Dive Brief:
- A study by IPG Media Lab and Twitter found that the same in-feed and pre-roll video ads are almost twice as memorable on the social media platform than on other premium sites, according to MediaPost.
- The study found advertisers should adapt their ads for social media feeds by getting to the point faster and branding early.
- Both practices help make ads more effective in a feed, especially when there is lower viewability.
Dive Insight:
The nature of Twitter's personalized and self-curated user experience positively impacts how video ads are perceived by users, according to the study.
While the study results are a win for Twitter, the findings could very well carry over to other social platforms that have feeds. In-feed, auto-play video works very well for video ads, according to the study, and those ads can be very effective despite low viewability figures. The study highlighted how the first few second are extremely important for social video ads.
“We were struck by how valuable the impact of front loading your branding and messaging can be," Kara Manatt, SVP of Intelligence Solutions & Strategy at IPG Media Lab, said according to Media Post. "In today’s environment where the competition for attention is so severe, the results of our media trial show that it’s critical to front load your vital messaging."
The findings come as Twitter has been aiming to reinvigorate its flagging business with live video efforts, highlighted by its exclusive deal with the NFL to stream 10 Thursday Night Football games in the upcoming season. Being able to earn significant revenue from video ads tied to its various live streaming deals with the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL could become key to Twitter’s future.
Twitter has been struggling with a slow-growing user base that pales in comparison to Facebook's massive audience and weak ad revenues. While the Twitter/IPG study is good news for Twitter, recent reports tell a different story: eMarketer just revised down its forecast for Twitter user growth from 8% to 2% this year, while a Bloomberg report found Snapchat is snatching away social media advertising dollars that previously were going to Twitter.