Mastheads and Non-Skippable In-Stream Ads

Question 1

Mastheads and Non-Skippable In-Stream Ads are a good option for advertiser’s who previously invested a lot in tv?

Answer 1

True, and for advertisers with massive reach and awareness goals.

Question 2

Which bidding strategies can be chosen within masthead ads?

Answer 2

The masthead runs on the YouTube homepage and home feed — a marquee placement.

• CPD: On the days that matter most to them, advertisers can reach the immense YouTube audience with massive, single-day reach across both desktop and mobile devices.
• CPM: Advertisers can also buy the masthead slot on the home feed on CPM, which enables the use of audience solutions. It’s the same powerful creative unit, but advertisers can reserve this premium real estate for the audience members that matter most.

Question 3

What are benefits of Masthead ads?

Answer 3

• Drive awareness
• Focus on high impact placement for greater visibility
• Reach a massive audience in a short amount of time. Normally around a tentpole event

Question 4

What are Non-Skippable In-Stream Ads?

Answer 4

Non-skippable in-stream ads drive awareness and reach your target audience.

• Available in auction or as a reservation buy
• Industry-standard 15 seconds or less non-skippable video ad (20 seconds or less available in certain markets)
• Most similar to TV ads
• Available on YouTube and Google Video Partners (Google Ads and Display & Video 360)

Question 5

What are the differences between reservation and auction non-skippable in-stream ads?

Answer 5

• An auction buy has lower CPMs, advanced audience capabilities, and a more flexible self-managed campaign in Google Ads or Display & Video 360. The ad also can run across YouTube and Google Video Partners.

Reservation does offer guaranteed impressions but does have higher CPMs and more limited audience options.

Question 6

What are the benefits of Non-Skippable In-Stream Ads?

Answer 6

• They are now available on auction which allows for a lower CPM and more flexible buy
• Non-Skippable in-stream can compliment TV campaigns and provide incremental reach

Question 7

What about Non-Skippable 30-second ads?

Answer 7

On YouTube, we’ve found that non-skippable 30-second ads are those that viewers liked the least. When viewers are forced to watch longer ads, they tend to get annoyed and that can be damaging for brands. Longer ads can still work, but advertisers have to earn a viewer’s attention. So, in an effort to shift our focus to more user-friendly formats, we decided to sunset standard reserve non-skippable 30-second ads in 2017.

Question 8

What are the top takeaways?

Answer 8

• Masthead provides massive reach in a short period of time, typically around a tentpole event or product launch.
• Non-skippable in-stream ads are available on auction and reservation, and offer the ability to share the entire message with the audience.