The fourth quarter of 2015 saw a 40% bump in video ad calls across all screens, with a 74% jump in ads bought for mobile, and a 15% drop in ads for desktops, according to data from video ad software company Tremor Video.
Looking at what buyers were buying and what sellers were selling on its programmatic video ad platform to end the year, Tremor saw three of four ad buyers running campaigns across multiple screens.
But Tremor also saw a potential problem: 91% of buyers were running 30-second ads on mobile platforms, eschewing shorter, 15-second spots that play better on mobile, according to Ariane Gut, VP and head of insights and analytics for Tremor Video.
“It’s clear that buyers understand the importance of reaching an increasingly mobile audience, but it’s surprising to see that 91% of them are using repurposed TV spots to fulfill this goal,” she said. “There is a huge disconnect in terms of understanding how much the performance of a campaign can suffer when content is not adapted to fit the mobile experience.
“This is especially pertinent for entertainment marketers, whose video content is most frequently viewed on mobile devices, whether streaming, in social media or any other form. The user experience is different, and the content should match to minimize viewer’s disruption.”
That adjustment to mobile is important: Tremor reported that ad sellers increasingly monetized their mobile inventory in the fourth quarter, with open auctions growing 100%, and guaranteed deals jumping more than 150%.
Tremor’s data mirrors a similar report released March 15 from Time-owned ad technology company Viant, which found that a fifth of all ad impressions in 2015 were via mobile devices, up nearly 60% over 2014.
