Video grows programmatically across screens. Explosion in spending, dramatic shift to premium and increasing focus on cross-screen highlight 2013 in video.
3. Video grows
programmatically
across screens.
Explosion in spending, dramatic shift to premium and increasing
focus on cross-screen highlight 2013 in video.
Executive Summary
Spending by buyers of online video advertising increased for the fourth year in a row. More than 90 percent
of agencies reported some level of increased video ad spending, with an average increase of 28 percent.
Brand advertises showed similar levels of interest in video, with more than 85 percent increasing spend, but
the average increase from advertisers directly was a whopping 65 percent more than in 2012.
Additionally, the Q4 2013 State of the Video Industry report reveals:
•
DRAWING FROM TV, DISPLAY BUDGETS: Brands say growing video ad spend is pulling from
TV broadcast dollars; display jumps into the target zone as well.
•
MORE INVENTORY, RISING PRICES: Publishers say video CPMs have risen seven percent year
over year, and their video inventory availability also has increased by more than a third.
•
2X PROGRAMMATIC: Programmatic, or automated, video ad buying, defined as buying from
exchanges and DSPs, has roughly doubled since our last report.
•
TV & MOBILE, TOO: 60 percent of both brands and agencies plan to apply programmatic buying
to their cross-screen planning and buying – including both mobile and linear TV – in the next year.
•
MOBILE MOVES: Mobile video continues to explode: 7 out of 10 agency buyers said they’re buying
mobile video today; 43 percent of brands are buying mobile video.
•
APPLES VS. ORANGES: Measurement continues to be an obstacle for both buyers and sellers,
but there are differences among the constituents on why exactly.
US Video State of the Industry 2013 Q4 I 3
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4. Up, up, and away—the
growth of video advertising.
Investment into online video advertising has surged since Adap.tv and Digiday’s first look at the space in
2010. That year, brands and agencies projected increases of 75 percent and 99 percent in their video ad
budgets, respectively, albeit from a smaller base. Respondents representing the leading media and
marketing companies in the industry have indicated a sustained and still-accelerating increase since those
initial numbers.
This past year, brands were more aggressive with their video ad spend than other buyers, increasing their
budgets by an average of 65 percent from 2012. Advertising networks and DSPs, upped their investments
by more than half in both 2012 and 2013. Agencies increased their budgets less dramatically, from a
projected 25 percent in 2011 to 45 percent in 2012 and 28 percent this year. In total, these numbers
indicate a significant, year-over-year shift of investment into video across the board and align closely
with projections within other industry forecasts.
From the sellers’ perspective, the growth in CPMs—bucking the historical trend in display pricing—is also
positive. Some 92 percent of video publisher respondents say their CPMs have increased by an average of
7 percent. Publishers have responded appropriately, with nearly the same percentage (93 percent) saying
quantity of video inventory also has increased by more than a third (36 percent on average).
Change in video ad spending from the prior year.
Brands
53%
36%
Anticipated video spending increases 2014.
65%
91%
86%
56%
Agencies
67%
73%
83%
Agencies
Brands
86%
88%
85%
81%
Publishers
DSPs
50%
Ad networks
47%
2010
2011
2012
58%
14%
9%
59%
Yes
No
2013
The outlook for the next year is even more promising, with both agencies and buyers overwhelmingly
saying that their video budgets are on the rise. With the advent of automated technologies to streamline
the buying process as well as live and on-demand content continuing to flood onto digital, mobile and
other connected screens, 2014 is poised to bring even more buyers into the marketplace.
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5. Follow the video ad dollars—distinct point of view from brands.
Over the past several years, video buyers have changed their perspective quite a bit on which channel is
most likely to fund the growth of video advertising. Initially, the largest number of ad buyers—31 percent—
painted a bull’s-eye on broadcast budgets. Notably, broadcast was cited 10 times more than cable in 2010
as a likely source of shifted-to-video budgets. This year, agencies and brands say that out-of-home and
search are the most likely channels to have budgets shifted to video, exploding to 42 percent and 26
percent of respondents, respectively. Broadcast budgets are less likely to be targeted than in 2010, but
are still one of the top candidates of a spending shift. Cable budgets are seeing the pinch as well, but
display advertising—once perceived as the most likely to experience a decline—seems safe for now.
