The last few months of the year it’s always a busy time when all budgets have to be spent by the last end of the year. In this period there are also a lot of special days such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Sinterklaas (Dutch), Christmas and New Year. To get the attention of the consumer all advertisers are present online. The one way to make impact as an advertiser is the use of Rich Media. Within Rich Media there are different formats with different objectives. It is therefore advisable to choose the right formats that matches the target group and campaign objectives. To facilitate this choice, we have made a benchmark analysis of popular Rich Media formats.
We will explain the benchmarks based on four metrics: CTR, Engagement Rate, Interaction rate and viewability. CTR is the click through rate, Engagement rate is based on all user intended interactions (clicks, buttons, video controls), Interaction rate is a combination of Engagement and Mouseover (dwells). Finally, viewability is included according to MRC standards (1 sec active view, min. 50%). Of course, the objectives per advertiser are different (branding, reach, leads, sales) and are not taken into account.
APTO
First of all, the most popular format by far; the APTO (Automated Homepage Take Over). Of the entire row of formats, the APTO has the best results, except to visibility. These results are all even higher than the previous benchmark article from Q3. The CTR has an absolute increase of 30.65% compared to Q3. The User Interaction Rate is also by far the highest at the APTO of 25.15%.
Because the APTO is most often used, we also split these into the three possible options. These are skins in combination with a Fullwidth Header, Billboard or a Leaderboard. The Fullwidth Header generally has the best results, but the billboard has the best Engagement Rate.
Mid- and Interscroller
The Interscroller scores as well excellent results. The Midscroller is included in this analysis. The Midscroller is the new version of the Interscroller. We now see this format more often, because some publishers allow less high intrusive formats. The Midscroller works exactly the same as the mobile Interscroller but has a maximum viewport size (height) of 250px (where this is 100% for the standard Interscroller).
Billboard
The Billboard can also be used without skins. It’s a steady format that always produces good results. The Billboard also allows many variations such as the Frekkel game of the State Lottery which contributes to the User Interaction Rate. The results in Q4 also just slightly higher than in Q3.
Mobile
With the mobile formats, the results have not changed much compared to Q3. It is striking that more creatives are being made specific for mobile use. The parallax also belongs to this type and is an in-app version of the Interscroller. We also see the framescroller getting used more. In this format is an element in the banner that moves on-scroll. The movement is noticeable and a reason for the high visibility in mobile formats.
Superheader
The Superheader is a format that is not yet very well known, but is gradually being used more and more, partly through Impact. This format generates good results and is a cross-device. So, if you want a cost-effective and high impact format, the Superheader is a format that can be delivered on desktop, tablet and mobile.
OVX
The OVX (Outsream Video Experience) has a Visibility of 89.35% and therefore the best choice if the goal is to achieve a high Visibility. This video template is also good to use to get an interaction with the user. As we all know, video can no longer be ignored in online advertising.
What is striking is that the Engagement Rate in this period, in all sizes, is drastically lower than in Q3. These are all very close to each other between 0.01 and 0.04%. This may be because in December a lot is advertised by the many special days this month. This fact is reflected in the number of campaigns for Black Friday. In 2018 the number of campaigns increased by 50% this day compared to 2017 (hosted by Weborama).
Overall, the formats that were used most during the year are still popular by the end of 2018. In the meantime, some formats have been added, such as the Midscroller that was included in this analysis. We expect to add some nice new formats to our portfolio this year.
If you want to know more about these formats and where they can be used look for inspiration in our showcase and contact us. If you are in Amsterdam, be sure to score a coffee if you are in the neighborhood of Keizersgracht 256.
