YouTube Readies New Ad Units That Users Can Skip
New Units Will Give Consumer's Choice — Even if That Choice Is to Opt Out — SAN FRANCISCO (AdAge.com) — Whether it's walking out of the room, fast-forwarding on a DVR or paying for premium cable, consumers are used to having choice with ads on TV.
Context & Ripple Effects
YouTube's planned opt-out format follows Google's 2009 test of skippable YouTube ads, moving viewer choice from an experiment toward a defined advertising option. The pitch aligns online video with the control consumers already exercise through DVRs and paid television services.
First-order effects
- Viewers gain an explicit way to decline an ad rather than merely leaving the screen or fast-forwarding elsewhere.
- Advertisers buying YouTube inventory must compete for attention in a format where viewers can end exposure.
Second-order effects
- YouTube's ad sales team has a stronger reason to sell advertisers on engagement and creative relevance, not simply guaranteed interruption.
- Video advertisers face added pressure to make the opening moments of an ad compelling enough to discourage skipping.
Third-order effects
- If opt-out units gain adoption, online-video advertising shifts toward a market in which audience attention is actively chosen rather than assumed from ad delivery.
The trend: Digital video advertising is adapting to consumer-controlled viewing by making ad exposure more contingent on viewer choice.