Social Video Advertising: What Works and What Doesn’t

But social TV is more than just second-screen apps and checking into shows. It’s also a medium for advertisers to capture engaged eyeballs. In 2011, social video ads totaled about 5.6 billion views, with more than 500 campaigns averaging 765,000 views -- a new record according to Visible Measure's 2011 Social Video Advertising Report.

 

Compared with TV spots, social video ads have more resonance because of what Visible Measures calls viral reactivation. 

The automotive industry was most active with social video ads in 2011, launching about 300 campaigns and driving more than 265 million views. The cell phone industry generated the most views per campaign, averaging 2.3 million views across 40 campaigns.

 

What proved successful? Even though most campaigns are launched on a Monday, Thursday is actually the most effective day to unveil a social video ad campaign. Humor was the go-to choice for ad agencies with 864 campaigns aiming for laughs. They totaled 769.8 million views, averaging about 891,000 views. In particular, campaigns that spoofed real events, such as T-Mobile's Royal Wedding and Angry Birds campaigns, were cited as most effective. Fifty-three campaigns chose the spoof route, averaging 1.6 million views. And contrary to popular belief, sex doesn’t sell (at least not as well as comedy...). The 112 campaigns that used sex appeal as its creative approach drove 98.4 million views, an average of 878,000.