Video advertising innovation firm YuMe recently released a new report that correlates the frequency of online video ad exposure with brand awareness and purchase consideration.
Results showed that, among overall norms, one video exposure is sufficient to trigger increases across all awareness metrics—however, multiple exposures garner even higher brand awareness scores. On average, for purchase intent and brand favorability specifically, ads are most effective at a minimum of nine exposures.
“As advertisers look to reach a maximum return on investment for their digital online video spend, this study helps to identify the ad frequency and ad length ‘sweet spots’ to drive purchase intent and brand favorability based on normative insights,” said Mike O’Donnell, SVP of North American sales at YuMe, in a news release. “Every dollar counts when budgeting for digital advertising. By understanding the optimal ad frequency that often leads to greater results, marketers can ensure they’re reaching the minimum number of exposures, rather than the maximum, to get the highest return on their investment.”
Key takeaways from the study include:
- Think minimums, not just maximums: For most brand metrics, incremental exposure to video ads can lead to higher results. Also, knowing that oversaturation can annoy audiences, consideration of both frequency maximums and minimums is important for driving effectiveness without jeopardizing audience receptivity.
- Minimum of nine exposures maximizes persuasion metrics: Purchase intent and brand favorability averages are highest at nine exposures.
- 30-second video ads can effectively drive purchase intent: For campaigns that have a minimum of eight exposures, normative data shows 30-second video ads generate higher purchase intent scores than 15-second ads.
- Five to seven exposures is the optimal frequency for message association: While overall awareness increases steadily with additional exposures, message association peaks at five to seven exposures.
“In our data-driven ad world, knowing what frequency and ad length will achieve a marketer’s desired brand results is critical,” said Mireya Arteaga, research lead at YuMe, in the release. “We’re pleased to present data that demonstrates that running nine ads is most effective in driving purchase intent and brand perception. At this exposure level, 30-second video ads have greater impact on purchase intent than 15 seconds. This is powerful data for planning and budgeting, combined with the understanding that, to maximize brand impact, marketers shouldn’t shy away from adding a few more exposures.”
Download the full report here.
The study analyzed point-in-time data from Kantar Millward Brown’s MarketNorms database to quantify the average impact of frequency on brand metrics.
