5 video advertising statistics for 2018 shaping mobile marketing
The video advertising statistics of 2018 show us that video is in high demand, both by consumers and by marketers. A lot of marketers swear by video, with 87% of online marketers reporting using video in their campaigns. This doesn’t mean video is a slam dunk for marketers. While video tends to have a bigger impact on brand awareness and market share, those numbers really only take into account well-developed video campaigns. A poorly performing video campaign can’t hope to truly capitalize on the powerful conversion potential of video marketing. The video advertising statistics of 2018 don’t just tell us what other marketers are doing, but they’re telling us what consumers want, which helps marketers create a truly impactful video campaign.
What consumers want is mobile video. More than half of all video viewing now occurs on mobile devices, and that number is steadily rising. Of course, much of that mobile viewing is entertainment-based content, rather than advertising. That’s one of the challenging parts of undertaking a mobile video campaign, in that you’re trying to get consumers to watch your ads when they’d rather be watching their favorite television programs or movies. Making the most of mobile video advertising requires a few adjustments to your strategy, so you can get consumers to view the content for your product, and more importantly, take action afterward.
Video Advertising Statistic #1: Long is Good, Just Not for Everyone
On its face, it might appear that longer format video is better, simply based on the statistics. About 48% of all video viewed on mobile is longer than five minutes, with 30% of that being video that’s 20 minutes or longer. That, however, does not mean that internet advertisers should err on the length when it comes to creating mobile ads. The successful length of a video depends on several factors:
The viewing platform:
Consumers may be more willing to view branded content and advertisements on some platforms than others. For example, Snapchat is a site where video advertising tends to do poorly, with the average video ad getting less than 3 seconds of view time. When using a platform like this, advertisers are best off providing their shortest advertisements.
Competition:
Some sites offer the opportunity to skip video advertisements—which serve as competition for attention—while others require users watch the entire video. When skipping is an option, it’s best to provide shorter content that users will be more willing to sit through.
Content type:
Hard sell direct advertising should be short, while branded content can be longer. Strictly speaking, the more enjoyable the content, the longer you can afford to make it.
While consumers are willing to sit through video advertisements if the length is right, another thing you need to consider is the video’s impact. After all, you want them to connect with your brand’s message enough that they’re willing to share it, in the hope that your video gets widespread attention.
Video Advertising Statistic #2: Personalization Makes Viral Videos Possible
Video is shared 1,200% more frequently than text and image posts. That’s good news for marketers who are trying to create a viral campaign. Of course, the key is the enjoyability of the ad. Making an ad amusing or interesting is a good way to gain attention. So is turning that ad into a personalized experience, which is more possible on mobile.
Malibu Rum followed this strategy with its Video Ticker and Video Toggle mobile video campaigns. The company used these platforms to target specific consumers in the UK aged 18 to 34. The personalization came as a result of time and location data from mobile. Dubbed the “Best Summer Ever” campaign, the ad gave users the option to choose between several different campaign videos based on where they were and when they visited the sites. The campaign was considered highly successful and was nominated for one of Mobile Marketing Magazine’s Effective Mobile Marketing Awards of 2014, under the category for Most Effective Use Of Video. Malibu made a number of smart moves in this campaign, including:
A multifaceted video approach:
Rather than just offering one video, users were presented with three video options to view.
Provided interesting content:
The videos weren’t hard advertising but instead were branded content that featured individuals giving suggestions for exciting ideas for summer activities.
Offered value:
One of the features of the campaign encouraged moderation by allowing users to track alcohol consumption and even find transportation based on their geolocation data.
This video campaign connected with Malibu’s audience, making it a near instant hit. Its content wasn’t just interesting, but personalized, allowing viewers to feel a more emotional connection. That emotional connection to content is a key part of an impactful video campaign, as a connection can create brand affinity. However, a simpler option for creating this could be incentivizing users to watch your video.
Video Advertising Statistic #3: Incentivizing Users with Rewarded Video
If you want to get a consumer to watch a video, one of the best ways to do it is to incentivize it. Rewarded video—modified video ads designed around an in-app economy, which grants users premium content such as coins or credits in return for viewing a short video clip—is among the most popular forms of advertising with consumers. 46% of consumers identified rewarded video as their preferred method of mobile video advertising. Here are a few examples of rewarded video in action.
Paywall bypasses:
This probably isn’t the most popular version of rewarded video, but online publications frequently use video advertisements as paywalls to their sites, in that users must watch the video before they can continue on to the content.
Shopping app rewards:
While shopping apps typically offer rewards based on purchases, some provide alternative reward-earning methods as well. One such way is through in-app advertisements, which allow users to collect rewards simply for watching videos. Shopkick offers this as a popular feature, allowing users to collect valuable rewards points just for watching videos.
