Google Tests Skippable Ads on YouTube  

Posted by thomas_byllaardt in , , ,

200th POST ON CLASS BLOG: Thank you very much...


After reading the post about how Online Video Ads are Booming, I came across this article about how Google will begin testing "skippable" pre-roll ads in videos on YouTube this week, and how it could lead to a new advertising model.

People who find the video they are looking for have the option to skip the ad and go directly to the content. This can open a whole new look at how people view ads online and what ads actually work. It will give Google (along with partnering companies) better insight on human behavior.

"The test that determines if and when people watch the video clips will provide Google with insight into the type of person who may skip an ad, what type of ad they might skip, and what piece of content does better than another. Google also will look at whether some ads are skipped in a specific portion of the session. Does the person skip the ad in the first video versus the third during a 30-minute time slot while on YouTube? "

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117200

3 comments

Maxine Tse   says November 12, 2009 at 2:54 PM

That's pretty cool that they are willing to do that to look at human behavior. But I would think that most people would just automatically click on "skip this ad" instead of waiting to see what kind of advertisement it is. Well, at least this is what I would do since it's always better to watch something without ads. By the way, congrats on the 200th post haha :P

Natalie Surace   says November 12, 2009 at 3:07 PM

Now THIS is a great idea! It should be very useful in measuring consumer engagement in the ad. It will also force advertisers to re-imagine the way they need to capture a customer, putting the hook in the first second of the commercial.

It would certainly be nice to see an improvement in the quality of digital video ads, and companies will be better able to find out how effective their ads really are, rather than how many people watch them.

Dr. Raj Murthy   says November 13, 2009 at 11:56 AM

That comment about consumer engagement caught my attention. Getting the viewer hooked within the first second is going to be near impossible except for the few ads that dont quite look like ads. A hopeful new development for the field of advertainment. However, I am afraid that most people would simply click on the skip this ad option (as i did) and move along to what they actually wanted to see. For the ads that do get looked at, I can see them being transferred over to other media given the relatively low costs of implementing and testing on the Internet. Excellent post.

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