Overlay video ads not significantly intrusive
An ITV study of user reactions to advertising within video on its local website has found no evidence that the ads would adversely affect users’ relationships with it.
Of 1200 people surveyed about overlay advertising being trialled on ITV Local, just 9% claimed it detracted from their overall viewing experience – lower than with pre roll advertising (14%), said ITV.
The survey by ITV’s Consumer research and insight department quizzed those who stated an interest in local news & information online and measured the impact of different ad formats using a net promoter score (NPS) – a measure of how likely a user is to recommend a website to a friend or relative.
Each respondent was randomly allocated one of four video clips, each of which differed only in the type of advertising it contained: a pre roll ad, a pre roll ad with a countdown, a Keystream overlay ad and no advertising at all.
No one format generated a significantly higher Net Promoter Score than any other and all ad formats generated an NPS similar to or higher than (but not significantly so) a video with no advertising.
The survey follows a partnership forged between ITV’s Future Technology department and California start-up Keystream who have developed an automatically placed overlay advertising platform for online video.
The application, which places graphical images inside video automatically, is currently being tested by the broadcaster on the user generated content (UGC) section of ITV Local.
The system uses object detection and tracking algorithms to find suitable clear space in the video sequences and enables adverts to be placed inside the video automatically.
When a user interacts with the graphical image that appears, it animates, allowing users to link to a specific advertising message. When a user clicks on an ad, the video is automatically paused until the user returns. If no action is taken then the advertising message simply fades away.
The trials have shown an average click through rate of around 5%, which is five times the average CTR for pre roll video adverts, said ITV.
Lindsay Charlton, ITV Local’s director of content, said: “We’re keen to explore and understand new ways of offering value to advertisers while maintaining a great user experience. This trial puts ITV at the forefront of testing new and innovative ways of connecting brands with our audience and is one of many opportunities we are exploring in this exciting space.
“Initial results are very encouraging and show a much higher click through rate than pre roll and we have extended the trial to national brands to test this further.”
ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com