Media Coordinator Molly Nickel has a love of all things digital media. An online advertising internship in college spurred her interest in the field, and she hasn’t looked back. Originally from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Molly graduated from the University of South Carolina with a B.A. in public relations.

Recently YouTube announced a new ad format they are calling “little haikus of video ads.” If you watch mobile and video trends closely, the introduction of these six-second, unskippable video ads known as Bumpers likely is not a surprise.

How We Got Here

A study by Forbes last year showed that time spent on mobile increased 117 percent from 2014 to 2015. YouTube took the research a bit further and brought video into the mix. Fifty percent of 18- to 49-year-olds turn to their mobile device first to watch online video. YouTube can boast about another impressive statistic: it is now reaching more 18- to 49-year-olds than any TV network – broadcast or cable – on mobile.

Consumer actions are supporting the need for video as part of an integrated mobile campaign. A whopping 74 percent are watching brand channels on YouTube weekly, and 63 percent have taken action because of either a brand or creator video they have seen.

How It Works

YouTube’s new six-second Bumper ad format will allow brands to reach consumers in a “snackable” format on mobile – one that fits in with the shorter attention span most are seeing with smartphone users. Sold through AdWords on a CPM basis, Google views the new format as the perfect complement to a TrueView or Google Preferred campaign. Combined, the two ad types allow brands to see strong lift in multiple metrics. Bumpers drive a strong lift in recall, awareness and consideration, while longer TrueView formats drive favorability and purchase intent.

Tips for Success

The key to succeeding with this new format is keeping it simple. Six seconds goes quickly, so the Bumpers are best used for short and sharp content that will capture the viewer’s attention.

When tested in Germany, Atlantic Records found that using Bumpers in combination with TrueView worked more effectively than either format on its own. The Bumper was used to give quick insight into a featured artist and was followed by a TrueView video that gave the full story on the band and song. Brands would be smart to follow Atlantic Records’ lead, as I believe this strategy will be the best way to incorporate Bumpers into a current video campaign.

As this format rolls out to Google AdWords users in May, we will begin to see the creative ways the advertising community uses Bumpers to reach their audiences. I can’t wait to see how this format is used in the future.