In the (research) by Screenforce, they have shown that television viewing time continues to decline. As a result, more advertisers are compelled to adopt an effective online video strategy. A key ad format in this strategy is the preroll. In this blog, we explain what a preroll is and how to use it effectively.

What Is a Preroll?

A preroll is a short video ad that plays before the main video content begins. It’s the first ad you typically see when watching a YouTube video or other online video platforms. Prerolls usually last between 15 and 30 seconds, giving advertisers the chance to communicate their message before viewers focus on the main content.

Difference Between Preroll, Midroll, and Postroll

Besides prerolls, there are midrolls and postrolls. Though these ad formats are similar, their differences are significant:

1. Preroll: Plays before the main content. It’s the first ad the viewer sees and is generally considered less disruptive than midrolls or postrolls because it doesn’t interrupt the viewing experience.
2. Midroll: Inserts an ad during the main content. This can be more disruptive as it forces viewers to pause the video to watch the ad.
3. Postroll: Plays after the main content has finished. Usually seen as the least effective, as viewers often leave before the postroll plays.

Why Are Prerolls More Effective?

One key reason prerolls are preferred over midrolls and postrolls is their higher View-Through Rate (VTR), the percentage of viewers who watch the ad to completion. Prerolls generally have higher VTR because they’re the first video the user sees, making them less likely to leave the page and more likely to watch the full ad.

On YouTube, prerolls can be skipped after 6 seconds, but many prerolls elsewhere do not offer this option, requiring users to watch the full content. Postrolls tend to have lower VTR since viewers often leave before the ad plays, reducing the advertiser’s message impact.

What to Consider When Buying Prerolls for Online Videos

As an advertiser, effective use of prerolls is crucial. Keep these points in mind:

1. Use Private Marketplaces or Programmatic Guaranteed Deals: In the Netherlands, quality inventory is scarce. Direct contact with publishers through Private Marketplaces or Programmatic Guaranteed ensures quality and price agreements.
2. Look Beyond Impressions and Cost Per Completed View: Consider metrics like video viewability, whether sound is on, and viewer interaction. These help assess ad quality.
3. Mind Device Ratios: Research shows that connected TV often delivers better results than mobile or desktop. Consider where your target audience watches videos and adjust your strategy accordingly.
4. Relevant Content: Ensure your message aligns with the audience and the type of video content where the preroll appears. The user’s screen, mobile device or TV, influences ad impact.

Prerolls are a powerful way to capture online viewers’ attention before they engage with the main content. By applying the right strategy in buying prerolls and considering key metrics and audience behavior, advertisers can create more effective campaigns and amplify their message impact in online video advertising.

If you need help buying prerolls, get in touch with us .

The Benefits of YouTube Advertising

Wide Reach and Targeted Audience

YouTube is a massive platform with billions of users worldwide. It offers reach comparable to traditional TV channels but with the advantage that advertisers can target their audience much more precisely. YouTube allows advertisers to target ads based on demographics, interests, search queries, and viewing behavior. This means you can tailor your message to the right people at the right time, leading to more effective campaigns.

Attracting a Younger Audience

One of YouTube’s standout features is its ability to reach a younger audience compared to traditional TV. This makes YouTube a valuable complement to TV advertising, especially for brands targeting millennials and Gen Z. However, it’s important to note that measuring ad results on YouTube and TV requires different methods due to the differing cost metrics, such as GRP and CPM. To simplify this process, Draft has developed a handy tool that converts GRPs to CPMs, helping marketers better understand the price differences between TV and YouTube. Interested in receiving this tool? Get in touch with us.

Quality Management of YouTube Ads

Because anyone can upload content on YouTube, not all inventory is of high quality. To ensure your ads are displayed in a quality environment, you can use several strategies:

• Inclusion Lists: In plaats van exclusion lists, kun je inclusion lists gebruiken om precies te bepalen op welke kanalen je advertenties worden weergegeven. Hierdoor behoud je controle over de context van je advertenties. De kans is namelijk groot dat je zonder inclusion list op veel ongewenste kanalen levert. Denk bijv. aan kinderkanalen of muziekvideo’s.
• Devices: Understand how different devices are used. The impact of a Connected TV screen can be much greater than that of a mobile screen. Make sure to tailor your creative accordingly. Use the right bid multipliers to optimize your bidding strategy effectively.
• Brand of Search Lift Studies: By using these studies, you can accurately measure the impact of YouTube ads on sales or brand KPIs, giving you valuable insights into the effectiveness of your campaigns.
• Test Different Formats: Experiment with various ad formats, such as Bumper Ads or Mixed Formats, to discover which ones work best for your target audience.
• A/B Testing: Conduct A/B tests to determine which elements of your ads are most effective, from copy and visuals to call-to-actions.
• External YouTube Content: Consider purchasing external YouTube content from reputable broadcasters like Ad Alliance or Talpa. This usually provides high-quality content for your ads. However, be cautious with Google’s regular Video Partners, as they often sell fraudulent inventory .

