Consumers Care About Video Advertising. Here’s 3 Ways Brands Can Keep Them Engaged

Consumers today are inundated with advertising content across mediums – and brands are constantly searching for ways to stand out. How can you create a valuable experience so consumers stay and watch your ads? A meaningful, intentional experience can be the key you need to get consumers to consistently engage with your video ads. And in Connatix’s recent poll of more than 1,000 consumers age 18+, 75% of respondents said they have made at least one purchase as a result of watching video ads. 

As consumers are consistently met with video ads across their favorite channels, standing out isn’t always easy. But there are opportunities to create non-disruptive, thoughtful video ad experiences to increase your brand’s staying power.

1. Pay attention to time

As short-form content dominates platforms, our research report finds that more than half (64%) of respondents prefer a video ad to be a minute or less and 46% prefer ads to be less than 30 seconds. Keep your ads short and sweet, prioritizing only one or two main points to get your message across.

2. Contextually align with existing interests

Context is everything. 82% of consumers said they notice when an ad is related to the content of the video they were watching, and 83% said they prefer to see ads related to their personal interests. Maximize your reach by using contextual targeting to meet viewers at the intersection of your brand and their interests. By leveraging tech like Connatix’s Deep Contextual, advertisers can unlock real-time relevance at scale, notably without relying on audience data as data privacy and cookie deprecation continue to stay top of mind.

3. Get your audience laughing

For brands, humor is one of the most important elements to encourage consumers to watch your ads. And given the industry conversations about how advertising is missing humor these days, this finding proves that consumers still crave a laugh. 47% of consumers say they will stay to watch a video ad if it appears funny. But don’t forget the other key parts of the viewing experience – visual interest is also key for consumers, as well as the convenience of the viewing experience. 55% of respondents would automatically skip an ad if it disrupts the content they’re watching, 52% would skip if it looks like poor quality and 51% would skip if it pops up on the screen unprompted. 

Reaching consumers may seem complicated. But having a better understanding of what a consumer actually wants to see and aligning their behavior with your content will deliver a more high-quality and memorable experience – ultimately building trust and credibility for your brand.

Interested in learning more? Download the full report here.