The document provides tips for marketers on optimizing video creatives for programmatic campaigns. It recommends that creatives be short, around 15 seconds, to maximize completion rates. It also suggests using video creatives as "teasers" to redirect users to a fuller digital experience. Additionally, the document advises customizing creatives for different audience segments and coupling videos with targeted follow up ads. The tips are meant to help marketers improve key performance indicators by leveraging the capabilities of programmatic video.

1. Advertiser Technology Group
7 Ways Marketers Can Prevent
Users From Pressing “Skip” on
Their Video Creatives !

2. Shorter
is Better
AppNexus Inc. - Confidential – Not for Distribution
2!
According to AppNexus platform data, 15-second video
creatives saw the highest completion rate at 70%, which is
17% higher than videos that were 16-30 seconds long, and
21% higher than creatives of over 30 seconds. Why? We think
it’s because they’re easier to get through, and they’re generally
less disruptive to the user’s experience. Not only that, but we
don’t see this trend going away anytime soon, as YouTube
recently debuted a 6-second unskippable ad unit. With the
average video creative on our platform clocking in at 21.5
seconds, marketers should “think short” and readjust
their programmatic video storyboards to better engage
digital audiences.

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3!
Go
Ahead,
Be a
Tease
On a related note, we recognize that sometimes you have a
creative that’s so good and compelling, you won’t want to cut
it down. But, it’s really important to remember that most users
didn’t opt-in to consume your video since it’s secondary to the
main content destination they intended to visit. As such, make
sure to respect the user’s intention by developing teaser
creatives that redirect engaged users to a rich and
focused digital experience where the full campaign can
be consumed (and appreciated).

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4!
One Size
Shouldn’t
Fit All
One of the most exciting aspects of digital as a medium is
that marketers can pinpoint one specific user and serve them
a unique message. However, we’re still seeing marketers who
have adopted TV’s “one-creative-fits-all” mentality to their
programmatic campaigns. In addition to general creative
customization by region, audience segment, or time of day,
marketers can target various pre-defined 1st or 3rd party
audience segments using different versions of their video
creatives. Another pro-tip? Try coupling video creatives
with a targeted suite of customized ads that can be
triggered based on a particular user’s history with a
specific video creative. These include the video being
initiated but not completed; the video being watched only
halfway through; or the creative being watched in its entirety.

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5!
Targeting
Context
Matters
Sure, high completion rates are great… but can you really
consider it a campaign win if your video gets completed but no
one listens to it in the first place? This scenario happens more
often than you think, particularly as some publishers only allow
videos that autoplay with no sound until a user action (a hover,
click or scroll). First and foremost, ensure video KPIs are
aligned to the right brand marketing goal, whether
it’s awareness, consideration, or action. On a more
tactical level, counteract the "no sound” setting for sellers with
more playback constraints by targeting a different
playback method (auto-play, sound on; click-to-play;
mouse-over) or just isolating completions for those
playback methods in reporting.

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6!
Cover All
Communication
Bases
Based on research compiled by comScore, “the days of
desktop dominance are over” as the majority of digital media
consumption now takes place on mobile. Marketers should
take note since it’s not just about moving more of your budget
to mobile, it’s also about complementing the experience the
viewer is having when they’re on the go: commuting on public
transportation, busy at work (“We would never do that!”),
watching their favorite TV show or even in the bathroom. In
those cases, it may be difficult for audiences to engage in your
video creative’s audio. Cover your bases and consider
adding closed captioning, and design your video ads
so the visuals tell the story. Even better? You can
regionalize the closed-captioning language when
targeting different countries.

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7!
Don’t
Be Shy
The majority of programmatic video campaigns we see at
AppNexus are focused on brand awareness versus direct
response and as such, most marketers tend to let the
narrative drive the creative versus the brand itself. And
while this is generally a sound decision, it could do more
harm than good in the age of skippable ads. As such,
find a way to thoughtfully mention your brand or
product within the first five seconds of a
skippable ad unit to avoid a wasted impression. Also,
take note: we used the term “thoughtfully” in the
sentence above on purpose. Try to tie your brand or
product to the creative’s story in the most organic way
possible to make sure your narrative still shines through.

8. AppNexus Inc. - Confidential – Not for Distribution
8!
Stay
Mindful
of the
Medium
For some of you larger marketers and agencies, it might
be tempting to pull an already developed made-for-TV
commercial and simply add the URL redirect at the end.
However, be mindful that online video ads are consumed
differently than TV commercials. Additionally, this disparity
is magnified when talking about the difference between
mobile and display video consumption. So, look for ways
to better adapt to the device that your programmatic
creative will serve on—whether it’s customizing the
call to action, start- or end-message, format, length,
or even storyline.

9. AppNexus’ Top Tips for Marketers to Optimize
the Impact of Video Creatives
1. “Think short” when it comes to video length, and
readjust programmatic video storyboards to better
engage digital audiences.
2. Consider video creatives as “teasers” and redirect
engaged users to a rich and focused digital experience
that successfully immerses them in the broader
narrative.
3. Target various pre-defined 1st or 3rd party audience
segments using different versions of their video
creatives.
4. Try coupling video creatives with a targeted suite of
customized ads that can be triggered based on a
particular user’s history with a specific video creative.
5. Ensure video KPIs are aligned to the right brand
marketing goal and whether they’re attainable with a
seller’s targeting parameters.
6. Counteract the "no sound” setting for sellers with
additional playback constraints by targeting a different
playback method (auto-play, sound on; click-to-play;
mouse-over) or just isolating completions for those
playback methods in reporting.
7. Consider adding closed captioning, and design your
video ads so the visuals tell the story. Extra points for
regionalizing the closed-captioning language when
targeting different countries.
8. Find a way to thoughtfully mention your brand or
product within the first five seconds of a skippable ad
unit to drive brand awareness and recall in the event of
a user pressing “skip”.
9. Stay mindful of the medium your video creative will
serve on, which may mean tailoring the call to action,
start- or end-message, format, length, or even storyline.
AppNexus Inc. - Confidential – Not for Distribution
9!

10. AppNexus Inc. - Confidential – Not for Distribution
10!
With these tips, we hope you’ll be able to see
improvements in your KPIs by fully leveraging
the power of programmatic video!
Advertiser Technology Group
To learn more, visit https://www.appnexus.com/en/agencies-and-advertisers/video-buying, reach out
to your AppNexus representative, or contact us: https://www.appnexus.com/en/company/contact-us.