Mobile video ads are garnering higher engagement rates, based on a study of 10.2 million mobile and online video views in the first and second quarter of 2013. Mobile video ads are clocking in with a 5% interaction rate, compared to a 2.4% rate for online video spots. That means mobile viewers are more likely to visit a brand’s Facebook page or website to share the video. The reason? Mobile users often have fewer tabs open, so they are less distracted. They’re paying more attention to the ad in the first place, and when that happens they’re more inclined to interact in some fashion.
However, brands aren’t as keen on sending users to Facebook as they were in the past. This year, the number of clicks to a brand’s Facebook page after a video ad dropped 14%, while the number of clicks to an app or brand site rose 13%. This speaks to overall trends in marketing about the importance of brands owning content and their relationship with consumers.
The research also found that mobile video ads aren’t much shorter than desktop videos. Jun Group said that 54% of mobile video ads weigh in at the standard 30-second length. About 10% are 60 seconds, and 32% are 90 seconds.
But regardless of the length, video ads fare best when they are designed for the medium on which they appear. Ads customized for the Web earned a 3.3% interaction rate, compared to 2.5% for a standard pre-roll spot. “As the lines between traditional and digital formats blur, users demand something new or unique from advertisers before they click or share,” Jun Group said in its infographic.
Mobile Video is a great tool for monetizing that platform