Vevo, IPG Find Strong Ad Receptivity With OTT Viewers

Viewers engage with culturally relevant videos such as J Balvin's 'Amarillo' particularly while watching OTT. (Image credit: Vevo)

Viewers watching music videos on over-the-top devices say they’re receptive to ads, according to a study conducted by Vevo and Magna and the IPG Media Lab.

The study looked at U.S. audiences and different cultures and found that all tended to share and co-view content more when watching on OTT devices compared to desktops, mobile, laptops and even linear TV.

When the content was culturally relevant, viewers stayed tuned in longer, with 37% watching for an hour or more. 

While watching music content on OTT devices, more than 60% of the people in each cultural group said they would be receptive to ads.

“With recent findings showing that 79% of Vevo’s CTV content is being co-viewed, it’s important for us to understand the nuances of audience behaviors in order to pass on these insights with our clients and partners,” said Bryon Schafer, senior VP of research at Vevo.

“No screen is seeing a greater surge in Vevo viewership than the television, which has seen an increase of over 20% since March of this year with 61M viewers exclusively engaging on connected TV screens. Modeling user behavior against our content and go-to-market strategies keep us in tune with our global audiences. We’ve really enjoyed finding out exactly what makes viewers tune in – and stay tuned in to the content they watch,” Schafer said.

While there were some similarities, across cultural groups, there were also notable differences.

Among Asians, older audiences are more likely to seek out informative videos for task-based viewing sessions across all devices. Meanwhile younger Asian audiences are more likely to watch binge-friendly genres, like music, resulting in longer viewing periods of over an hour across all devices.

African-American audience watch binge-worthy content for longer periods of time. However, unlike younger Asian audiences, younger black viewers tend to watch content in shorter spurts of less than 30 minutes, likely driven by higher levels of mobile usage. Black viewers are the most likely audience to seek out music and sports content. OTT is the leading device to resonate with Black viewers at their most engaged with 63% of audiences being receptive to ads on this device.

Among Hispanics, English dominant and bilingual Hispanic viewers tend to have longer watch time, while Spanish dominant audiences watch for mid-length sessions of 30-59 minutes. 60% of Hispanic viewers watching music on OTT are receptive to ads.

The report concludes that you can reach viewers in their most engaged state when they’re watching videos that relate to them culturally--they’re attentive and receptive.

“Our Cultural Dimensions study reinforced the idea that social media platforms have helped propagate and influence the conversation on culture.  So the merging of our datasets with IPG Media Lab’s and MAGNA’s helps to bring new multicultural insights into how we think about creating smarter strategies for data analysis, planning, creative and more,” says Deidre Smalls-Landau, U.S. chief marketing officer and global head of culture for UM, on of the IPG media agencies that works with Magna and the IPG Media Lab.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.