds

A look at how to use different ad lengths

Good Better Best

Brand Tenure Brand Goals Age

New Brand Established Brand Awareness Brand

Perceptions Persuasion

Metrics Millennials Non-Millennials

5 seconds

10 seconds

15 seconds

30 seconds

45-60 seconds

Implications •  Develop creative length strategies that will optimize your brand

goals – short and long ads both have an important place in the media mix

•  When in doubt, 15 seconds is the sweet spot

•  Use short ads as a quick reminder of established brands to drive top-of-mind awareness

•  Pair short ads with short content on smaller screens

•  Short ads work better among a millennial target

•  Employ long ads to educate about a new brand or to get across a complicated message

•  Target on PC for longer formats

•  Engaging creative from the beginning is a must to entice consumers to watch entire video even after skipping becomes available

Strategies for Short Ads Strategies for Long Ads

Does Every Second Count? research@yume.com