Ah the Video Ads (AKA Youtube Video Ads) Exam for Adwords Certification. Going through the requirements for this one was very interesting and I was actually quite impressed with the strategy Google has with this product.
Some Factoids About Youtube
- Over 1 billion users
- One third of all people using the internet
- 60% of views are on mobile
- Bigger viewership than TV in the 18-34 age bracket
Video Formats
Here are the 4 main video formats:
- TrueView Instream
- TrueView Video Discovery
- Bumper Ads
- Reservation
All video ads must be uploaded to the advertisers Youtube account, and must be public. The advertisiers Youtube account can be connected to Adwords.
TrueView Instream
- Skippable ads in Youtube videos
- You pay:
- After 30 seconds
- Or, Full view if less than 30 seconds
- Or, by clicking at any time
- No minimum or max duration
- Managed through Adwords
TrueView Discovery
- Show as video with ad tag in Youtube search results
- Also on side suggestions, also with ad tag
- Pay per click to watch for these
- Managed through Adwords
Bumper Ads
- Non-skippable
- 6 seconds or less
- Managed through Adwords
Reservation
- Premuim listing such as must head of Youtube home page
- Managed through a Google rep
- Flat fee or fixed cost per day (CPD)
Define Advertising Goals, Measurement and Solution
- Define Goal
- KPI to Measure
- Choose Solution
KPI’s Suggestions
- Awareness
- Views
- Impressions
- Consideration
- View Throughs
- Watch Time
- Action
- Clicks
- Calls
- Signups
- App Installs
- Sales
Targeting
- Life Events – Graduation for example
- In-market – Looking to purchase
- Affinity – Long term interests
- Custom Affinity
Google recommends to start with broad targeting and refine from there.
Working With Youtube Creators
This was by far the most interesting and unexpected part of Youtube, Google are actually pushing advertisers to start working directly with creators
Fans > Creators > Advertisers
Some suggestions were:
- Integrations
- Shoutouts
- Custom sponsored videos
Video Specific & Commonly Used Terms
Average View Frequency
Views / Users =Avg Views Freq
View Rate (Like CTR)
Views / Impressions = View Rate
Earned View
This is when the user watches a paid ad, click through to the channel and watches more of the channels videos
Companion Banner
This is the banner that appears to right of an instream video ad, after the ad has finished. The size is 300x60px if uploaded. If no banner is uploaded then the default is a video wall based on the advertisers channel.
Frequency Capping (something more advertisers should use!)
How many times the same user will be shown an ad per day, week or month.
Call to Action Overlay
An message overlaying the video player which is clickable
Quartiles
How far the video is played through to in quaters:
1st quartile = 25%
2nd quartile = 50% etc
Placements
Where ads are shown
Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash