Anyone who has been an internet user over the last few years will have noticed the more and more ubiquitous showing of the online video advertisement. From TV show clips, movie trailers and ‘funny’ videos, to CEO’s giving motivation to their staff or telling you why their company / website is best; video is becoming one of the most sought after mediums in online advertising.

But is it effective?

Well, the simple answer to that it seems is Yes. Earlier this year, comScore (in conjunction with .Fox Networks) released their study regarding ‘uplift in brand engagement’ which looked at the impact video advertising and display advertising can have.

Although both were seen to successfully increase brand engagement, when compared side by side it was video that came out on top. Consumers were found to be 28 percent more likely to visit the brand site after viewing a video than after a display ad. It was also seen that the first five exposures of the video had a larger impact that that of the display ad.

With the focus of online activity changing over the last few years to view the ‘engagement’ factor in advertising as more imperative than ever before; this is an area where video can really impact.

Good video advertising should be immersive and engaging and should have a far greater ability to create an emotional response from the consumer. Creating an emotional response is one of the key factors of online advertising due to its ability to trigger an action – a self serving action such as a click-through or perhaps a ‘forwarding’ action where the video can become more viral. An emotional response to an advertisement is one of the most effective ways to drive uplifts in traffic and brand awareness.

With the development of ‘video analytics’ we can also really measure the success of video campaigns and learn how to continually improve and evolve the offering. Information such as video views, average viewing time and the percentage of video watched will help marketers understand and refine their campaigns with more depth and clarity compared to display ad analytics.

Of course engaging the consumer is only the first step. Whilst the best video advertisements will give you uplift in traffic and your online brand awareness, conversions will only follow if the rest of the customer journey measures up – the video only brings customers to your door, and with your website design, it’s up to you to let them in!

For many people, video advertising has only now started to become a ‘must have’ feature and medium. However, now established, it is an area that will continue to grow and evolve until soon we’ll be watching 3D HD virals to choose our holiday destinations…