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Why Publishers Need to Consider Outstream Video Advertising

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Once again, digital publishers are rethinking the way they approach advertising.

Google and Apple have both recently announced a change to their respective web browsers, Chrome and Safari. The newest versions of these browsers will actively block ads on sites deemed intrusive or annoying.1

This includes ads that automatically play sound, expand to take up too much of your screen or force you to wait a certain amount of time before you can dismiss them.2

Google and Apple’s ad-blocking efforts are just another development in the ongoing ad-blocking trend that has been troubling the digital publishing industry.

Learn how digital publishers are approaching other large disruptors, including Facebook Instant Articles and Google AMP.

In 2016, 69.8 million Americans used an ad blocker, a 34.4 percent jump from 2015. By the end of 2017, that figure is set to grow another 24 percent to 86.6 million people.3

The increase in the use of ad blockers means that publishers are tasked with creating a scenario that pleases both brands and users alike.

“If ads are not integrated well, it can lead to ad blindness, or worse, annoyance and ad blocking, says Paul Muret, Engineering Director at Google. “As an industry, we need to come together and come up with a better experience.”4

Fortunately, a better experience may be on the rise, thanks to a new advertising format that has been picking up steam among publishers and where, according to eMarketer, 77 percent of agencies worldwide said it’s going to be much more important in the future.5

Until recently, if a publisher wanted to run a video ad online, they had to place the ad either before (pre-roll), during (mid-roll), or after (post-roll) the publisher’s video content.6

Furthermore, publishers could not run a video ad online unless they had their own video content – known as instream video content.7

However, an outstream video ad unit no longer requires a publisher to have their own video content. Outstream video can occur in all kinds of content, and is a far less intrusive video advertising format that auto plays only as a user engages it within text.8

Eliminating pre-, mid- and post-roll video ads means that users no longer have to skip ads prior to viewing content.

“Consumers are tired of seeing ads before content, which is why you’re seeing them using ad blockers,” said Alex Debelov, CEO of Virool, a company that creates outstream video ads.9

“With outstream, we’ve tried to design something that looks nice where the user is in charge. When they actually want to engage with content, advertisers are seeing higher engagement,” he continued.

The unique design of outstream video is garnering promising results.

According to research conducted by Teads, users view outstream video ads for 25 percent longer than instream.10

Such a lift in viewability creates more opportunity for the users to engage with the ad – generating better brand awareness among users.

In fact, further research conducted by Teads concluded that outstream formats actually generate 10 percent greater brand awareness than instream pre-roll videos.11

Additionally, click-through rates for outstream video are much higher than standard display or instream video placement.

An internal study conducted by marketingland.com found that the average CTR across devices for outstream placements was around 2.5 percent, higher than the average instream CTR in Q3 of last year.12

From combatting ad-blocking, to offering a non-intrusive ad experience, to increasing brand awareness, outstream video addresses many of the problems that have been troubling the publishing industry.

Indeed, publishers should remain excited as outstream video emerges as a promising advertising alternative.

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1. Finley, Klint. “Chrome and Safari’s Crackdown on Bad Ads Will Reshape the Web.” Wired. Conde Nast, 07 June 2017. Web. 13 June 2017.
2. Finley, Klint. “Ad-Blocking Just Might Save the Ad Industry.” Wired. Conde Nast, 02 June 2017. Web. 13 June 2017.
3. “US Ad Blocking to Jump by Double Digits This Year.” EMarketer. N.p., 21 June 2016. Web. 13 June 2017.
4. Vrountas, Ted. “Outstream Video and the Future of Digital Advertising.” Instapage – The Most Powerful Landing Page Platform for Teams. N.p., 20 Apr. 2017. Web. 13 June 2017.
5. IBID
6. IBID
7. IBID
8. IBID
9. Liyakasa, Kelly. “Do Advertisers Like Outstream Video?” AdExchanger. N.p., 08 Apr. 2016. Web. 13 June 2017.
10. Vrountas, Ted. “Outstream Video and the Future of Digital Advertising.” Instapage – The Most Powerful Landing Page Platform for Teams. N.p., 20 Apr. 2017. Web. 13 June 2017.
11. AppNexus, Sponsored By. “Pre-roll is out, outstream is in: How video advertising is changing in 2016.” Digiday. N.p., 10 Feb. 2016. Web. 13 June 2017.
12. “Why you should be using out-stream video ads.” Marketing Land. N.p., 04 Apr. 2016. Web. 13 June 2017.