Google is rolling out a new ad format for YouTube which will be short and unskippable. Google is calling me these ad units “Bumper” ads and they will appear just before videos that you watch on your phone or tablet.
“Recent research has shown that half of 18-49 year olds turn to their mobile device first to watch video… That’s why today we’re announcing Bumper ads – a new six-second video format, sold through the AdWords auction on a CPM basis.”
The new ad unit is expected to roll out in May and will be so short that you Google will not allow you to skip them. At six seconds in length, you may not even be quick enough to skip them if the option was available. By comparison, a long-form video allows you to skip after five seconds, so at six seconds Google is not asking people to stretch their attention spans too far.
Does that mean we won’t see the usual pre-roll longer form ads on mobile devices anymore? Not likely, as Google actually suggests its new Bumper ads work best when combined with other YouTube ads. This suggests that you may see ads of all varieties of length when watching a video on your mobile device.
If you want to see what a six second ad looks like in action, Audi Germany and Atlantic Records are currently testing the new ad format before it rolls out to the masses. You can also see certain Vine stars uploading six second sponsored clips. This is an indication that Google is targeting the young, mobile-first audience with this ad unit.