Over the last four years, the inclination to invest incremental marketing budgets into video advertising
has increased by 60 percent.
Agencies + Brands: Which budgets will most
likely be tapped to fund video advertising?
3%
3%
Online display Online display
Broadcast
Broadcast
Cable
Search
3%
3%
11%
Cable
Search
16%
11%
26%
26%
Search
42%
0%
3%
OOH
3%
42%
2013
3%
OOH
2013
3%
2010
5%
Search
OOH
31%
19%
30%
32%
30%
32%
19%
19%
29%
10%
13%
10%
Cable
13%
2010
OOH
19%
6%
Direct response Direct response
3%
3%
3%
3%
Print
Cable
10%
31%
Display
Print
26%
26%
TV Broadcast
Display
23%
23%
3%
3%
Direct response
Direct response
3%
3%
16%
No
No other category other category
10%
TV Broadcast
31%
31%
16%
16%
Print
Print
21%
21%
33%
33%
No
No other category other category
26%
26%
Brands up close—budget shifts into video
2012–2013.
29%
6%
5%
0%
3%
3%
2013
2013
2012
2012
A different picture of imminent budget shifts emerges when we narrow the scope and examine brands
from last year and this year:
While brands said that video is an incremental addition to their overall spending, more than two-thirds say
that another piece of their media mix will be affected by their video advertising ambitions. Most notably,
TV broadcast dollars are most likely to experience a shift in budget, while display jumps into the target
zone as well. Search appears less of a target for brands, likely because it is a good way to draw attention
to online video, as well indicate how well offline advertising is performing.
US Video State of the Industry 2013 Q4 I 3
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6. Looking still more closely at how much broadcast
budgets could shift in the coming year, it’s important
to note that this year 42 percent of all video
advertising buyers said there had been no change
in their broadcast spending whatsoever. So, while
they say a change is likely in 2014, it may not
necessarily come to fruition. Furthermore, the
largest group of buyers says the decline was 10
percent or less of their broadcast budgets. These
numbers will continue to fluctuate as buyers examine
their efforts in TV, digital and mobile video, and
how that translates into a media mix that adapts
with the rapidly converging nature of those worlds.
Agencies + Brands: If broadcast budget
contributed to video spending, by how much?
42%
No shift.
1–10%.
45%
11–20%.
All other amounts.
9%
4%
That video ad spending will indeed disrupt traditional
advertising practices, however, is nowhere more
Brands: How do you buy video ad inventory?
evident than in brands’ emerging reliance on
programmatic ad buying. In just the past two
years, brand patronage of programmatic video
75%
75%
From an ad network
From an ad network
61%
channels such as exchanges and DSPs has roughly
61%
doubled, as direct to publisher purchases have
68%
68%
Direct from a publisher
Direct from a publisher
declined by 15 percent. However, with the rise of
78%
78%
private marketplaces, additional opportunities
28%
28%
From
are becoming more prominent for buyers looking an exchange 11% exchange Programmatic more
From an
Programmatic more
11%
than doubles in 2 years.
to source directly from publishers through
than doubles in 2 years.
21%
From a DSP
21%
automated processes.
From a DSP
11%
11%
Even for agencies, often the most savvy and
18%
From an agency
18%
From an agency
trading desk 0% *not asked
forward-looking buyers, programmatic buying is
trading desk 0% *not asked
2013
up substantially, but in this case, publisher relationships
2011
have also strengthened. This is not anachronistic:
there are just more places where online video is
available for purchase, and agency buyers are
becoming more familiar with all of them.
Agencies: How do you buy video ad inventory?
Looking ahead, programmatic buying still has
substantial room to grow. More than a quarter of
brand and agency respondents still say they have
no experience with programmatic buying, and
fewer than 30 percent of brand buyers have thus
far patronized either an exchange or DSP. They
know that there is quality therein, though: nearly
half of buyers believe that premium video inventory
is available via those programmatic purchasing
channels. The understanding that premium inventory
is there indicates that automated buying will
continue to gather steam, and will be deployed
to transact all different kinds of video inventory.
SOI_Q3_2013_final.indd 6
82%
86%
Direct from
a publisher
From a DSP
From an agency
trading desk
2011
85%
From an
ad network
From an
exchange
2013
73%
34%
19%
36%
Programmatic patronage
nearly doubles, but publisher
relationships have strengthened.
