Video Want Ads -- DEMO --

Video Ads Increase Online Sales

78% Say Online Video Ads Are As Good or Better Than TV to Learn About Advertisers; Nearly Two-Thirds of Users Say They've Taken Action After Seeing a Video Ad

NEW YORK -- A comprehensive survey by TNS, a world leader in market insight and information, confirms that online video has become a compelling medium both for broad viewer audiences as well as relevant advertiser messages.

In a relatively short period of time, the online video platform has become mainstream media, with the research confirming that reach across the medium is broad and rapidly growing. Fully 75% of respondents reported watching more video online than they did a year ago, and half (52%) expected to watch more online video over the next year. Users cited convenience, control, and access to unique content as some of the medium's benefits.

The study, sponsored by AOL and Google, also found widespread acceptance among consumers for online video ads. Nearly two-thirds (63%) said they prefer having video sites include ads in order to keep the content free.

While marketers often employ TV advertising for awareness and brand association goals, the research found that the immediacy and interactivity of the video medium makes it easy for consumers to learn about a brand/company and take subsequent action- a complementary strategy to TV. Results show that more than three-quarters (78%) agreed that online video ads provide as good as -- if not more -- of an opportunity to learn about an advertiser than TV. And nearly two-thirds (64%) said that they have taken some action after seeing an online video ad, including going to a company's website (44% of respondents), searching for more information about a product or service (33%), going to a bricks & mortar store to look at a product (22%), or talking to friends/family about the product (21%).

The research also found that brands can benefit simply from having an online video presence; in other words, for online video advertisers, the medium itself can be a valuable part of the message. Forty-one percent of respondents stated that after they see a brand featured in an online video ad, they are more likely to think of that brand as having a strong presence on the Internet. This suggests that the employment of video advertising can play a unique and critical role in representing a brand as digitally-focused and digitally-accessible.