Ad "tune out" and Front Loading

[kfbkfb]

Since moving from AT&T dial-up to Fiber in 2020-08, I've been watching a number of YouTube videos and sometimes also listening to streams of OTA radio stations from areas where I used to live.

I don't subscribe to YouTube, so many of the music videos I watch start with a short ad (or 2), after a few seconds ,the "Skip Ad" option appears which I nearly always select.

I've noticed the YouTube ads don't mention the product or service up front, after selecting "Skip Ad" (after watching/listening to a few seconds of the ad) I have no idea what the ad was for/about.

AFAIK, there is a similar situation w/radio ads, once the listener hears that an ad has started, they'll tune to another station.

I'm wondering if ad creators consider that many watchers/listeners only see/hear the first few seconds of an ad and that ad content maybe should include a short summary of the product/service at the very beginning of the ad?


Kirk Bayne

 

[TheBigA]

I'm wondering if ad creators consider that many watchers/listeners only see/hear the first few seconds of an ad and that ad content maybe should include a short summary of the product/service at the very beginning of the ad?

Advertisers do lots of their own research on what will get the attention of listeners and viewers. My take is they design ads to grab your attention from the first second, knowing there's a chance the listener will tune away. Personally, I think it's counterproductive for an ad to begin with a :10 legal disclaimer. That's my opinion. I saw where someone did a study and found the legal disclaimer didn't hurt the effectiveness of the ad, and was actually better at the front than at the end.

But my point is that advertisers know what they're buying, and they know how hard it is to get a potential buyer's attention. If you read broadcasting trade magazines and periodicals such as Advertising Age, you'll see lots of studies and articles on this subject.

 

[kfbkfb]

I wasn't thinking in terms of any sort of disclaimer - maybe something like "New Coke Zero Sugar tastes more like regular Coke", a quick summary of the content of the rest of the ad.


Kirk Bayne

 

[TheBigA]

I wasn't thinking in terms of any sort of disclaimer - maybe something like "New Coke Zero Sugar tastes more like regular Coke", a quick summary of the content of the rest of the ad.

We sell them the time, and it's up to them to fill it in ways that work best for them.

 

[gr8oldies]

We sell them the time, and it's up to them to fill it in ways that work best for them.

They have 3 seconds to grab attention. That's more important than shouting out the brand name.

 

[Kelly A]

I wasn't thinking in terms of any sort of disclaimer - maybe something like "New Coke Zero Sugar tastes more like regular Coke", a quick summary of the content of the rest of the ad.

Some advertisers design their shorter ads specifically for 'digital pre-roll's', where ads are usually ten to fifteen seconds. Other pre-roll or mid-roll digital ads are just cut down versions of :30 or :60 radio or TV spots.

My oldest son creates movie trailers for specifically digital ads. Same goes; some trailers have unique material from the movie different than a broadcast release trailer, while others are just cut down versions of the only trailer for time.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Even with some Super Bowl commercials people didn't even remember what the product was. Still, they found the commercials memorable.

 

[ZantennaG1]

Even with some Super Bowl commercials people didn't even remember what the product was. Still, they found the commercials memorable.

I had to watch that Zendaya ad five times just to understand what they were selling, LOL.

 

[davideduardo]

We sell them the time, and it's up to them to fill it in ways that work best for them.

That is true for agency spots and for large clients that have a "house agency". But in most cases, local direct accounts depend on the radio station to produce the creative. It's not unusual for station-sourced creative to simply be price-item based or just a bunch of "best selection" and similar claims.

Local radio has had a hard time adopting to the new needs of local retail in an era when price comparisons and a wide variety of merchandise is available online for comparison.

 

[TheBigA]

Local radio has had a hard time adopting to the new needs of local retail in an era when price comparisons and a wide variety of merchandise is available online for comparison.

That's also a huge problem for local retail, and a reason why a lot of them are going out of business.

The main advantages may only be the ability to use the product now rather than wait for mail delivery or personal service.

The only reason I go to a store for clothes is to try them on.

 

[kfbkfb]

For audio only ads, I was thinking along the lines of a 1 or 2 sentence summary of the product/service at the very beginning of the ad (using the sped up pitch corrected tech heard in the prescription drug disclaimers) which would be expanded on in the rest of the ad.

AFAIK, no one has used this approach, maybe the uniqueness of it would cause ad listeners (even if they only hear the first few seconds of the ad, they would hear the complete [sped up] summary) to more likely remember the ad.


Kirk Bayne

 

[vchimpanzee]

For audio only ads, I was thinking along the lines of a 1 or 2 sentence summary of the product/service at the very beginning of the ad (using the sped up pitch corrected tech heard in the prescription drug disclaimers) which would be expanded on in the rest of the ad.

AFAIK, no one has used this approach, maybe the uniqueness of it would cause ad listeners (even if they only hear the first few seconds of the ad, they would hear the complete [sped up] summary) to more likely remember the ad.


Kirk Bayne

Oh, you don't put sped-up anything at the start of an ad. People are annoyed enough as it is.

 

[kfbkfb]

I guess it could be tried, I don't mind the sped up disclaimers at the end of prescription drug ads, the sped up summary at the beginning of an ad could be thought of as an "executive summary" type of approach (common on various types of reports and technical papers).


Kirk Bayne

 

[boombox4]

I agree with the suggestion that YT ads that don't really get to the jist of the ad before the "Skip Ad" button appears are poorly written. I mean, if you can't at least let me know what the product is before I can tune away, it's counterproductive.

 

[Don CT]

I found it easier to just pay for YouTube Premium.