19%
22%
0%
*not asked
2013
2011
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7. The growth of private marketplaces, which provide
unique advantages and protections for both buyers
and sellers, could accelerate transaction of premium
inventory through programmatic means beyond RTB.
Currently, only 27 percent of brands and 29 percent
of agencies say that they buy video through private
marketplaces, but of those who say they do not, more
than 20 percent say they’re going to seek them out
over the next 12 months. If that trend holds, nearly
half of buyers are likely to have at least tested private
video marketplaces by this time next year.
Upfronts, Newfronts and
the advent of cross-screen.
In your experience, is premium inventory
available via programmatic environments?
48%
Yes
44%
31%
I have no experience with
programmatic buying.
No
24%
13%
32%
We don’t buy 8%
premium inventory 0% *not asked
Agency
Brand
The TV Upfronts seem to be the best venue to
spotlight the power of video across screens. 77
percent of video ad buyers attended them, and a
majority (65 percent) said they were specifically
looking for cross-screen inventory. A minority—
14 percent—said they purchased only online video
inventory at the TV upfronts, while slightly more
buyers (21 percent) said they were there to purchase
only TV inventory. Conversely, while a majority of
buyers did not attend the Digital Newfronts,
22 percent of those who did attend said the event
made them realize the importance of locking up
premium inventory in advance. A majority also said
that it heightened their awareness of how much
creative inventory exists in digital.
All video buyers:
Did you attend the 2013 Digital Newfronts?
There are several indications that these proportions
could begin to shift towards digital in 2014. First, 75
percent of video publisher respondents who have
broadcast ownership said that they also attended
the TV upfronts. Digital video sellers are participating
in traditional TV advertising selling. Buyers seeking
cross-media synergy are there. As buyer demand
for cross-screen inventory grows, these high-profile
events will enable broadcasters to showcase TV, web
and mobile video inventory effectively, and their
selling strategy will need to adapt accordingly
Publishers: Do you make your most valuable
video inventory available for sale via
programmatic environments?
77%
23%
Yes
No
66%
Among
broadcaster-based,
this is 50/50.
34%
No
Yes
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8. Silos are still in place outside of broadcast, however. Only 36 percent of digital sellers—roughly
corresponding to the 35 percent of broadcast-based video seller respondents—transacted with TV
buyers this year. Unsurprisingly, video sellers with broadcast businesses are leveraging their existing
relationships with TV buyers. This may indicate a significant opportunity for digital- or print-native video
ad sellers—significant room to grow their video revenue by tapping into TV buyers.
Access to TV buyers isn’t the only advantage broadcast-based digital video sellers seem to have: while
only 34 percent of our total publisher respondents said that they make their most valuable inventory for
sale in a programmatic environment—fully half of broadcast sellers do.
Digital video agencies are increasingly specialized, and the “TV group” of buyers in this pool is shrinking.
In 2012, 55 percent of agencies told us that their video inventory was purchased by the TV group. In our
most recent survey, only 6 percent of respondents said that it was the TV group that currently buys online
video for their agency. The lion’s share of purchasing—70 percent—still occurs in the digital group, but
fully a quarter of online video is bought by a cross-platform group..
Mobile momentum.
As for which platform is bridging the digital divide, clearly it’s mobile: 70 percent of agency video
buyers say they’re buying mobile video today, more than double the number that were buying mobile
video on iPad (30 percent), and considerably more still than on smartphones (45 percent) in 2010.
Currently, 43 percent of brands are buying mobile video.
Mobile video buying trends.
70%
Buying mobile video today.
Buying mobile video on iPad.
30%
Buying mobile video
on mobile phones.
45%
43%
Buying mobile video today.
Buying mobile video on iPad.
Buying mobile video
on mobile phones.
SOI_Q3_2013_final.indd 8
17%
Agencies 2013
25%
Brands 2013
Agencies 2010
Brands 2010
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9. Availability of mobile video inventory is a big part of this story. In this survey, 68 percent of video publishers
said they’re producing mobile video, compared with 57 percent in 2010. However, two-thirds of publishers
told us that the Web continues to draw the highest investment among all the various platforms on which
they publish, but investment in mobile video, specifically smartphones (17 percent) and tablets (10 percent)
is substantial. One publisher commented that “video is platform agnostic,” while another said that
“cross-device support” drives investment, not any individual platform.