In-game advertisements:
Rewarded video is hugely popular on gaming platforms, where someone playing a mobile game is offered in-game incentives like bonuses, extra lives, and score boosters for watching a short video.
Rewarded video doesn’t just improve the likelihood that users will watch your advertisements all the way to the end, it also increases app retention. One study found that apps offering rewarded video had retention rates that were 71% higher after two weeks than non-rewarded video ad apps after the same period. It’s the consumer’s ability to interact with the ad that drives this high retention, as consumers find interacting with ads particularly engaging.
Video Advertising Statistic #4: Interactive Mobile Video Content
Interactive mobile video ads are an extremely new form of advertising that is just starting to catch on. In them, the user might be allowed to interact with the advertiser’s story, making choices and potentially changing the outcome of the ad based on those choices.
Buffalo Wild Wings did something like this in their interactive video campaign featuring the chain’s “Foodoo” doll. During the advertisement, the Foodoo doll would pop up, and users tried to catch it by tapping on their screens. Once they caught the doll, they could either find local restaurants or join the restaurant’s loyalty program. Following the campaign, the company reported 46 million interactions with a 93.4% video completion rate. The brand’s interactive campaign used video effectively by:
Encouraging active viewing:
To catch the Foodoo doll, users had to watch the video. As a result, users were more likely to retain the brand’s message and go on to make purchases.
Building on a multimedia platform:
The campaign wasn’t a standalone. Instead, it was a takeoff of the brand’s March Madness television commercial, which featured the same Foodoo doll.
Focused ad targeting:
The brand set narrow parameters for the ad, based on past app usage as well as user location, interest in sports, gender, and age. This allowed them to deeply target individuals who were more likely to make a purchase.
Interactive video is still an emerging platform, which is why brands that choose to work with these platforms are more likely to stand out. This interaction is a way to make video even more engaging than it already is, deepening the consumer connection and the potential for conversion.
Video Advertising Statistic #5: Mobile Makes the Difference in Conversion
Mobile video advertising is, above all, about the user experience. Providing content that’s useful, engaging, and enjoyable will allow you to harness the power of video. Marketers who use video are estimated to grow revenue for their brands 49% faster than their non-video counterparts. Mobile is a powerful medium, with the majority of watchers choosing this as the place to view those videos. There’s a number of reasons why mobile video is a more powerful converter than other mediums. Some to consider are:
Impact:
People are visual. The human brain processes visuals 10,000 times faster than it does text. As a result, someone who watches a video is likely to retain the information longer than someone who reads the same information. Specifically, a video viewer will retain 95% of what they saw, while a text reader will only retain about 10%.
Ease of use:
Video is probably the easiest medium to use on mobile. There’s no need to scroll or search through the information; the entire video is visible at the center of the screen with no need to click around. It’s also convenient for the user, who may be watching that video while browsing the offers in the shopping aisle or while sitting in their doctor’s waiting room.
Popularity:
Video is, by far, the most popular medium. Individuals spend 88% more time on a website when it has video. In addition, video is now responsible for the majority of Internet traffic. Any good marketer knows the first step of a good campaign is to be where your customers are. Your customers are watching videos.
Passive and active opportunities:
While your preference should always be to have an active viewer, individuals can still retain things on a subliminal level when passively viewing video. The same can’t be said for images and text—unless that viewer passively sees those same images and texts hundreds of times, as in the case of logos or slogans. A consumer can watch a video without paying attention to it and still retain some of the information from it, making it useful even when the consumer isn’t fully engaged with your message. Videos essentially do, in one shot, what it takes texts and pictures thousands of opportunities to accomplish.
Emotional connections:
Tone can tell us a lot about how we’re supposed to feel about a video. The attitude of the presenter or announcer, combined with the moving images, can be used to express emotions without words. Text- and image-based advertisements lack a powerful emotional connection, as it’s not possible to set the tone through a static image. Instead, viewers will attribute their own tone to the advertisement, which won’t always work the way you hope, especially when using humor or sarcasm in an ad.
Mobile video allows you to travel with consumers while providing the content they want the most. Whether you’re creating a direct ad or branded content, this is a proven way to connect with audiences, improve sales, and, potentially, increase market share.
The video advertising statistics of 2018 give us valuable insight on what consumers want. They want mobile content that’s interactive, engaging, and even incentivized. While the length of video is important, what’s more important is how well consumers connect with your message. By giving something in return for watching that video—whether it’s rewards points or even just information—those consumers are better able to connect with your brand. They’re engaged and more willing to share your message with their friends and families. Mobile video is a way to create both a physical and emotional connection with your brand’s audience.
Shopkick leverages rewarded video for our partners with great success with our engaged, active audience. To become one of those partners, contact us.
