YuMe’s quarterly Video Metrics reports are always worth looking into and analyzing. Despite the warning that the reported facts and numbers are only accurate for their network and may not reflect the overall trends in the industry, YuMe shares insights on video advertising that are delivered from an unusual perspective. In this article we will review and compare the findings of YuMe’s Video Metrics reports for Q1 and Q2 2012. Not only will you learn what formats of video ads prevailed over the others, but you’ll also get some hints for targeting your video ads by location and gender.
Pre-Roll Still Dominate, Banners Ads Account For The Smallest Fraction
Pre-roll ads were dominant in Q1, and they continued to be that in Q2 2012, still accounting for 76% of all ads run with YuMe. However, they lost 8% in popularity from the beginning of the year. Of this percentage half, or 4%, went to YuMe Ads (of which there are 18 different formats: YuMe’s Expanded View, InSynch Video Takeover, Lights Out, PowerRoll, PowerRoll Data Connect, SideKick, Overlay, Branded Player, Multiplay, Ad Selector, Ngage, etc). Another 3% were gained by mobile video ads. The remaining 1% is actually missing in the Q2 report, probably because of rounding the numbers. The share of banner and connected TV ads didn’t change, remaining 1% and 2% accordingly.
Longer Ads Become More Tolerated
In Q2 2012 completion rate for pre-roll ads rose by 1%, from 68 to 69%. But what’s most interesting here is the breakdown by ad length. The report for the Q2 revealed the higher completion rate for ads longer than 30 seconds. It was reported as 40%, compared to 37% in Q1. This may indicate that viewers are becoming more tolerant to longer ads online, and the long-term implication may be a shift to long-form online video advertising. Yet, it is worth mentioning that 15-second ads were still completed the most even in Q2.
Gender Issues In Ad Tolerance
In Q1 women topped men in terms of average completion rates, while Q2 2012 showed the contrary trend. Men gained another 9% of overall completion rates and expressed more tolerance of ads in general. As to age categories, there was nothing new though.
Regional Issues In Ad Viewing
Of all ads displayed in the US most were viewed in California (13.8%), and Texas and New York got on second position with 7.6% each. This is much due to technology, and not only population, as industrial states generally received much higher percentages than rural ones.
It was indeed an interesting snapshot by YuMe, and a careful look at the above tendencies can definitely help you build the right video advertising strategy for the next year.
Pre-roll is the best!