Is this ‘video lab’ the solution to advertising’s ad blocking problem?

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Designed by video ad tech firm Unruly in response to a survey which revealed an astonishing amount of UK adblocker users, London now has a video lab which helps advertisers deal with the issue. The interactive lab provides advertisers with an overview of the online video ecosystem in order to beat the ad blockers and earn consumer attention.

 

UK consumers who use ad blockers feel ads are “creepy”

The launch of Unruly’s lab follows the company’s Future of Video Advertising survey, which found that more than half of UK consumers say they are likely or very likely to use software to block adverts online because they feel there are too many ads and they find them “creepy”. Ninety-five percent also said they would consider using ad blocking software in future. “The results highlight the growing issues faced by advertisers who are struggling to engage their target audiences online”, said Unruly.

Other key findings included:

• 30% of UK consumers are likely and 23% are very likely to use ad blockers in future, slightly higher than the global average of 21% who are very likely and 30% who say they are likely to use ad blocking software
• The UK and Sweden had the highest proportion of people who are considering using ad blocking software in future (95% and 96% respectively)
• UK and Swedish internet users (69% and 71% respectively) are the most likely to be put off a brand after being forced to watch a pre-roll ad. The global average is 62%
• 18% of Britons find ads that “follow them” around the internet helpful, slightly lower than the global average of 20%, while 63% found them creepy, the same as the global average
• Of all of the countries surveyed, UK and Swedish internet users were the most likely to put video ads on mute (85%)
• Having control of video content is very important to UK consumers, with 74% stating they would like to be able to control video ads compared with the global average of 62%.

 

The Unruly Future Video Lab

To help advertisers deal with the rise in ad blocking, Unruly has launched a London Future Video Lab that provides brands and agencies with an interactive overview of the online video ecosystem, customised real-time data for brands and agencies and best practices on how to use targeting and distribution strategies to cut through the clutter and deliver ads that beat the ad blockers and earn consumer attention.

Unruly’s EMEA MD Oliver Smith said: “Our survey highlights some of the huge challenges facing the ad industry right now. There is so much video content being pumped out by brands into people’s newsfeeds and social feeds, it’s no wonder that people are feeling overwhelmed.

“We’re hurtling towards an ‘ad-pocalypse’, where there’s a risk that internet users will abandon advertising if brands abuse their relationship with consumers. But we are not there yet. We launched the Unruly Future Video Lab to help advertisers reconnect with their target audiences and restore this trust.”

Unruly Co-CEO and co-founder Sarah Wood added:  

“Now that brands are creating and distributing so much video content, the video lab identifies and quantifies the key drivers for consumer engagement: brands can see the most effective emotional triggers and social motivations by market, by demographic, and by brand category. Using social, emotional and behavioral data in the Future Video Lab, brands can power up their video content and ensure their video distribution strategy doesn’t alienate the very audience they’re trying to attract.

 

Seven takeaways from the Future of Video Advertising survey

“The digital landscape is changing fast”, Unruly told us. “Social media has grown more crowded than ever and consumers are traumatized by the flood of digital content in their feeds. Marketers must evolve their advertising if they want to connect with consumers, especially as trust in brands reaches an all time low and ad blocking usage reaches an all time high, with publishers expected to lose $22 billion in ad revenue this year.”