Study Finds 6-Second Video Ads Have Huge Mobile Reach

With mobile video advertising increasing 145 percent with $4.2 billion dollars spent in 2018, it's crucial for brands to understand the effects of their efforts. A recent study conducted by media platform Teads in conjunction with researcher Realeyes analyzed 166 6-second creatives from 75 brands to determine the effectiveness of short-form ads.

Results indicated that short-form video ads play better when it comes to viewership with an average view-through rate of 55 percent on mobile devices, but their long-form counterparts score significantly better when it comes to building a narrative and eliciting emotions.

As part of its analysis, Teads impressed upon brands that a call to action is “vital” to drive better engagement, noting just 16 percent of the short-form ads the study incorporated a call to action.

"With mobile now the dominant device in our lives, marketers know that 30 second TV spots will no longer cut it for engaging video ads on the small screen,” said Teads Global VP of Research and Insights Caroline Hugonenc. “However, what this research reveals is that simply making an ad shorter won't necessarily guarantee performance if the emotional connection is lost.”