66% view video online; prefer 15s ads, news, entertainment

MARKET WIRE - Advertising.com, Inc. announced the results of its online video study examining consumer perceptions, usage and response to online video and corresponding advertising. The study leveraged survey data acquired from a sample of 500 respondents over the age of 18, as well as advertising performance data generated from Advertising.com’s video network. The survey was hosted by online market research company InsightExpress.

Survey results indicate that approximately 66% of respondents view streaming video content at least once a week. 44% of video viewers are between the ages of 18 and 34, while 56% are age 35 and older.

The younger demographic is more likely to engage in activities such as watching TV episodes online, creating their own video content and forwarding video clips to friends. The 18-34 demographic also prefers to stream entertainment content such as music videos, television shows and movie trailers, while those age 35 and older are more likely to view news and sports clips. News and entertainment content are the most popular among streamers overall.

With regards to online video advertising, 15-second spots are not only preferred by consumers to TV-length ads but also perform better. End-play rates for 15-second spots are 20% higher than 30-second spots. In addition, when asked what would make video advertising more pleasurable, 66% of consumers ranked “shorter ads than television” as the number one factor.

“It’s fascinating how consumers are integrating streaming video into their old media consumption patterns — like watching TV episodes online,” said Rick Foster, vice president of video advertising products for Advertising.com. “But as the positive consumer response to shorter ads clearly demonstrates, not all the offline rules apply online. We must continue to watch and listen to consumers if we’re to maximize video’s value as an advertising tool.”