Interactive video ads turned video watching into an engaging, two-way experience. The format is already a hit among advertisers and is slowly making its way into the publisher circle as well.
87% of the marketers have reported improved engagement rates with interactive video content. Moreover, pages with interactive video content have shown 3x more time spent on pages compared to that with static content (Firework).
Hence, it’s safe to say that interactive advertising is the perfect solution to increase engagement metrics without hurting the user experience.
But what exactly are interactive video ads? We will explore all the dimensions of interactive advertising in our blog.
Key Takeaways:
- Interactive video ads are promotional videos that provide users with engaging elements to provide an immersive experience.
- Publishers benefit from higher eCPMs, increased user engagement, access to diverse premium advertisers, and a future-proof advertising format aligned with emerging digital trends.
- Compared to traditional video ads, interactive video ads deliver significantly higher click-through rates, longer watch times, and improved conversion rates, making them a powerful tool in modern digital advertising.
- Interactive video ads’ average watch time is 30 seconds against the 10 seconds of traditional video ads. Moreover, these ads can decrease bounce rates up to 20%.
What are Interactive Video Ads? (Interactive Advertising)
As the name suggests, these are a type of video ads that offer interactive elements to provide an immersive experience to the users. These ads are specially designed to encourage users to actively engage with the contents of the ad.
Unlike traditional video advertising, which delivers a one-way brand message, interactive advertising make viewers a part of the brand journey and make them feel more involved.
Moreover, the personalized viewing experience also leads to higher ad engagement rates, hence increasing the retention rates and brand recall.
With interactive advertising, marketers don’t sell or inform their users; they invite them to try their products.
5 Best Interactive Advertising (Types of Interactive Video Ads)
1. Playable Ads
A playable ad for a mobile game showcases the main functionality of the gaming app through a short yet interactive experience to encourage installations.
In simple terms, playable ads offer a “try-before-you-buy” deal to the users by letting them play a small part of the actual game within the ad unit, giving a taste of the gameplay.
2. Shoppable Ads
Shoppable ads, as the name suggests, allow users to browse products/services within the ad unit and make purchases. They employ various interactive elements like clickables, hotspots, and links that lead to product details or purchasing options, making the shopping experience navigable and engaging.
3. Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA)
CYOA ads let the viewer take control of the storyline by providing options at key junctures within the ad’s storyline. The ad allows users to decide what would happen next. As the decisions start to shape the narrative, the engagement becomes deeper and deeper.
As the CYOA ads allow users to make storyline-defining choices for a personalized ending, they are also called branching ads.
4. Gamified Video Ads
Gamified video ads incorporate game-like features to create a fun, interactive ad experience for users. Within these ads, users can complete challenges, earn rewards, or even compete with others. This engaging format keeps the audience entertained and motivates them to spend more time interacting with the content.
5. Interactive Contact Form Video Ads
Interactive contact form video ads take the lead generation game to the next level by personalising the entire experience, making it enjoyable for the audience.
Various sections of the form are strategically placed at high-engagement points throughout the video.
So, while the user is viewing the ad, they can simultaneously fill in their details without navigating to a separate landing page. Not only does the experience seem personalized, but it is also seamless and non-disruptive.
Interactive Video Ads Example
Royal Match’s Playable Ads
This playable ad for Royal Match lets users experience the core match-3 gameplay firsthand. Puzzle games are naturally suited for playable ads due to their straightforward mechanics.
This ad includes a brief, easy-to-follow tutorial at the start, guiding users on how to play. Once users complete the match-3 puzzle, they can choose to either download the game or give the puzzle another try.
How Publishers Benefit from Interactive Advertising?
1. Higher eCPMs
Interactive video ads command premium eCPMs compared to other ad formats due to their engaging format and higher viewer interaction. Their immersive nature delivers better ad performance & campaign ROI than standard ads, hence the premium pricing.
