YouTube Introducing Unskippable Ads

Google has announced that it is set to introduce unskippable ads to YouTube videos, in the form of six-second “bumper ads”. The length of the new ads is only one second longer than it takes for the current “skip now” button to appear on YouTube’s most common pre-video adverts, so the initiative is unlikely to stir more than a minor groan from YouTube users.

“[T]oday we’re announcing Bumper ads – a new six-second video format, sold through the AdWords auction on a CPM basis,” a post on the Google AdWords blog reads. “Bumper ads are ideal for driving incremental reach and frequency, especially on mobile, where “snackable videos” perform well.”

Google uses the following video as an example of a bumper ad:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0llZBNx8pL4

The above example is certainly preferable to the handful of minutes-long adverts on YouTube that cannot be skipped. Hopefully, Google will offer advertisers incentives to choose bumper ads over the longer, unskippable alternatives.

“Given the succinct nature of the format, we’ve seen Bumper ads work best when combined with a TrueView or Google Preferred campaign,” the post adds. “In early tests, Bumpers drove strong lift in upper funnel metrics like recall, awareness and consideration. We also see that Bumpers work well to drive incremental reach and frequency when paired with a TrueView campaign.”

Google describes the new bumper ad format as “quick and fun,” like “little haikus of video ads,” in a vain attempt to sell the idea as art. YouTube bumper ads are set to make their debut in May this year.