Summary
In early 2015, AceMetrix analyzed 167 promoted Twitter posts across multiple industry verticals including automotive, CPG, financial services, and retail. They assessed the creative effectiveness of each ad, coded various creative elements across each, and then linked that with Twitter user viewing behavior.
Their headlines:
- The best performing ads were nine times more likely to keep consumers’ eyeballs to the end than lowest performing ads.
- On average, across a range of video lengths from under :20 to more than :90, half the viewers watched the first :10.
- While shorter ads entertain and keep people’s attention, longer ads tended to be better liked and, not surprisingly, communicated more information.
By coding the content and creative elements of all the test ads, AceMetrix and Twitter offered these three Best Practices to develop great creative:
- HOOK VIEWERS EARLY: Top videos hooked viewers at the outset, giving them an impetus to want to keep watching, i.e., capture attention at the beginning to hook them
- ENGAGE VISUALLY: Include noteworthy concepts, visuals, or a well-known celebrity to draw in viewers and compel them to want to keep watching
- FOLLOW ME: Nearly half of top ads featured "sequential visuals" that led to a "resolution" (people wanted to stick around to see what happened). These ads featured a tutorial, noteworthy visuals, and/or a celebrity all in an organized fashion that was easy to follow and entertaining for viewers.
