I recently participated in a webinar lead by Undertone Network and the IPG Media Lab on Understanding the Drivers of Standout Video Experiences.  The research they presented provided some interesting insights for us all to keep in mind as video advertising continues to grow in the online world. There are four key elements of the video advertising experience:  user initiation, video player size, video player placement on the page and website quality.

Image source: Shutterstock

Some of the key findings were:

It is important to be clear on the goal of your campaign before developing a video advertising strategy.  Is it to drive purchase intent or raise awareness?

Click-to-play vs. Auto-play

  • User initiation is the key to driving purchase intent.  The study showed click-to-play ads resulted in four times more positive emotional reactions than auto-play ads. They trigger likability and enhance satisfaction and trust.
  • Auto-play ads drive higher awareness.

Quality Environment

  • Quality counts. A quality environment has the highest impact on purchase intent.  So, careful selection of high-quality websites to place video advertising is important.  TrustMetrics is one company that can help with qualifying your websites based on your specific criteria.

Video Player Size

  • Larger video players increase emotional reaction and ad awareness.
  • However, the larger size player is not so important in driving purchase intent.  Video drives purchase intent no matter the size of the player.

Video Position

  • Video advertising position does not impact response.  The study used eye tracking analysis shows eyes went to video wherever it was on the page.

Undertone’s white paper on this topic can be downloaded here:
Undertone White Paper Understanding the Drivers of Standout Video Experience.