YouTube ads are about to get a lot more interactive.

We already know that video is an increasingly large part of the consumer journey. This week, YouTube announced new ways for marketers to become more effective full-funnel storytellers using the combined power of YouTube’s creative canvas with Google’s machine learning and measurement solutions. So what does that mean for advertisers? 

Extensions for Video Ads

Google, YouTube’s parent company, continues to refine ad extensions to TrueView in-stream ads. Similar to extensions on Search ads, YouTube extensions will provide the viewer with more information to help support and encourage immediate decisions.

In an effort to shake up lower funnel activity, viewers will soon be able to book a trip, download an app or find and buy movie tickets, all within a YouTube ad. These ads will be targeted based on users’ viewing habits and searches on the site.

 

YouTube video ad extensions

These extensions will have you thinking— ‘You’re right YouTube, I do deserve that vacation to Cabo and I would like to book it right this second’ or ‘Thanks for reminding me that Lady Gaga’s new movie releases this weekend. Bae will be so impressed that I remembered. Buying the tickets right now’.

Early adopters to the new extensions include Vodafone, Chili’s, 20th Century Fox, Headspace and Maybelline. According to Google, using extensions Vodafone drove a 2.3x incremental lift in ad recall and a 3.5% click-through rate – a 785% increase over its regional benchmark.

Brand Lift Measurement

Tried and tested, Google knows that storytelling isn’t just about driving short-term campaign wins —it’s also about measurable results at every stage of the customer journey. To support, and provide further insight on both upper-and lower-funnel metrics, YouTube has evolved their Brand Lift Solution and partnered with IRI.

You will now be able to set up your Brand Lift Study directly in Google Ads or Display & Video 360. This enables you to follow along with the results in real time. No longer will you have to wait for the learnings weeks after your campaign has concluded. You can also expect to receive Brand Lift surveys throughout the duration of your campaign.

Additionally, there are two new metrics available:

  1. Lifted users – Calculates the number of viewers who were influenced by an ad.
  2. Cost per lifted users – Makes it easier for you to optimize your campaign’s effectiveness and cost-efficiency.

To get the most out of these new measurement tools, YouTube recommends using Maximize-Lift bidding.

As the online video industry continues to heat up with Facebook, Instagram and even Snapchat moving further into YouTube’s space, platforms will continue to one-up one another. Did you notice the newly available metrics sound awfully familiar? (*cough*Facebook’s Estimated Ad Recall Lift*cough*).  Measurability, platform content and audience availability will be the differentiating elements for advertisers to test on one platform as opposed to another.

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