5 Key Video Ad Formats Event Marketers Are Using Right Now on YouTube

YouTube offers a range of compelling video advertising formats to engage customers in different ways on YouTube and video partner sites.

YouTube is the second largest search engine platform behind Google, generating more than 800M views daily. There are around 1.8 billion users visiting YouTube every month.

The audience on YouTube varies between demographics, the largest group is between 25 and 34, followed by those between 35 and 44. 49% of 65+ year-olds in the US use YouTube, and users spend 18 minutes watching video content every day (Omnicore).

YouTube Ads Best Practice

Keep video ads between 15 and 60 seconds
Captivate, relate, and associate
Show your brand in action
Design ads for mobile
Tell viewers what you want them to do

Here are 5 video ad formats marketers are using right now to promote their events:

In-stream ads

You can see in-stream ads when video content is played before, during, or after the main video on YouTube or other platforms. In-stream ads can be both skippable and non-skippable. In the first scenario, a viewer can skip the video. These ads help establish brand awareness, reach leads and customers, and drive organic traffic to a website.

Instream format and example of video campaigns by Tag Digital:

Graphic showing skippable In stream ads.

Graphic showing unskippable Instream ads.

example creatives of in stream ads on campaigns run by Tag Digital.

Bumper ads

These are unskippable 6-second ads that can appear before, during, or after the main video on YouTube, sites, and apps. Brands that use bumper ads pay for them based on the number of ad impressions. If a company strives to reach out to its target audience with a clear and short message, this type is a perfect choice.

Graphic showing video ad fromat - unskippable Instream ads on youtube.

Video discovery ads

Usually can be found in related YouTube videos, YouTube search results, or on the YouTube homepage for mobile devices. The ad includes a thumbnail (a snapshot of a video) and short text. The length of this promotional video can vary depending on the placement, but this ad type always contains an invitation to watch the video.

Graphic showing video ad format - discovery ads.

Out-stream video ads

Mobile-only ads that users can find outside of YouTube. Out-stream video ads appear in apps and partner websites. You can easily recognise out-stream ads since they play with a sound-off. If a viewer is interested in the promoted product, this person can tap the video to unmute it and receive all the necessary information. This video ad type is perfect for companies that need to increase their reach at an affordable price and boost brand awareness.

Masthead ads

The format is perfect for promoting a new product and boosting awareness. It will help reach a wide audience and create a buzz within a short timeframe. Viewers can see an advertising video playing automatically with the sound off for around 30 seconds at the top of the YouTube Home feed.

Read our full deep dive into how to utilise video advertising for succesful event marketing covering the benefits of video ads, best practices and more on the video marketing funnel.
Tag Digital can help create your video ads, find out more about our video service here or get in touch today.