The ABCD Model of Google

We also see that content consumption on YouTube differs from TV. Since YouTube ads can be skipped after 6 seconds, the viewing timeline changes. To create effective content, follow Google’s ABCD model, which includes Attract, Brand, Connect, and Direct, four steps to ensure the quality of your content. First, you want to capture the viewer’s attention to keep them watching longer, then explain your product or service. Finally, you end with a clear call-to-action.

Experience is Key

Finally, experience is invaluable for marketers and specialists who want to get the most out of YouTube ads. An expert video marketer:

• Must have basic knowledge of traditional TV advertising to understand how YouTube can be integrated with it.
• Must be knowledgeable about the entire online video market to optimize buying based on KPIs. It’s more than just YouTube.
• Must stay informed about Google’s best practices.
• Must think beyond Google’s standard advice and develop creative strategies tailored to the advertiser’s specific goals and target audiences.
• Must maintain close contact with the Google account manager to participate in beta and alpha tests, enabling rapid growth in expertise and access to new opportunities.

In short, YouTube advertising offers a wealth of benefits for marketers, but making the right choices is crucial. YouTube provides many opportunities to buy low-quality inventory, and specialists without sufficient experience may not easily recognize this. Additionally, it is not possible to fully integrate with all third-party tools, making detection even more challenging. At Draft, we also believe in strong collaboration with offline media agencies to purchase video inventory as effectively as possible. Furthermore, validating your video strategy through marketing mix modeling or geo-experiments is essential.

Want to start with YouTube ads? get in touch with us .

What is Connected TV?

Connected TV refers to televisions connected to the internet that provide access to streaming services and online content. This technology merges traditional TV with internet connectivity, allowing viewers to access a wide range of digital content and streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and more.

How to Measure the Impact of CTV

1. More Metrics: CTV offers marketers enhanced insights into ad performance. Beyond traditional metrics like Gross Rating Points (GRPs), marketers can now measure view-through rates (the percentage of people who watched the entire ad), viewability (whether the ad was actually visible), and audibility (whether the ad was heard). This allows for more detailed testing with time slots, creatives, or environments.
2. YouTube Quantification: Within YouTube, it is also possible to buy inventory on Connected TVs. This offers a wealth of opportunities to accurately quantify the effectiveness of your ads. Marketers can leverage Conversion Uplift and Search Uplift Studies to measure the impact of their advertisements. This enables them to precisely understand how their TV commercials contribute to desired actions, such as website visits or purchases. It is important, however, to purchase your YouTube ads strategically to maximize impact.
3. Incremental Impact via GEO-Targeting: CTV enables measurement of incremental impact using GEO-targeting. Marketers can run CTV ads in certain regions while withholding them in others and then compare traffic, conversions, or other KPIs between these groups. This helps establish the incremental value of CTV relative to other channels.

Translating Connected TV Insights to Traditional TV

Insights gained from CTV performance can be used to optimize your overall TV strategy. Are you using the right creative for the platform? Because CTV has no minimum budget, it’s easy to gather insights and apply them to your broader TV campaigns.

Addressable TV

Connected TV is a real alternative to traditional TV, but the TV market is evolving. Early 2024 will likely see testing of addressable TV, where traditional TV ads on channels like SBS6 or RTL4 can be bought on an impression basis, with targeting down to postal codes. This also makes GEO experiments more feasible. eerste pilot is het mogelijk om op postcode niveau te targeten. Dit maakt het ook interessant om een GEO experiment te doen.

B2B Opportunities

Access to the big screen was previously mainly relevant for large brands with broad audiences. With Connected TV, many new opportunities are opening for B2B brands. CTV allows B2B advertisers to reach key decision-makers on the largest screen in the home, enabling more creative and engaging brand storytelling and valuable business relationships. Whereas mass reach was once dominated by Radio or Print, Connected TV now makes video compelling for B2B as well.

Current Reach of Connected TV in the Netherlands

Currently, CTV has a relatively limited reach in the Netherlands, with options like Xite, YouTube, VEVO, Videoland, and some smaller players. The future looks promising though, with potential entry of major SVOD platforms like Netflix and Disney+ offering live CTV ads. These platforms have huge audiences, and their move into CTV advertising will let marketers reach broad audiences effectively on Connected TV in the Netherlands. This could be a major shift in how advertisers approach their target groups and firmly establish CTV as a powerful media channel.

Conclusion

In summary, Connected TV is a gamechanger for marketers looking to improve their overall video strategy. It provides deeper insights into ad performance, detailed measurement capabilities, and incremental impact tracking. It’s no longer enough to rely solely on brand KPIs, CTV allows marketers to optimize TV ad results more precisely for performance. However, it’s important to remember that TV remains one of the few media types capable of delivering very high reach and impact in a short timeframe. Channels like Display and Social have not yet proven capable of this, especially for broader audiences. Want to learn more? Feel free to get in touch with us .