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Today, MAGNA Media Trials, MAGNA’s industry-leading proprietary research offering, and Roku, announced a new study in partnership with the Roku Brand Studio that finds new video ad formats in TV streaming are 2X more favorable than traditional TV ads for consumers.
The Beyond the :30 on Streaming TV report examines how marketers can make TV streaming ad experiences more engaging and impactful than traditional TV ads.
The study tested three new ‘Beyond the :30’ video ad formats:
- Thematic Tagged Vignette: A :30 second animated ad where a brand celebrates streaming.
- Roku Original Vignette: A :30 second ad where a brand references the Roku Original show being streamed.
- Watch Alongs: Ad breaks where a brand sponsors discussion about the show or movie being streamed.
All three ‘Beyond the :30’ ads delivered stronger results than traditional TV ads for top-of-mind brand recall (+57% ‘Beyond the :30’ vs. +43% traditional), brand favorability (+8% vs. +3%), and intent to search (+16% vs.+ 9%). These results demonstrate the strong promise of ‘Beyond the :30’ ads, including enhancing brand awareness and promoting purchases.
“In the current advertising environment, it is important to recognize that viewers can easily skip over advertising, but our study found they are less likely to do so if the ads are as entertaining as the programming and present a more enjoyable experience," said Kara Manatt, EVP, Managing Director, Intelligence Solutions, MAGNA. "One of the most memorable formats for viewers is Watch Alongs, likely because the advertiser is offering the viewer added value to the show they are watching."
Key findings from Beyond the :30 on Streaming TV include:
- Thematic Tagged Vignettes catch attention: 65% of respondents agreed that the spots “taught me something new,” besting traditional spots by some 20 points.
- Roku Original Vignettes triple return on purchase intent: +10% purchase intent for Roku Originals Vignettes vs +3% for traditional TV ads.
- Watch Alongs improve recall: 66% top-of-mind ad recall for Watch Alongs vs. 39% for traditional ads.
What does this mean for advertisers?
Marketers want to stand out in the shift to TV streaming, and viewers are looking for new ad experiences on TV streaming. On Roku, brands can lean into new ad formats that create a more valuable and enjoyable experience for maximum impact.
“The takeaway for marketers is clear -- the key to winning the entire streamers’ journey is surprising and delighting beyond the traditional TV spot,” said Asaf Davidov, Director, Head of Ad Measurement and Research at Roku.
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The research involved multiple brands representing different verticals, including T-Mobile and Subaru. An at-home panel of 1,316 viewers was divided into randomized exposed and control groups, who watched content of their choice interspersed with streaming-specific advertising and traditional advertising. Following the content-viewing experience, viewers were surveyed to assess the impact on brand key performance indicators, or KPIs, and to learn more through consumers’ points of view.