Publishers: Screen drawing biggest total investment
over the past 12 months?
Do you delineate between Web and
mobile inventory?
66%
On the web.
69%
On smart-phones.
17%
On tablets.
On connected TVs.
59%
41%
10%
15%
6%
Yes
No
On gaming consoles. 2%
But while it’s all well and good to claim video
neutrality, buyers differentiate between Web
and mobile inventory to a greater degree than
do sellers.
16%
Sellers
Buyers
Do not
buy mobile.
Do you delineate between smartphone
and tablet inventory?
61%
And even within the mobile video ad category,
buyers make distinctions between smartphone
and tablet inventory. Sellers who are able to
make the distinction between the two—and
target accordingly—may be able to command
a premium for whichever platform interests
their buyers in the future.
53%
39%
35%
12%
Sellers
Buyers
Yes
No
Do not
buy mobile.
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10. The future is video on all screens.
Roughly 60 percent of both brands and agencies plan to apply programmatic buying to their
cross-screen planning and buying—including both mobile and linear TV—over the next 12 months.
Do you plan on including programmatic in your
cross-screen planning and buying within the next
12 months, inclusive of mobile and linear TV?
60%
59%
26% 27%
15% 14%
Yes
No
Agencies
Brands
Do not do crossscreen planning
or buying.
But leveraging their video messaging across multiple screens in pursuit of their customers is only part
of the story. Measuring the effectiveness of the mix will become increasingly important to marketers
who have more choices than ever on how to spend their dollars on digital.
One brand in the financial services category has given this a lot of thought. Asked what will be the
biggest change in video advertising over the next 12 months, they cited the need for a better way to
track video effectiveness, beyond the click-through and completion rate:
“A single third-party ad-serving vendor that’s accepted by all video players would be a start, or I
could live with all video players having identical methodology and definitions. But how would I handle
attribution? All the discussion is around audience measurement, which is great, but delivery is not a
success metric.”
Video advertising is considered a strong branding medium, but as this buyer suggests, attribution
is still the Holy Grail. The measurability of digital, if done right, should enable marketers to better
understand the relationship between branding and conversions. It’s that “done right” phrase above,
however, that gives buyers and sellers alike pause.
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11. Apples to apples: still a long way to go.
While many believe that measurement should be table stakes, buyers and sellers agree the industry is
not there yet. The inability to consistently measure reach, targeting and performance across platforms
and devices is a shared point of frustration between buyers and sellers.
Audience guarantees online were expected to be a game-changer for the “TV-ization” of online video.
Yet some 65 percent of brands and 70 percent of agencies say that existing measurement standards
do not satisfy their need for audience guarantees.
Buyers complaining of the inadequacy of standards
are about equally divided on why they find them
lacking. Slightly more agencies say they lack
confidence in audience measurement methodologies
generally. Brands are more likely to cite cross-screen
audience measurement. The deeper in they go, the
more brands want to go beyond age and gender in
characterizing the audience they reach with online
video, and yearn for the industry to coalesce behind
a consistent measurement methodology.
Do existing measurement standards satisfy your
need for audience guarantees?
70%
65%
30%
35%
Agencies
Brands
No
Publishers, for once, agree completely with their
customers, and broadcasters among video ad
sellers, are least satisfied of all constituents with
the state of video measurement.
Yes
If not, why not?
38%
Lack of support for cross-screen
measurement of audience.
36%
40%
Lack of confidence in audience
measurement methodologies.
Lack of support for deeper
audience measurement
beyond age/gender.
Lack of consistency between
alternative methodologies/providers.
34%
13%
15%
13%
15%
Agencies
Brands
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12. Their reasons differ, however. Broadcasters—used
to reaching a large, general audience—are less
worried about moving beyond age and gender
distinctions, and more concerned about being
able to differentiate between platforms in a
cross-screen world. Also, while buyers are much
more suspicious of the methodologies of the
measurement standards, sellers feel that the lack
of consistency is more problematic and needs to
be addressed in the near future.
Publishers: Do existing measurement standards
satisfy your need for audience guarantees?
