Thursday, May 09, 2013

Is video advertising worth it?


Nearly 10 Billion Video Ads Viewed in February
But, web users increasingly fed up with lousy ads

If you think advertising is starting to intrude on your favorite video sites like springtime dandelions on your lawn, you’re not alone. According to comScore, 178 million Americans watched 33 billion online content videos in February, while the number of video ad views reached 9.9 billion and time spent watching video ads totaled 3.8 billion minutes. Video ads reached more than 50 percent of the total U.S. population an average of 63 times during the month and video ads accounted for 23 percent of all videos viewed.

But, before you put all your marketing eggs into the video basket, please make sure you can deliver high quality, relevant video messages to your target market or be prepared for backlash—fast and furious backlash and negative brand equity. Hint to do-it-yourselfers: don’t forget about the importance of good lighting and high quality sound. Invest a few bucks in a tabletop or lavaliere microphone.

According to InsightsOne, with Harris Interactive, the vast majority of American adults 18 and over (87%) are putting their foot down on the number of irrelevant ads they are willing to tolerate before they ignore a company completely. One in four Americans (23%) say they will do so after seeing just one spam email or online ad, and 43 percent say they will ignore a company completely after seeing as many as two.

Annoying ads are pervasive, says the report, with 91 percent of Americans reporting they see them. While email spam and junk mail tend to get the most attention, many Americans are annoyed by website ad spam, email spam/sidebar ads, postal junk mail, television ads and ads on social media.

If you advertise or promote your firm on the web take note: 36 percent of web users who’ve been flooded with online ad spam say they will leave a website because of too many irrelevant ads, and many more feel that the company doing the advertising doesn’t respect their time. In terms of email, 60 percent will unsubscribe from future messages, but 45 percent will simply ignore future communications.

Men less tolerant than women


According to InsightsOne research, Men were statistically more likely than women to take certain actions, including:

  • Stop using the product (17% vs. 11%)
  • Boycott the company doing the advertising (16% vs. 10%)
  • Respond angrily (7% vs. 3%)
  • Hit their computer or mobile device in frustration (5% vs. 3%)
  • Feel the company doesn’t respect their time (30% vs. 22%)
Macro View

With interest rates low and corporate earnings surprisingly solid, the equity markets continue to flirt with record highs. Weekly applications for jobless benefits fell to a five year low. U.S. employers maintained steady hiring in April, alleviating widespread concerns about the economy heading into a spring slowdown. Economists say the job gains don't reflect a rapidly growing economy, but they provided enough relief to markets Friday to boost stocks into record territory.

Conclusion


The web is one of the most powerful, cost-effective tools ever invented for reaching your target market. But, if you don’t respect your target market’s time or really understand what your clients/prospects are interested in—at their current stage in the purchase consideration cycle—then it can be devastating to your firm’s brand name and reputation.

Tags: InsightOne, Harris interactive, video advertising, intrusive advertising

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