What is native outstream video? Some marketers call it “in-text”, “in-line”, or “in-article”, and while there is still disagreement over the terminology, one thing all marketers can agree on is that native outstream video is…
VIDEO THAT DOESN’T INTERRUPT
Shifting consumer behaviour demands that brand experiences be less interruptive, and the rise of mobile calls for a video format that addresses the evolved digital media landscape. With these considerations in mind, native outstream video is gaining huge momentum in the industry.
Here are the top 5 reasons media buyers are falling head over heels for native outstream:
1. Always Viewable
The term “viewability” is a desperate attempt to regulate ad formats built 20 years ago and does not address the reality of today’s largest channel, the web. Because the native oustream format was born at a time when publishers were already taking the mobile-first approach to building their properties, the format is viewable by design.
Native outstream video auto-plays only when in view and pauses if the viewer scrolls past. Since playtime is not forced, but is rather determined by user activity, this format is serving advertisers hungry for deep, accurate data.
2. True Completions
Unlike pre-roll video that doesn’t pause when a user scrolls past, completions for native outstream video are ‘true’ in the sense that the video only plays through while in view. This means that every video completion was actually watched by the user from start to finish. And isn’t this the ultimate goal of every advertiser?
3. Massive Scale on Tier 1 Publishers
Video advertising on Tier 1 sites has historically been largely reserved for direct deals due to the limited inventory designed for pre-roll format. Native outstream allows Tier 1 publishers to monetize not only video content but also editorial content. This additional scale gives advertisers access hundreds of Tier 1 publishers, and most notably, scale programmatically run campaigns.
4. Support for Long Form Format
With more brands looking to create value adding content, the length of videos has gone up significantly. The barrier that many marketers are running into is that most pre-roll inventory only supports video up to 30 seconds. The native outstream format provides marketers with a content distribution channel for long form video
5. Superior Performance
Automatic play and pause not only render this format highly viewable, but also guarantee that completed views more accurately demonstrate user intent than more traditional formats. Because of the scale of inventory and the non-interruptive nature of the format, marketers find native outstream very cost effective on the cost-per-completed-view metric. In addition, StackAdapt has noted that these ads, loaded in-view, yield a five to 10 times higher click-through-rates than their pre-roll counterparts. Perfect for mobile, this format is spreading like wildfire throughout the industry.
While there are many benefits to native oustream, the main challenge is that the majority of brands are only now catching up to the idea that they should start including subtitles in their videos. According to Digiday, only 15% of videos played on Facebook are viewed with sound on. Things are better with native outstream, clocking in around 50% of videos viewed soundlessly, which is certainly better for advertisers.
Understanding how to make the most of your outstream video content can be a challenge. According to StackAdapt COO Vitaly Pecherskiy, “We are starting to notice more videos accompanied by subtitles or high impact text to ensure people who watch video without sound can understand what is being said. All things considered, we can see that video creation for the modern web is still in its infancy.”
Whether you are generating campaigns for clients or for your own brand, it’s an important fact that video has taken hold of the advertising industry. Organizations that value audience engagement through storytelling are leading the way through compelling video content that speaks to their audiences, and distributing said content through the native outstream format.
To quote Brian Halligan of HubSpot, “To be successful and grow your business and revenues, you must match the way you market your products with the way your prospects learn about and shop for your products.”
