Study: Pre-Roll Video Beats Transitional on Brand Awareness

Pre-roll video ads have an edge over transitional units when it comes to generating brand awareness and message association, according to research gathered by rich media tech firm Viewpoint with assistance from Dynamic Logic.

Transitional, or between page units, meanwhile, appear to generate greater purchase intent. Video presented via in-page banners performed less strongly on all metrics.

The findings are based on user responses to Viewpoint’s “All Things Video” promotion, launched in February with help from Dynamic Logic. Viewpoint and Dynamic Logic measured the responses of 4,000 Web users to campaigns run by four advertisers, including Hyundai and Pepsi. The study measured responses to 12 different video executions across 12 publisher partners. The impression volume was 40 million, split approximately evenly between in-page, pre-roll and transitional formats.

Among the ad formats measured, pre-roll was most notable for lifting brand awareness by 96 percent and message association by 272 percent, compared with a control group.

Viewpoint said transitional units, on the other hand, appear to have an edge when it comes to brand favorability and purchase intent, generating a 23 percent lift in each metric. Comparatively, pre-roll showed zero percent lift in either category.

Viewpoint Senior VP Allie Savarino speculated the purchase intent was stronger with transitional units because they offer the possibility for interactivity or a call to action. But she could offer no explanation for why brand favorability should remain at zero with pre-roll units, while their brand awareness factor jumped by 96 percent. It may be the creative was of poor quality, resulting in an awareness lift but no boost in positive brand association.

Consumer seemed favor in-page video the least, perhaps not surprisingly. While Viewpoint couldn’t produce precise metrics for in-banner video, the company said these units are best used in a “supporting role” for message association and brand favorability.

Viewpoint conceived the broadband video measurement project as a way to help advertisers assess the efficacy of various online video formats for brand awareness, purchase intent and other metrics. The company also wanted to highlight the end of its exclusive focus on transitional ads.