• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, November 16, 2011

New research from an industry initiative looking to evaluate free video on demand as an advertising platform indicates ads in VOD streams generate about the same level of engagement regardless of the ad load in the programming.

Ipsos OTX, which conducted the research for the Advanced Advertising Media Project (AAMP), tested three ad loads within full episodes of 19 prime-time shows, or 30-minute chunks of them. Those included a three-minute load; a five-and-a-half minute load; and an eight-minute load. (A single 90-second unit was also tested.)

Aided recall for brands advertised was essentially the same across the three VOD ad loads tested -- about 63% for the three-minute loads, compared to approximately 58% for the five-and-a-half and eight-minute loads. Ads from 10 advertisers in six categories were tested.

The AAMP report says this "suggests an opportunity for using full, linear-style inventories" in VOD. AAMP members include CBS and A&E; agency Digitas; the 4As; and BlackArrow, which offers technology that can facilitate VOD ad placement.

Also, Ipsos OTX, found that VOD ads brought between a 3% and 5% lift in interest in "finding out about a particular brand, and purchase intent," regardless of the ad load. The research covered 1,000-plus consumers watching content from dramas, comedies and reality series in media labs in New York and Los Angeles.

The study also found that viewer interest in getting more information about a brand was 64% higher after a 90-second ad on VOD then the same ad on linear TV.

Some consumers watched VOD ads where the fast-forward option was disabled. There are networks, such as ABC, that won't allow content of shows such as "" to be placed on VOD unless that option is disabled.

"Consumers accept advertising on VOD," the AAMP report says. "Today's consumers expect to see advertising on TV and related platforms, and its presence on VOD is neither a surprise nor a barrier to enjoyment."

The next phase of the research involves a "market trial," scheduled for next year.