• by Daisy Whitney , Op-Ed Contributor, February 17, 2012

Who said we don’t like ads? In 2011, consumers chose to watch ads more than 2.75 billion times. We’re not talking pre-rolls or overlays here, either. These are user-initiated smackeroos on the play button to watch a branded video, according to a Visible Measures report on social video.

What’s particularly eye-popping about social video is its growth. The 2.75 billion views in 2011 is up from 2 billion in 2010, and up from 830 million views in 2009.

These figures don’t includes movie trailers. Separating out trailers gives a more authentic view of consumer interest in branded video. Visible Measures pointed out that about 1.5 billion views in the three-year period measured came from users spoofing, mashing, copying or reposting ads, underscoring consumer interest and engagement in a brand.

Breaking down the figures, Visible Measures found that more than 500 branded video campaigns generated more than 1 million views last year, representing about 1 in every 12 campaigns passing the 1 million view figure. Automotive advertisers were the busiest in making social videos and snared 265 million views and an average of 910, 000 views per campaign, but cell phone makers were among the most popular and averaged 2.3 million views per campaign.

Social Video Stats from 2009 to 2011:

—In 2011, more than 40 campaigns generated 10 million views, up from 33 in 2010 and 16 in 2009.

—More than 500 campaigns topped 1 million views in 2011, up from 360+ in 2010. In 2009, only 154 campaigns saw 1 million views.

—The average social video campaign generated 765,000 views in 2011, up from 460,000 in 2009.

—In 2011, the average brand generated more than 1.2 million views. In 2009, that figure was 720,000 views.