Unicast: Messenger units lead ad interaction

When it comes to online advertising the new buzzwords are interaction and engagement. While both metrics have been around for a while, measuring tools have improved, showing that the longer a consumer interacts with or engages with an ad, the better the chance for a purchase to happen. Which is why the results from Unicast's Q1 Benchmark Report are so important.

by Kristina Knight

Researchers studied 24 vertical industries and 12 advertising formats to reach their conclusion. According to the report interactive features are now the key to interaction and engagement. For the ads studied, features such as video content, polls or quizzes and games helped to increase both engagement and interaction.

You can download a full copy of the report here

The research shows that Messenger boards (21% Interaction), Branded Canvases (8% Interaction) and Video Cubes (5% Interaction) were the leading formats for consumer interaction. In these segments, consumers were more likely to see and ad through to completion that those served multi- or single panel ads or other formats.

"A positive interaction is when a user actively engages with the ad and performs a desired action like...watch a video or rotate a product 360 degrees for a better view," was written in the report. "An example of a neutral interaction would be turning the sound off...a neutral interaction is a user trying to disengage with the ad."

How long are consumers remaining engaged with their preferred formats? Upwards of a full minute, according to the benchmark report. Messenger ad formats saw a 51 second Engagement time. Peelbacks (40 seconds) and Pushdowns (24 seconds) were also leaders but the biggest engagement number came from Synchronized Banners with an almost 60 second engagement time.

As for the advertising categories which were more interesting to consumers, Unicast found that CPG brands (56 seconds of engagement), Sporting Goods (50 seconds) and Technology (36 seconds) were the most engaging segments. For interaction Retail/General (8.8) and Beverages/Spirits (9) were the leading segments; interaction was measured on a 10 point scale.