Cicero and Bernay team makes a case for not treating the skip button as an enemy but instead as the most honest critic for brands.
“If they can’t skip, they’ll sign up.”
That was the rationale behind brands paying premium CPMs to make viewers watch their ads. Now the data is here.
And it turns out that‘forced viewership’wasn’t any good atforcing conversions, just annoyance.
Myth #1
“People don’t like ads so they’ll always skip.”
Fact #1
57 per cent of consumers globally are receptive to ads. It’s bad ads people don’t like.
Myth #2
“Skippable ads are a waste of impressions.”
Fact #2
35 per cent of campaigns with skippable ads had higher purchase intent.
Myth #1
“Non-skippable ads drive better ROI.”
Fact #1
30 per cent higher CPMs for non-skippable ads than skippable ads.
The big picture
30 seconds
of view time or active engagement is charged, so brands pay for qualified impressions.
45%
higher consideration from viewers who choose to sit through a skippable ad.
40%
more views at a lower CPM for skippable ads versus traditional in-stream ads.
The ROI revolution
Brands doing it right
CeraVe
- Multi-week skippable digital ad campaign across YouTube and socials.
- 15.4 billion impressions before the Super Bowl ad, with skippable formats being a key part of the multi-channel campaign.
- Searches for ‘CeraVe owner’ spiked 1,350% the day after launch; ad awareness rose from 16.1 per cent to 24.7 per cent.
Nissan USA
- Ran a four-hour skippable ad designed to offer viewers the choice to watch.
- Achieved a 7.6 per cent lift in Ariya awareness and a 1,083 per cent surgein searches for the Nissan Ariya.
- Average watch time of 15 minutes across all devices, 19 minutes on Connected TV.
Bottom line
The skip button is not the enemy. If anything, it’s the most honest critic you’ve ever had. Brands that fear it haven’t earned the watch. Work with it, and stop paying for attention that was never relevant.
