The Rise of Video Advertising: Opportunities and Challenges

Kendall LaVaque
7 min readMar 15, 2023

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Are you tired of scrolling through endless streams of text-heavy ads that fail to grab your attention? Well, it’s time to say hello to the new king of advertising: video! With the rise in popularity and accessibility of video content (Tiktok), advertisers are jumping on board with this trend. But while there are numerous benefits to using video advertising, there are also challenges that come with it.

In this blog post, we’ll explore both the opportunities and obstacles faced by advertisers in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape. So sit back, relax and get ready for some juicy insights into the world of video advertising!

What is video advertising?

Video advertising is a type of advertising that uses video content to promote a product or service. Video ads can be used to reach a wide audience through various platforms, including television, the Internet, and social media. Social media takes the cake for this, with doom scrolling it makes it easy to blend in an ad on Tik Tok or Instagram.

Video advertising is an effective way to grab attention and create interest in a product or service. It can also be used to build brand awareness and create an emotional connection with the viewer.

However, video advertising is not without its challenges. Advertisers must carefully consider their target audience and objectives when creating a video ad, as well as how to measure the effectiveness of the ad.

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The different types of video ads

Video advertising is a rapidly growing field with immense potential for advertisers. There are many different types of video ads, each with its own set of advantages and challenges. Here is a brief overview of the most popular types of video ads:

1. Pre-Roll Ads: Pre-roll ads are the most common type of video ad, appearing before the main content of a video. They are typically 15–30 seconds in length and can be skipable or non-skipable. Advertisers love pre-roll ads because they have the potential to reach a large audience, but they can be very costly to produce and there is no guarantee that viewers will watch them all the way through.

2. Mid-Roll Ads: Mid-roll ads appear in the middle of a video, usually after a few minutes have elapsed. They are typically shorter than pre-roll ads, at 10–15 seconds in length, and are also skipable or non-skipable. Mid-roll ads offer a good compromise between reach and cost for advertisers, but there is still no guarantee that viewers will watch them all the way through.

3. Post-Roll Ads: Post-roll ads appear at the end of a video. They are typically short, at 5–10 seconds in length, and are not skipable. Advertisers love post-roll ads because they have a captive audience that is likely to watch them all the way through, but they can be very costly

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Pros and cons of video advertising

Video advertising is one of the most effective ways to reach and engage consumers, but there are some challenges that advertisers need to be aware of. Here are some pros and cons of video advertising:

PROS:

-Video is an extremely engaging format that can capture attention and hold it for long periods of time.

-Video ads can tell a story or convey a message in a way that text alone cannot, making them highly effective at communicating complex messages.

-Video ads are very shareable, meaning they have the potential to reach a wide audience through word-of-mouth and social media.

CONS:

-Video ads can be expensive to produce, especially if they are high quality.

-It can be difficult to measure the effectiveness of video ads, as there are no click-throughs or other traditional measures of engagement.

-Some consumers find video ads to be intrusive and disruptive, leading them to ignore or even avoid them altogether.

How to create effective video ads

As video advertising becomes more prevalent, it is important for advertisers to know how to create effective video ads. There are a few key elements that make up a successful video ad:

1. A clear and concise message: The ad should have a single, focused message that is easy for the viewer to understand.

2. Targeted audience: The ad should be targeted at the right audience, with the right age, gender, interests, etc.

3. Emotional appeal: The ad should evoke an emotional response in the viewer, whether it be happiness, sadness, anger, or anything else.

4. Call to action: The ad should have a call to action at the end, telling the viewer what they should do next (visit your website, buy your product, etc.).

5. Professional production: The ad should be well-produced and look professional. This means having good lighting, sound quality, editing, etc.

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Challenges of video advertising

As video advertising continues to grow in popularity, advertisers are faced with both opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, video provides a powerful and engaging way to reach consumers. On the other hand, creating effective video ads can be costly and time-consuming, and there are a number of potential pitfalls that advertisers need to be aware of.

One of the biggest challenges of video advertising is simply creating ads that are effective. A good video ad must be well- scripted, well-produced, and relevant to the target audience. It also needs to be attention-grabbing and memorable — no easy feat. Furthermore, advertisers need to be careful not to overdo it with the frequency or placement of their ads, as this can quickly turn off viewers and lead to a negative association with the brand.

Another challenge is making sure that video ads are seen by the right people. With so much content competing for attention online, it can be difficult to get your ad in front of those who are most likely to be interested in it. This is where targeting comes in handy; by targeting your ad to specific demographics, interests, or even locations, you can greatly increase the chances that your ad will be seen by those who are most likely to convert.

Finally, advertisers need to keep an eye on emerging platforms and technologies. As consumer behavior evolves, so too do the ways in which people consume video content. Advertisers need to stay ahead of the curve in order to ensure that

Opportunities for video advertising

Video advertising is one of the most effective and popular ways to reach consumers. It allows brands to tell their story in a creative and engaging way, while also providing opportunities for interactive and personalized experiences. However, video advertising is not without its challenges. Advertisers must consider how to best use video to reach their target audiences, as well as how to measure the effectiveness of their campaigns.

Video advertising offers a number of advantages for advertisers. First, video is an extremely popular format, with consumers spending an average of 5 hours per day watching online videos. This provides a large potential audience for brands that use video advertising. Additionally, video allows advertisers to tell their story in a creative and engaging way. Video ads can be used to create emotional connections with consumers, which can lead to loyalty and brand advocacy. Finally, video provides opportunities for interactive and personalized experiences that can further engage viewers.

While video advertising has many advantages, there are also some challenges that advertisers must consider. First, it can be difficult to stand out in the sea of online videos. Advertisers must carefully select their target audiences and create videos that appeal to those individuals. Additionally, measuring the effectiveness of video campaigns can be challenging, as there are a variety of metrics that can be used (views, completion rates, click-through rates, etc.). Advertisers must select the metrics that are most important to their campaign goals and focus on those when evaluating the success of their video ads.

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

Conclusion

The rise of video advertising is a great opportunity for advertisers to reach their target audience with creative and engaging content. With the right strategy, video ads can help boost brand recognition, increase sales, and generate more leads. However, it also comes with its own set of challenges that must be carefully navigated in order to make sure the ad campaigns are successful and worth the investment. By having a clear understanding of both the opportunities and potential risks associated with video advertising, marketers can craft an effective strategy that will maximize ROI while delivering value to their customers.

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Kendall LaVaque
Kendall LaVaque

Written by Kendall LaVaque

📝 Mini Essayist ✍️The Idea Guy 🔎Armchair Anthropologist

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