Commentary

Evenings Rule for Online Video Ad Clicks

For better or worse, clicks are still the currency by which many marketers measure success in online advertising, and early evening ranks as the most effective time for generating clicks on online video ads.

That’s the result of a new study by ad platform TubeMogul. While online video is often used as a branding mechanism for marketers, many do still want to drive clicks, which could range from encouraging viewers to share a link on Twitter, have a conversation on a brand’s Facebook fan page, or even buy a product online, TubeMogul said in its report. Clicks are often more quantifiable to measure than increases in brand awareness or word of mouth.

TubeMogul’s study of about 23 million impressions from pre-roll ads bought by top brands in the consumer packaged goods, retail and restaurant industries indicated that the end of the work day and into early TV primetime were the best hours for delivering the most clicks. Specifically, TubeMogul found that nearly 26% of all clicks on video ads fall between 5-9 p.m. — also the time frame when click rates overall are highest, TubeMogul said. One might think completion rates for video ads would also be highest during those hours. However, that’s not the case. Completion rates don’t vary significantly based on the time of day, or on whether the pre-roll ad is 15 seconds or 30 seconds, which suggests that viewers are simply more receptive to ads during those early evening hours.

The key takeaway is that advertisers would be wise to serve their ads late in the afternoon and into the early evening in order to achieve the maximum engagement.

But then, the question arises — will we see a glut of Web video ads in those time slots and paucity in the wee hours of the morning? Wait. That kind of sounds a lot like…wait for it…Television!

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