Advanced Television

Study: Consumers spend more time with interactive ads

October 9, 2017

MAGNA, the intelligence, investment and innovation unit within IPG Mediabrands, and IPG Media Lab, its creative technology arm, partnered with Tremor Video DSP for a scientific media trial that explored and measured the impact of interactive video ads across three screens, including tablet, PC, and mobile devices. The report, entitled The Interactive Effect: A Key to Surviving in the Attention Economy of a Mobile-First World, unveiled both qualitative and quantitative insights for marketers to leverage interactive video ad formats, including activations to enhance consumer engagement and drive brand KPIs.

The report concluded that interactive video ads extend the amount of time consumers spend with the brand, driving a 47 per cent lift in time spent with the ad versus non-interactive ads. Furthermore, when consumers interact, brands triple their time spent with consumers when using 15-second interactive ads. Regardless of whether consumers interact or not, the potential to do so makes the ad 32 per cent more memorable than non-interactive ads. Perhaps most notable in an ever-fragmented consumer landscape, is that these figures remained consistent across gender and age demographics, along with industry verticals.

“Such attention metrics are normally reserved for the viewing of television advertisements and contradict the prevailing conventional wisdom that shorter is better for capturing consumers ‘attention,” said Ariane Gut, VP, Head of Insights & Analytics of Tremor Video DSP, a Taptica company. “Brands that have tested mobile interactive video ads for themselves have experienced an uptick in engagement, demonstrating that there’s more value that can be had from existing assets when layered with elements designed to give consumers more of an immersive experience.”

As brands seek new ways of enhancing the consumer experience, in-depth research was conducted, focusing on six types of ads across four industry verticals. Participating brands in this trial included Amazon, Arby’s, FCA, and MillerCoors.

“The results of this media trial truly showcased the potential and versatility of interactive video ads across platforms, and especially on mobile,” said Kara Manatt, SVP, Intelligence Solutions Strategy at MAGNA. “It’s clear that the ability to interact with an ad will drive higher levels of consumer engagement and purchase intent, but just as important, this offering enables brands to spend more time with consumers. And we all know how difficult that is to do these is these days.”

Key highlights include:
· Interactive ads = more time spent with consumers. Total time spent increased by 47 per cent with interactive video ads compared to standard video ads.

  • Interactive video ads drive 9x higher impact on purchase intent.
  • In fact, a 15 second interactive ad turns into 45 seconds worth of time with consumers when someone interacts.
  • Whether consumers interact or not, interactive ads are more cost efficient, with investment going 52 per cent further when the impact on persuasion of interactive ads is accounted for, versus ads without interactive features.
  • Compared to a product-focused interaction, adding entertainment-focused interactions (e.g. game) further extends time consumers spend by 15 per cent and improve brand’s KPIs among those who interact.

· When relevant, human focused interactions are recommended (e.g. interactions involving celebrity or key character in the ad as opposed to a product).

“Mobile is intimate; video is engaging,” said Chad Stoller, Global Chief Innovation Officer, UM. “As the digital world becomes less a proxy for our ‘real’ world, and becomes the ‘real world’ itself, interactivity can build organic connections between viewers and branded messages, especially in a mobile-first world. It is becoming clearer that interactivity is the future of mobile video.”

In conducting the media trial, a total of 2,157 users were recruited from a representative online panel. The survey directed participants download a custom app, where they were able to view video content based on their choosing. Prior to the content, participants were served a pre-roll ad, just as they would “in the wild”. Each participant was randomised into a test cell that determined what type of pre-roll video ad that was served. Passive data collection took place during the ad experience, such as interactions, time spent with the ad, etc. Afterwards, participants completed a survey that measured traditional branding metrics and qualitative feedback.

Categories: Ads, Advertising, Articles, Consumer Behaviour, Mobile, Portable Media, Research