• Mediaweek, Thursday, October 23, 2008 11 AM

Google is so confident that its new overlay ads on YouTube videos are effective that the company, in partnership with Mediavest, is turning to a brain wave research firm, NeuroFocus, to prove it. The research will explore how users respond to InVideo ads and how well those ads complement traditional banner placements.

Why go to such lengths to prove that InVideo ads are effective? Google believes that the way the ads function, by popping up at the bottom of a video while the viewer watches, is so different, that it warrants special examination. "Standard metrics don't tell the whole story," said Leah Spalding, advertising research manager, Google. "Google is an innovative company, and we want to embrace innovative technology...these ads require an approach that is more technologically sensitive."

The results will be unveiled during a Webinar scheduled for today, but certain metrics for the ads are already available. In a small survey in May, InVideo ads scored above average on a scale of one to 10 for measures like "attention" (8.5), "emotional engagement" (7.3) and "effectiveness" (6.6).

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