Research

Study: For video pre-roll, context matters

Why the role of context in video ad effectiveness is so important

Good storytellers know that context matters, and that applies to ads just as much. To understand this better, we partnered with MAGNA and IPG Media Lab to measure the impact of context.

Specifically, we measured the impact of content adjacency and user experience, on ad perception and performance. We wanted to find out if premium publisher content and an in-feed environment, which are cornerstones of our Twitter Amplify Pre-roll solution, impacted ad effectiveness.

Here’s what we learned to help brands spend smarter.

In premium content we trust

When it comes to advertising, trust is essential, and according to our study, when it comes to trust, not all content is created equal. 

We found that premium content is seen as 20% more trustworthy than non-premium content. So, trust us when we say trust matters: when controlling for all other variables to understand how individual content perceptions drive brand metrics, we found that high trust in content leads to a 15% increase in brand favourability. Additionally, there is also a 15% increase in purchase intent. We call this the “premium content halo.”

Graphic of statistics around Pre-Roll content

In-feed, indeed

There’s a second part of the equation that drives your pre-roll ads' impact, and that’s the environment in which it’s consumed. Our study found that people feel less friction when watching pre-roll ads appear on in-feed platforms like Twitter compared to non-feed platforms. The ads themselves feel more relevant, too. In fact, like trusted premium content, placing your pre-roll in an in-feed environment boosts brand metrics like favourability and purchase intent.

The numbers don’t lie; pre-roll ads in an in-feed environment drive 2X brand favourability, and 2.3X purchase intent, compared to the same pre-roll ads on a non-feed platform.

Graphic of statistics around Pre-Roll content

The best bang for your buck

We know marketers are on the hook for making sure their ad spend goes the distance.

According to Stephanie Prager, Twitter’s head of global business partners:“As digital video ad spend continues to rise, leading to a projected cost of £2.3 billion by 2025, marketers must understand how to enable deeper connections between people and the things that they love and care about.”

Our research shows that in-feed pre-roll ads adjacent to premium content, like our Twitter Amplify ad solutions, drive cost efficiencies against some of the most important brand metrics.

Our study found that pre-roll on premium content in Twitter’s in-feed environment provides an outsized return on a marketer’s budget. Compared to non-feed pre-roll, in-feed pre-roll was found to be 3X more cost-effective in driving favourability and 3.6X more cost-effective in driving purchase intent.

Graphic of statistics around Pre-Roll content

It’s not enough for marketers to simply create good ads; they also need to consider the context in which their ads are consumed. A few key decisions, like placing your pre-roll in an in-feed environment adjacent to premium content, can make those precious few seconds go a long way for your brand’s bottom line.

Source: Magna & Twitter, The Value of Premium, UK, September 2020. 

Tags
  • Power of Video
  • Research
  • United Kingdom

Related Content