Video advertising is rapidly growing across all devices and for good reason: it continues to be the most impactful medium for reaching consumers. Despite its increasing popularity, video tends to cause headaches for advertisers. Why? Video is nuanced and fragmented, not just for advertisers but for consumers, too—with an explosion of streaming services and apps, options for consuming video are infinite. This makes it increasingly difficult for advertisers to anticipate upcoming video consumption trends.
At IAS, we’ve got you covered. We’ve put together a forecast on some of the major trends coming out of the video world to make it easier to reach consumers through the most streamable medium.
5G brings growth to mobile
5G is here and the future looks fast. After being teased for years and making a splashy debut at this year’s CES, the newest and fastest wireless network has endless potential. The enterprise possibilities, which range from live streaming sporting events with drone cameras to powering self-driving cars, will be transformative to all industries, but will really unlock the power of mobile for customers. Not only will 5G have an incredible impact on enterprise industries, but it also allows for global growth. Adoption of 5G will provide internet access to nations and populations who have previously been left out of the digital boom, while also expanding the potential reach for marketers around the world.
CTV scale continues to grow
With an influx of streaming platforms, like Disney+ and Peacock, hitting the market, newly available inventory is starting to allow for CTV advertising scale—not just spend—to grow. But just because there are more platforms available doesn’t mean consumers want to pay for them. In our recent study titled Streaming Wars, we found that US consumers, on average, already have access to almost 3 streaming services, and two-thirds of consumers do not plan to add another. On the other hand, 76% of consumers are willing to watch high quality ads on CTV in exchange for free service. This is great news for advertisers looking to capitalize on the fastest-growing video environment, as streaming platforms will likely need to tap into advertising to expand their consumer base.
Video ad measurement still faces challenges
Despite witnessing growth across the board, video is still causing a challenge for advertisers in terms of measurement. Specifically, fragmentation in video consumption preferences due to the mix of devices and environments makes it difficult for advertisers to take advantage of growing consumer adoption. Digital savvy and strong measurement partners will be instrumental in helping advertisers find and validate their audiences, as well as optimize performance across all devices and environments.
One way to help alleviate the measurement pain point is the industry-wide adoption of standardized measurement solutions, like the Open Measurement Software Development Kit (OM SDK). The software facilitates third-party verification measurement for ads served to mobile app environments without requiring multiple ad verification service providers’ SDK. By improving accuracy and performance, the OM SDK provides equal data access to all vendors. This allows for a scalable measurement of 100% of ad buys, promoting fraud-free delivery with MRC accredited quality and reliability, and reducing 3rd party tech risk to allow all sellers to participate. Adoption and support of the OM SDK are especially important as mobile continues to grow. If you want to learn more about the OM SDK, you can download our mini-guide here.
Fast forward to a video future
For content creators and advertisers alike, video remains the most promising tool to connect with consumers. As more advancements in technology are revealed, so too will more opportunities to take advantage of consumers’ favorite medium. To learn more about how IAS supports video environments, download our video toolkit.
