The FreeWheel Viewer Experience Lab investigates the importance of ad relevancy in enhancing the viewer experience and its impact on brand outcomes. Key findings include:
- Viewer Engagement: Relevant ads lead to a more complementary viewing experience, with viewers reporting 2X more liking and over 2X more engagement compared to irrelevant ads. This is supported by eye-tracking data showing increased visual attention to ads in relevant program categories.
- Brand Benefits: Advertisers benefit from 2X higher unaided recall and 2X higher brand purchase intent when their ads are relevant to the audience or content.
- Relevancy Forms: Relevance in advertising can be contextual (based on content) or behavioral (based on viewer). Relevant ads are perceived as entertaining and informative, but only 13% of viewers consider TV ads as relevant.
- Targeting Strategies: Advertisers should consider targeting from all angles, including behavioral targeting using publisher first-party data and identity graphs, and contextual targeting by aligning ad creative with program content or segments.
- Publisher Role: Publishers hold the key to enabling relevant ads by classifying content, analyzing video at scale, and providing contextual signals. This can lead to additional monetization opportunities and inventory insights.
- Recommendations: Both buyers and sellers should focus on determining relevant signals for targeting, working with tech partners to integrate solutions, and classifying content to enhance ad relevancy.
The research emphasizes that improving ad relevancy is essential for enhancing the overall viewing experience and benefiting both viewers and brands in the evolving multiscreen TV landscape.
