Online Video Metrics that make Sense
By Jessica Baum
For all you lovers of cat videos, it's your year! According to Insivia, online video will account for 74% of all Internet traffic in 2017, driven largely by social media.
As advertisers, we all understand the power of video. The combination of sight, sound and motion is why video performs better than any other type of content. However, once a video is created, how should success be measured?
What matters
There is no magic answer, however, one metric does stand above the rest. The Average Percent Viewed tells us how much of a video consumers are watching before navigating away. The beauty is that it is an indicator of how long a video is keeping the viewer's attention and also how the messaging can be adapted depending on the viewers' interaction.
For example, a brand who's main campaign message doesn't begin until 15 seconds into the video can optimize the creative if the view-through rate indicates people are only watching 11 seconds.
What doesn't matter
Reach (impressions) of a video do not matter. Anyone can buy reach and it will not tell us if the video made an impact. Total video views is a lovely buzz word and typically means showing a client a big number, which is fabulous to them! The problem is that this metric encompasses both those who watch a video all the way through and those who watched three seconds of it.
Key Takeaways
- Account and Media team: Plan ahead! Ensure creative optimization is accounted for in SOWs and discuss video goals and metrics with clients prior to creative development.
- Creative and Strategy team: When developing creative, keep the video consumption habits of the specific audience you are trying to reach in mind (for example, 59% of millennials only watch YouTube ads until they can skip them, which is five seconds).
As our Media Director, Jessica believes brands need to get beyond counting impressions and get back to making them. She understands this need and works hard to bring that to life.
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Brands and agencies are concentrating too hard on simply counting impressions. At Traction, we believe brands need to get back to making them.
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