Dive Brief:
- AOL added two new video formats designed to be more viewable and user-friendly to its One by AOL: Publishers platform.
- One by AOL launched in January combining six different technologies and business units to streamline buying and selling advertising through a single pricing model and master service agreement.
- The new video formats include its Out-stream video player that begins auto-playing as soon as at least 50% of the video is in view; and SideView, a format that resizes and pins next to webpage content for a better user experience.
Dive Insight:
Viewability is an ongoing issue in the ad community, and already AOL's new additions are being questioned about how well they meet standards. One comment about the Out-stream player is it only meets the minimum IAB standard for video viewability.
Robert Leon, AOL's head of publisher product commercialization and solutions, told Adweek the format was a “step in the right direction” and AOL might tweak the format later on.
Testing on the SideView format found a 39% lift in overall viewable rates with Leon describing it as “a polite way” for publishers to increase video ads because the format is “less interruptive” and it “rolls into the general user experience.”
Recently, research from IPG Media Lab, Integral Ad Science and Cadreon on the Media Rating Council (MRC)'s minimum ad viewability standards found that these standards didn't necessarily impact brand metrics. Further, the study found time in view was more significant than percent of ad in view in improving ad recall.
The conversation around viewability is sure to continue until clear industry-wide standards can be implemented. In the meantime, about both new video products, Leon also told Adweek, "Ultimately for publishers, I think this is a great opportunity for them to access more video spend by taking a step toward viewability and creating more inventory on their website."