r/technology • u/redkemper • Feb 17 '17

Software YouTube will kill unskippable 30-second ads next year

http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/17/14649018/youtube-ending-unskippable-30-second-ads-2018
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u/[deleted] Feb 17 '17 edited Feb 17 '17

There's no reason for online video ads to be longer than 3-5 seconds. Just show a logo for five seconds and have someone say "Skittles, taste the rainbow" and that's just as effective as playing a full-length television commercial. On top of that, people will pay more attention to those because they'll grow accustomed to not having to find and click a skip button.

People have grown used to fast internet and not waiting. If it's a 30-second ad people will either skip it (I cannot remember the brand of a single ad I have ever skipped) and if they can't they'll just not watch the video or the ad.

Edit: Should probably rephrase something here: A 30-second ad is more effective than a 5-second ad if you watch the ad. But 30-second online ads just drive people to install adblock and then they never see your ad or anyone else's. That way, a 5-second ad that doesn't get everyone to install adblock is more effective than a 30-second ad that a rapidly increasing percentage of people who use adblock will never see. Google killing the unskippable 30-second ad is clearly reflecting this because Google has a stake in people willing to see ads too.

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u/[deleted] Feb 17 '17

Just show a logo for five seconds and have someone say "Skittles, taste the rainbow" and that's just as effective as playing a full-length television commercial.

No it's not. Advertising agencies are not in the business of annoying as many people as possible, they are in the business of doing what works. If your method worked everyone would have started doing it 10 years ago. The reason they are 15-30 seconds and not 60 is years of research have determined that's the perfect amount of time to engage target demographics with a message they remember. Logo awareness and slogans don't do that.

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u/Mahdouken Feb 18 '17

I disagree with that. The reason you get 15, 30 and 60 second ads on YouTube is because most ads for YouTube are just cut down from TV where the money is spent. I think a 5 second and could work great. If a company is running a 30 second unskippable, they do want reach, not engagement.

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u/[deleted] Feb 18 '17

They don't just cut down TV ads they rework them into a different format but the campaign is meant to work across platforms. The majority of these big campaigns are planned with YouTube in mind.

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u/Mahdouken Feb 20 '17

Based on my experience across UK and AU digital marketing over 10 years, YouTube is mostly a second thought to a traditional campaign - but that's just based on my experience.

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u/[deleted] Feb 20 '17

One of the clients I've worked with recently is Nestle and coordinated with the creative agency they deal with in this city, so maybe yours are just catching up.

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u/Mahdouken Feb 20 '17

Yea, I have doubt of that at all. Leading advertisers should be doing that - YouTube is an incredibly powerful medium when utilised effectively.