Short video ads impact all stages of purchase funnel, study says

Shorter video spots are more effective than previously thought at influencing consumers throughout the purchase funnel, a model that describes the customer journey from first seeing an ad to buying a product or service. The growing popularity of short-form premium content and improvements to ad creative are driving the shift, per a study by Interpublic’s Magna and IPG Media Lab and social media company Snap.
Six-second ads that often are used to boost awareness at the top of the purchase funnel can be as effective as 15-second ads for mid-funnel strategies. A six-second ad can boost brand preference by 9% and purchase intent by 5%, similar to the respective 10% and 4% gains for a 15-second ad in tests that controlled for the brand, according to the study.
While six-second ads generated the same recall as 15-second ads, viewers were more likely to say the lengthier ad was more “intrusive,” a negative sentiment that brands try to avoid. The performance of ad length was consistent among different viewing devices, such as smartphones or computers, and among age groups, per an announcement.