Advertising through video has always been a profitable endeavor. Today, with the ever-growing popularity of social media, online video marketing has grown exponentially. While researching different ad formats, you’ll notice that the most popular video campaigns come from skippable ads. Not only are they low-risk, but they’re also popular for their temporary nature. Let’s face it, people love skipping ads. But it’s your job to prevent ad skipping.
More often than not, people will skip your advertisements without a second thought. In fact, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter also have video ads that are skipped and scrolled past.
So, what are the core reasons? And what can you as a marketer do about it?
What Causes Ad Skipping?
The answer to this question may seem to be a no-brainer. After all, advertisements, in general, were always seen as a nuisance. Online commercials are, frankly, boring. People want to get on with whatever gaming stream or movie review they’re about to watch. And that right there is the core line of reasoning; video advertisements are not as fun or captivating as the videos users are clicking on.
To the average internet user, ads are an interruption of their daily lives. It’s very similar to seeing a pop-up on a website, or even a person trying to sell you something on the street. In most cases, you wouldn’t engage with either of these unless something truly sparks your interest.
It also has a lot to do with consumer psychology. According to IPG, 76% of the users who skip ads admitted to doing so out of habit. This action has become a routine for many viewers.
Online users need an excellent reason to stick around and watch something. If you’re creating a commercial for online marketing, you must provide that reason. Playing upon certain needs, you can use human psychology to your advantage.
Here are the 5 ways in which you, as an advertiser, can take back control and prevent ad skipping.
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Avoid Fake Emotions
Nothing makes a viewer roll their eyes harder than when an advertisement panders to them. Displaying fake emotions and expressions will lessen the impact of your ad’s message.
To prevent ad-skipping, many commercials enjoy the idea of giving off a super positive feeling. This mistake can cause companies to go overboard with the optimistic imagery. Characters may behave in an artificially happy manner, causing the audience to feel uncomfortable or annoyed.
If a moment in your ads looks like the image above, you will want to change courses. Stock-like scenes and music kill the intrigue quickly. This is because an inauthentic appearance goes hand in hand with unreliability. As an advertiser, you’ll always want to gain the trust of your audience.
Do Not Introduce Your Brand Early
This is something that advertisers don’t think about too often. Introducing the name and logo of your product or service too soon can set you up for failure. Not only does it demolish the viewers’ curiosity, but it also makes your ad sound clingy and over-branded.
Think of it this way; an advertisement is way more thrilling with a sense of intrigue. You’ll want your audience to ask questions while watching the first few seconds. Once your audience figures out which brand is sponsoring the ad, they may lose interest, making it harder to prevent ad skipping.
Don’t Get Too Creative
Creativity is a fantastic way to spice up your commercials. That being said, finding creative ways to advertise should not trump overall clarity. Audiences need to know if what they’re viewing is actually an ad. Humans hate being confused; they’d prefer to engage in ad skipping, rather than attempt to figure it out.
Let’s say, for example, you’re about to watch your favorite YouTuber, only to get a relatable blogger to show up on your video player. You cannot tell if it is an ad or not, but at first glance, it seems to be potentially authentic entertainment. Only at some point, the blogger pulls out a blatant sponsored product and begins to advertise.
Tricking people through creative means is not a great way to garner an audience. Not only do people feel cheated out of something genuine, but it will also not attract your target audience. This will most definitely will not prevent ad skipping – It’ll increase it.
Creativity is perfect for enhancing the product’s placement. Anything is better than a boring, generic advertisement. Just make sure that your viewer knows what they are looking at. Transparency and coherence go a long way.
Make The Ad About Your Audience
When examining the audience demographics, so many online tools and utilities can work to assist you. Nowadays, it is easy to see your audience’s likes, dislikes, and primary interests. By directing an ad to a specific group of people, your brand will be difficult to ignore.
For instance, let’s say that you’re a deodorant brand that targets its products to teenage and young adult women. There is a multitude of opportunities for personalization:
- Establish a protagonist in the same age range and with the same gender as your audience.
- Use narration or dialogue that speaks to that generation.
- Discover the specific trends that this demographic is interested in. For example, if your teenage audience watches fashion-related content, make your protagonist have an extensive wardrobe. If your audience is more interested in cat videos, then include cats in your commercial.
A simpler, but effective way to personalize your ad, is to relate it to current events. Ask yourself; what is going on in the world right now? What is happening to people? How are people, in general, navigating life?
During World War 2, there were many ads regarding the war, soldiers, and political activism. Furthermore, since the start of our current pandemic, many ads have zeroed in on the idea of peace, coming together, and sticking through hard times. It’s easier to prevent ad skipping when you’re speaking directly to a timely issue in someone’s life.
Prevent Ad Skipping by Telling a Story
Narrative exploration is one of the best ways to prevent video ad-skipping. During the commercial’s writing phase, it’s a great idea to create a plot revolving around your service or concludes at your service.
Say you’re launching a fitness app, and you need an entertaining commercial that makes people hesitant to ad-skip. In this case, you’ll want to tell the story of a relatable protagonist who’s trying to either lose weight, gain weight, or simply live healthier. Have that character go on their fitness journey all while using your product.
Present the viewer with a funny, thrilling, or emotional conflict. This will not only capture an audience but also keep them on their toes for a resolution. Of course, the resolution should always involve your product or service.
By keeping these 5 key tips in mind, your advertisements should see a huge uptick in clicks and engagement.
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