Closer look: Click-to-skip mobile video ads

TrueView, which was launched for desktop users in 2010, is non-interruptive and gives users the choice to skip ads they aren’t interested in after five seconds. Advertisers only pay when someone chooses to watch the ad, so their budgets go toward the people most interested in what they have to say. For every view they pay for, they’re earning another one through sharing by users, according to Google.

”TrueView makes it extremely easy for advertisers to mobilise their video ad campaign," Phil Farhi, YouTube’s global group product manager, told Campaign Asia-Pacific. On mobile, showing the right ad matters even more, as there’s less real estate and people are less prone to multitasking." 

“It's a model of payment which will appeal more to those advertisers who want to only pay for successful ad plays," said Brendon Chase, director of user experience at McCann Singapore. "For end-users, it offers a more palatable advertising experience, as it allows users to skip irrelevant and boring 30-second pre-roll ads. However, it’s still interrupting the users, just in a slightly less annoying way." 

As one of the fastest growing advertising platforms, mobile offers more opportunities to connect with consumers, from creative tablet formats to location-based, click-to-call ads.

Farhi said 65 per cent of the in-stream ads on YouTube are now skippable. “The format benefits our entire ecosystem—users, partners and advertisers. TrueView ads help partners more effectively monetise their content by reducing audience drop-off by 40 per cent when compared to regular in-stream ads, making it easier to create and manage multi-screen campaigns with additional reach.”

However, Chase pointed out the limits of the format. “TrueView is only for Android phones for now. Getting speedy video content on a 3G connection can be a challenge even in an advanced market like Singapore. For other markets in the region, this will prove particularly challenging. 4G connections and larger mobile screens on the latest smart phones may make this less of a cumbersome experience going forward, but we don’t think this is likely to revolutionise mobile advertising in the short term.”

Chase explained that mobile advertising isn’t about advertising a 15- or 30-second TVC to mobile users, but being useful or entertaining at the right time.

“Google has done a good job for mobile search," he said. "The other area drawing increasing interest is the mobile loyalty card. Checking-in to redeem coupons, rewarding users for regular interactions, and giving customers a reason to become a repeat visitor and make easy purchases is a massive opportunity in mobile and a space which is still in its infancy.”