Video Is Year's Medium Of Choice

New research from Europe's leading online video advertising network has revealed the industry's views on the future of video advertising.
Smartclip spoke to 100 marketing industry professionals at this year's TFM&A show, following similar research at ad:tech six months ago, finding that the growth of video advertising is on track to continue to grow over the coming months.
Although only a third (32%) of the respondents had used video advertising in a campaign to date, over half (54%) of those who had done so said that they now considered video, more specifically interactive video ads, to be an integral part of their campaigns.
Almost three quarters (71%) of the 100 professionals Smartclip spoke to said they were planning on using it in campaigns over the next twelve months.
The reasons spoke for themselves: 72% of respondents said they considered online video to be a transparent and measurable tool, similar to the findings from six months ago at ad:tech (71%). Three quarters (74%) also said that they considered it to be more effective than linear/banner advertising, with only 6% thinking it makes less of an impact than its static equivalent. Only half of respondents believe video advertising to be more effective in September 2009, highlighting the perception change towards emerging advertising platforms.
When asked for their opinion on the much debated topic of optimum length of online video ads, over half think 15 seconds is the most effective, followed by a quarter (28%) who think 10 seconds is the most effective.
The research also looked at how the industry experts felt video advertising could best differentiate itself from offline ad formats such as TV, radio and magazines. 35% of respondents felt that targeting was one of its strongest advantages, while over a third (38%) also felt that interactivity offered a strong USP. One in five added that a strong differentiator lay in its ability to communicate key messages with more brevity than the TV equivalent.
Of those polled, 36% of respondents were aware of linear video ads, 24% of non-linear video ads, 9% of companion ads, 43% of pre-roll ads and 44% of post-roll ads. Interestingly over a third of those questioned (39%) were not aware of any of the above ad formats showing that greater education is needed across the industry.
Sam Kayum, UK Managing Director of Smartclip, said of the research: "Online video is recognised by the majority of the marketing industry as a key part of any campaign and it is great to see the growing confidence in its effectiveness.
"I think we still have some way to go to ensuring that the UK market is aware of all the opportunities and formats presented by online video advertising but based on these findings, the future for this medium looks bright."
(BMcN/BMcC)