Consumers Want Video Ads, But With Certain Stipulations, According To New Research

In the golden age of video, there is more content than ever before – from traditional TV to online video, and streaming platforms – and where there is content, there are advertisements.

Brands reaching consumers through video isn’t new – the first television commercial aired in 1941 – but today’s digital environment has given consumers more control over the types of ads they see and whether they see ads at all. With today’s focus on digital privacy around ad targeting and streaming services rolling out paid ad-free tiers, it begs the question: Are consumers still paying attention to brand messages, or do they really hate ads?

In 2022, online video ad spend reached $75 billion, so despite the perception that consumers aren’t paying attention, there must be a reason that brands are still investing so heavily.

To better understand the online video advertising ecosystem, I caught up with Jenn Chen, President and Chief Revenue Officer at video technology company, Connatix, which helps publishers and advertisers engage consumers with streaming video. Connatix recently launched a new research report – Consumers Are Watching; Here’s How They Want Their Video Ads – that surveyed 1,000 consumers 18+ about what they expect and prefer from online video experiences. The main finding was that consumers are happy to watch ads in exchange for the content they want to see, but they do have some stipulations.