Breaking the 4th Wall in Video Advertising
We all complain about ads on videos — but sometimes a shining star pushes through and we think to ourselves “If they are forced to exist, at least they are admitting it…” Like during the SuperBowl, when some people only watch the SuperBowl for the ads (and maybe the half-time show depending on the star.)
While we see much better click-through rates from contextually relevant ads that do not interrupt or cause you to wait for your video content, Farmer’s Insurance has been doing a great job of making the experience a little more enjoyable, as well as testing something interesting.
Farmer’s Insurance has built up its brand recognition over the last decade by their signature “We are Farmers. Bum-pa-dum, bum bum bum bum!” (I bet you just sang it in your head.)
The latest series of commercials by agency RPA for Farmer’s Insurance all swirl around the theme that when you hear that jingle, stuff’s about to get real. A golfer hits a ball onto his buddy’s car, a florist crashes her van, a family’s lawnmower gets struck by lightning — all after they heard the jingle and said “Guess, I’m in a farmer’s commercial.”
But the latest version starts with a young woman saying, “Oh that's odd.”
To which the actor playing the Farmers Insurance spokesman J.K. Simmons replies, “Us interrupting their video?” as he motions to the camera.
This 4th wall break isn’t new, but what was new for Farmer’s Insurance was the placement. Typically, the jingle is played after the commercial skit plays through. However, RPA had data that showed that viewers paid more attention after hearing the Farmer’s jingle, so they decided to put it to a test by placing the Farmer’s Jingle in the beginning of the ad.
While the Farmer’s Insurance ads are clever and attention-grabbing, we’re afraid that not all companies can replicate their success. Microsoft XBox tried, and in our opinion, it’s just not as snappy.
From our most recent survey with video publishers, 64.2% of publishers surveyed indicated that more than 50% of their viewers drop during or directly after a mid-roll ad. This is compared to a 33.4% drop-off from pre-roll ads.
Furthermore, 80% of advertisers stated that pre-roll was successful for them, while only 10% favored mid-roll ads. The icing on the cake was from our survey of video-viewers — 90.1% stated that showing video ads that didn’t interrupt their content would improve their video viewing experience.
Our suggestion is if you’re looking to create your next big commercial for video advertising, forget pre/mid/middle-mid/post-roll designs entirely. If you want something that works for everyone, non-interruptive contextual ads are the way to go. They perform better, keep viewers from dropping from videos and keep the viewer happier. Want to supplement your pre-roll ads or avoid the hassle of video production altogether? Drop us a line.
We are CatapultX. (Insert catchy jingle).
Founded in 2019, CatapultX is an AI-based platform at the forefront of innovative video marketing. Serving contextually relevant video ads that don’t interfere with consumer experience, CatapultX brings a profitable, engaging and enjoyable experience to publishers, advertisers and audiences. If you are interested in expanding the profitability of your content or building a more robust advertising portfolio, reach out to us at info@catapultx.com or set up a meeting with someone from our sales team.
