Alright, so a Native Ad walks into a bar and sees a Video Ad and says “hey there, video; you sure do make quite the impression” and 9 months later we have the newest addition to our digital toolbox- Native Video ads!
When we talk about Native ads, we explain that they match the look, feel, and visual context of whatever website or app that they are appearing on, and on any device. These ads don’t necessarily look like ads, which allows for them to have a higher click through rate and bypass some ad blocking software that a user might have installed on their web browser. The best way to think of Native ads, is to compare them to a chameleon; they blend in with their surroundings and take on the natural environment of where they are being seen.
So how does adding video into the native format make it an even more effective form of advertising? Because video ads are more captivating than text ads:
- 80% of viewers can recall a video they’ve seen in the past 30 days (the highest of any type of digital advertising)
- 95% of viewers are more likely to remember a call to action after watching a video, compared to 10% when reading it in text
- 90% of customers report that product videos help them make purchasing decisions
Native Video ads (also referred to as Branded Video) match the unique look and feel of each publisher site that they appear on, and they drive higher brand awareness and engagement. They include a headline, a caption, a disclosure, and the name of client. These ads are auto-start which means that the video will start to play once it comes into view. The video will begin playing without sound, but the viewer can click on the ad to activate sound, or the client also has the option to have the ad be captioned.
Native Video ads are different than Outstream Video or Pre-Roll Video. Outstream Video is when a video ad is embedded in the content, but there’s no branding or matching to the format of the page, and no customization. This type of video ad can disrupt the user experience. Pre-Roll Video is the ad that you must watch before the content of what the user was interested in begins to play, and it can interrupt the user’s attention.
In an eye tracking study, it was found that less than half the users took their eyes to a video ad on a website that contained an outstream video ad:
But when done with a Native Branded Video ad, the amount of people that saw the ad increased to 75%:
With digital ads being around for over 20 years, as consumers we’re programmed to NOT click on ads because we don’t want those ads to follow us, or let it be known that we are engaging with the ad. With Native ads being subtle, less invasive, and looking less like an ad, it allows for more engagement from consumers. When you add video to the native format, you get that one-two punch of higher engagement, higher click through rates, and higher recall and call to action with ads.