2. Higher User Engagement
These ads offer one of the highest engagement metrics among all ad formats. They captivate viewers by encouraging active participation through quizzes, polls, clickable elements, or gamification, among other options. Hence, increasing the watch time, user engagement, and reducing skip rates.
As they feel less intrusive and more like content, the on-site experience would automatically improve.
3. Diverse and Premium Demand Sources
The interactive video ad format appeals to a wide range of premium advertisers across industries looking for innovative ways to connect with audiences due to its promising results.
As major brands push for interactive formats, you will see more competition for their inventory. Due to this, your monetization opportunities will expand and reduce reliance on traditional demand sources.
4. Future-proof
Interactive advertising aligns with emerging trends like personalization, gamification, and immersive experiences. Hence, keeping the publishers ahead of digital advertising trends and evolving consumer expectations.
Moreover, as CTV, OTT, and mobile video ads continue to grow, these video ads are expected to dominate in the near future.
What Challenges can Publishers Face with Interactive Video Ads?
1. Player Compatibility
Interactive video ads require advanced technology for their deployment, which all video players may not support. This can limit the ad’s reach and cause inconsistent ad experiences across different devices and browsers.
2. Page Speed Impact
If not properly optimised, these ads can increase the page load time and negatively affect the overall performance of your website, and in turn, the user experience.
3. User Experience Trade-off
While engaging, too many interactive elements or overly complex and intrusive interaction prompts can frustrate users. This can lead to higher bounce rates or ad avoidance if not carefully designed.
4. Measurement
Engagement metrics, such as clicks and time spent, need to be carefully aligned with revenue goals so that publishers can optimize the ads on their end.
Moreover, attribution issues can also arise as tracking and measuring interactions can be more complex than standard ads.
Interactive Video Ads vs Linear/Traditional Video Ads
| Feature | Interactive Video Ads | Linear/Traditional Video Ads |
| Control Options | Users can click, drag, scroll, hover, gesture to interact with the ad | Users have limited options to interact with the video like play, pause, rewind, fast-forward |
| Content Flow | Dynamic as the users influence how the content experience unfolds | Fixed; one-way delivery of the video content predecided by the advertiser |
| Engagement Level | Encourages active participation of the users to keep them involved with the ad for a longer duration | Offers passive viewing experience to the users |
| Experience Type | Mimics interactive web-like experiences within video | Mimics traditional broadcast/TV-style ads |
| Personalization | Can adapt to user actions and make the experience feel more tailored | No personalization as everyone views the same message |
| Impact on Attention | Higher attention retention due to interactive hooks and actions | Risk of disengagement if viewer skips/ignores |
Statistics on Interactive Advertising
1. According to Mindstamp:
- Interactive video ads offer a click-through rate of 2.5% against traditional video ads at 0.7%.
- The average watch time of interactive video ads is 30 seconds, whereas for static video ads, it is just 10 seconds.
- Moreover, interactive advertising provides a 20% uplift in conversions compared to static video ads.
You can refer to the table below for clarity:
| Metric | Traditional Video | Interactive Video | Improvement |
| Click-Through Rate | 0.70% | 2.50% | 1.8% |
| Average Watch Time | 10 seconds | 30 seconds | +20 seconds (200%) |
| Conversion Uplift | N/A | 20% | 20% |
2. Interactive video ads increase viewing time by 47 percent. (MarketingDive)
3. According to SpielCreative,
- These ads have shown an impressive average engagement rate of 66%, against 44% for linear videos.
- 3x more conversions are generated by interactive advertising compared to static video content.
- The click-through rate (CTR) for interactive video ads can reach up to 11% against linear video ads that stand at 1-2%.
- Interactive video on crucial landing pages can cut bounce rates by up to 20%.
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FAQs on Interactive Video Ads
1. What are interactive video ads?
Interactive video ads are a type of video ad format that utilizes interactive elements like hotspots, quizzes or polls, QR codes, etc, to create an engaging experience for the ad viewer.
2. What is an example of an interactive video ad?
Playable ads run by Royal Match on various gaming apps is an excellent example of interactive advertising.