81%
73%
27%
19%
All respondants
Broadcasters
No
Yes
If not, why not?
44%
Lack of support for cross-screen
measurement of audience.
63%
22%
Lack of consistency between
alternative methodologies/providers.
Lack of confidence in audience
measurement methodologies. 6%
25%
19%
Lack of support for deeper
14%
audience measurement
beyond age/gender. 6%
All respondants
Broadcasters
Looking forward.
Buyers have many words to describe how
video is going to shift in 2014:
SOI_Q3_2013_final.indd 12
Conversely, publishers say that mobile and
programmatic are going to be big drivers
for them in 2014:
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13. Spend grew and programmatic flourished across screens for video advertising in 2013. What’s next?
• Big events: One would think that the Super Bowl would extend its dominance at attractive audiences
and advertisers, but it’s the Winter Olympics that both constituents are looking forward to most
from a revenue and branding perspective.
• Buyers focused on inventory and measurement: They want more of the good stuff (aka premium
inventory) via programmatic channels and otherwise, and they want to know how it’s working
relative to their TV buys.
• Sellers focus on mobile: Surveyed publishers seem to hope that 2014 will at long, long last, be
“the year of mobile”—mobile video, anyhow. Their ability to deliver the right mix to buyers will be key.
•
Growth of programmatic will continue to soar: Between industry data from Magna Global and
others, and the consistent pace of growth recorded by this survey in the past several years, we
expect to see programmatic video extend its reach into video, across Web, mobile, and most
exciting for 2014, television screens alike.
Methodology.
For two weeks in late September and early October 2013, Adap.tv and Digiday polled its opted-in
base of leading digital media and marketing pros for their impressions of changes in online video
buying and selling. This survey pool is always enhanced by the inclusion of sponsor contacts, but owing
to the acquisition of Adap.tv by AOL, this access included a very large pool of seasoned advertisers,
making this survey the most extensive ever with more than 900 participants. Additionally, this survey’s
comparative set spans the longest time period of any Digiday State of the Industry Surveys of
advertising practices with emerging media, as it goes all the way back to the Fall of 2010. We thus
have the rare advantage in the world of fast-moving digital media and marketing of four full years of
industry experience and attitudes to consider in making our observations. Participants were offered
the incentive of full study results and being entered in a drawing to attend a Digiday Summit or their
choice of e-tablet (one recipient each). Agency and Trading Desk participants constituted 43 percent
of participants (390), followed by 25 percent video publishers (227), 19 percent advertisers (171), and
14 percent Ad Networks, DSPs and SSPs (128).
Who took the survey?
Ad network
DSP/SSP
13%
Agency/trading desk
43%
Brand/advertiser
19%
Video content publisher
25%
US Video State of the Industry 2013 Q4
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14. About Adap.tv.
Adap.tv, a division of AOL Networks, is transforming the way video advertising is bought and sold.
Adap.tv’s video intelligence platform, Pathway, helps many of the world’s largest brands, agencies,
publishers and ad networks intelligently, effectively and safely plan, buy and measure billions of video
ad trades programmatically every month across web, linear TV and mobile video.
Headquartered in San Mateo, California, Adap.tv has US offices in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York,
and international offices in Australia, India, Japan and the UK.
For more information, please visit adap.tv, or follow Adap.tv on Twitter @Adaptv, Facebook at
facebook.com/adaptv and LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/adap-tv.
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15. Digiday: the authority on digital media,
marketing and advertising.
Digiday is a media company and community for professionals who work in the digital media, marketing
and advertising industry. Our mission is to connect the industry with insightful analysis and perspective,
as well as each other. We provide key insights and information through our online publications and
conferences that cover the changes, trends—and why they matter. The focus is on quality, not quantity,
and honesty instead of spin. We cover the industry with an expertise, depth and tone you won’t find
anywhere else. The entire team at Digiday is driven to produce the highest quality publications,
conferences, and resources for our industry. See Digiday.com to read or subscribe to our publications
or for information on events; join Digiday LinkedIn or Facebook groups; follow us on Twitter @Digiday;
or tune into live-streamed and archived video coverage of our events on our Vimeo channel.
For more information about this report, please contact Katherine Ryan, katherine@adap.tv.
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