Unruly Launches New Video Lab To Help Advertisers Survive Ad Blocking Phenomenon

• Video ad tech company launches ‘Future Video Lab’ at its US HQ in New York to help advertisers create video ads people want to watch and share rather than avoid
• New consumer survey highlights pain points facing digital advertisers and publishers, with more than half of US consumers likely or very likely to use ad blocking software

NEW YORK – September 24, 2015 – Video ad tech company Unruly has launched a new video lab designed to help advertisers deal with the increase in ad blocking software.

A new survey from the tech company has found that that 90% of US consumers would consider using ad blocking software in the future because they think there are too many ads (59%), they are sick of seeing the same ad (52%) and they find ads which “follow them” around the web “creepy” (59%).

The results highlight the growing issues faced by advertisers who are struggling to engage their target audiences online.  A recent YouGov survey found that trust in advertising is at an all-time low, and McKinsey has cited that word of mouth is still the primary factor behind 20-50% of all purchasing decisions.

To help advertisers deal with the rise in ad blocking, the company has launched the Unruly Future Video Lab at its New York City office, ahead of Advertising Week.  The Unruly Future Video Lab provides brands and agencies with an interactive overview of the online video ecosystem, customized real-time data for brands and agencies and best practices on how to use targeting and distribution strategies to cut through the clutter and deliver ads that beat the ad blockers and earn consumer attention.

“Our Lab addresses some of the huge challenges facing the ad industry right now. There is so much video content being pumped out by brands into people’s newsfeeds and social feeds, it’s no wonder that people are feeling overwhelmed,” said Unruly’s US President Richard Kosinski. “We’re hurtling towards an ‘ad-pocalypse’, where there’s a risk that internet users will abandon advertising if brands abuse their relationship with consumers. But we are not there yet. We launched the Unruly Future Video Lab to help advertisers reconnect with their target audiences and restore this trust.”

Unruly co-founder and Co-CEO Sarah Wood said: “The key to reconnecting with consumers is to forge an authentic, emotional connection, and make advertising a more collaborative experience. The data in the Future Video Lab, helps brands to power up their video content and ensure their video distribution strategy doesn’t alienate the very audience they’re trying to attract.

“The digital video advertising landscape has evolved so rapidly  – with viewability, mobile audience data and ad avoidance all becoming critical pain points –  that we saw an urgent need to help our clients future-proof their digital video advertising strategies.”

Key findings from the survey – which asked 3,200 consumers from around the world what they want from video advertising online – include:

• 30% of US consumers are likely and 22% are very likely to use ad blockers in future, while a total of 90% would consider using them in the future;
• American consumers like to be in control of their advertising viewing, with 71% citing control as very important, and 63% saying they are “annoyed” with brands that advertise using forced pre-roll formats;
• Consistency of brand behavior in advertising is most important to Americans with 74% wanting ads to embody brand values;
• The majority (81%) of US internet users, reveal they regularly put video ads on mute.

Unruly is also a Founding Supporter of the University of South Australia’s new Centre for Digital Video Intelligence (CDVI). Led by Dr. Karen Nelson-Field the CDVI will help to translate ad:tech research into tangible insights that maximize return on digital spend, which will help Unruly deliver intelligence to its clients. Dr. Nelson-Field, and her team will be using Unruly’s data to help answer research questions.

She said: “Unruly was the first industry partner to support my research some five years ago. It seems only fitting that we celebrate the launch of our center dedicated to fostering the growth of the online video sector with those who supported my vision.

“Industry partners bring such relevancy to academic research adding perspective to our rigorous investigations. Our research agenda focuses on big questions about content creation and impact, mechanisms for distribution and viewability. Research that will drive accountability from platforms and efficiency for brands.”

You can download the survey findings and Unruly’s Future Video Manifesto below. If you would like to book a tour, please email labtour@unrulygroup.com.

Methodology

The Unruly Future Video Survey surveyed 3,200 internet users from the US, UK, Germany, Australia, Sweden, France, Indonesia and Japan.

UNRULY, UNRULY SHARERANK, UNRULY ACTIVATE, UNRULY VIRAL VIDEO CHART and logos and associated marks are trademarks of Unruly Group. Other marks are owned by their respective owners.

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About Unruly

Unruly is the ad tech company that gets videos watched, tracked and shared across the Open Web. Positioned at the intersect of video, social, native & mobile, Unruly uses emotional audience data and user-friendly video formats to massively increase viewer engagement, brand performance & publisher revenues.

With 3 out of every 4 video views now taking place outside of YouTube, 84% of Ad Age 100 brands have already used Unruly to connect with audiences at speed and scale across the Open Web.

Differentiated by a unique data set of 2 trillion video views and powered by a full tech stack, Unruly adds value by algorithmically evaluating content shareability and programmatically targeting custom audiences. Viewability is 100% guaranteed to an audience of 1.3 billion monthly unique users across mobile, tablet and desktop devices. UnrulyX is the first supply-side platform (SSP) for mobile video to offer scaled delivery of native ad formats and guarantee the viewability of premium video impressions bought via RTB.

Unruly employs 200 people across 15 offices, with regional HQs in London, New York and Singapore. Its super power is emotional ad tech. Its secret weapon is passionate people on a mission to #DeliverWow.

About the University of South Australia

With more than 32,500 students, the University of South Australia is a globally-focused, locally-engaged institution established on the dual principles of equity and excellence. It is South Australia’s largest university and was the youngest Australian institution named in the top 50 of 100 global universities aged under 50 by Times Higher Education in 2015 and is also ranked by QS in the top 50 aged under 50. UniSA’s enterprising approach is underpinned by deep engagement with industry and the professions with more than 2000 collaborations and partnerships across industry, government and business worldwide.