Overlay video ads not significantly intrusive
01/12/2008
A study of user reactions to a new way of advertising within video has revealed no evidence to suggest such ads would adversely affect users’ relationship with ITV’s local website.
Of 1200 people surveyed about overlay advertising currently being trialled on ITV Local, just 9% claimed it detracted from their overall viewing experience – lower than with pre roll advertising (14%).
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 results proved that exposure to overlay advertising does not adversely affect people’s likelihood to be advocates of ITV Local and that any decision about whether to pursue the ad format going forwards should be based on the commercial potential of the application.
The survey follows a partnership forged between ITV’s Future Technology department and California start-up Keystream who have developed the world’s first automatically placed overlay advertising platform for online video.
The application, which places graphical images inside video automatically, is currently being tested by ITV’s Future Technology team 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.
ITV are working closely with Reality Digital, their partner in video provision for the Your News section of the ITV Local site, to make the service available across all UGC content on the site. The trials have shown an average click through rate of around 5%, which is five times the average CTR for pre roll video adverts.
ITV Local's Director of Content Lindsay Charlton 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.”
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For further information, please contact Ben Ayers from the ITV Consumer Press Office via ben.ayers@itv.com.
About Net Promoter Scores
Net promoter scores are widely used indicators of customer satisfaction. Studies have shown they correlate closely with key customer growth & profitability measures. It works on the assumption that to merit a recommendation to a friend or relative implies a high level of satisfaction and trust by the user.