Video advertising is an important marketing tool for all types of businesses. Basically, video advertising is any digital ad that contains video and we see hundreds of these a day while streaming online content as well as while watching television.
By utilizing media where people are most active (computer, smartphone, and television) you are going to gain a lot of accessibility to the consumer world in digital format.
Not every type of video advertising is a great idea, though. You want to play this form of advertising very carefully.
One of the biggest debates with video advertising is the length. Prior to all of the advancements in technology, time spent video streaming by viewers, and company success driven by video advertising, these types of videos was a standard 60 seconds.
However, now we are seeing videos at lengths of 15 and 30 seconds, which have been noted to grab and keep viewer attention.
When video advertising was first developed, length was largely based upon network pricing, which is where the 15 and 30-second videos were introduced. The networks wanted to draw in more advertisers.
To serve advertisers with smaller budgets, video ad lengths became more a function of price than viewer attention and effectiveness.
There has been supportive research that shows there is a distinction between how long an ad is viewed and how effective that length is to increase brand awareness and company consideration by the audience. YouTube is one such place where longer ads are paying off. It is not uncommon to have successful YouTube viewers to reach an average of three minutes of consistent viewing.
So does that mean longer length of video ads are stronger than videos of the 30 to the one-minute range? Not necessarily.
You want to create a balance of story and brand in a clear-cut format so that it will hold the viewer’s attention and form a connection.
The 15-second cut:
Shorter versions equate to being less skippable. Viewers won’t really have the time to skip to a favorite part or to see how the video ends. In a few short seconds, it is over and hopefully the message was portrayed and obtained quickly and efficiently.
The 30-second cut:
This length allows you to get a little bit more in-depth with the message. It still draws the viewers in and remains short enough to keep viewers entertained and to walk away with a meaningful message.
The 1-3 minutes cut:
This version creates emotion and richness by providing a layered story that reveals more dimensions to pull viewers in and keep them engaged the whole time.
All in all, it is important to remember to connect the video ad length to the goals of the video, not to the economics or financial portion.
People thrive on making connections and whether you plan on a 15-second video or a three-minute one, make sure your brand and message are clear cut and portrayed evenly throughout the entire video ad.
For expert video advertising strategies and assistance, contact Omni Media Productions at 1.800.561.OMNI today.
Tags: Advertising Strategies, Online Media, Video Advertisements, Video Lengths, YouTube Video