• by Daisy Whitney , Op-Ed Contributor, October 5, 2012

Pre-rolls dominate online video, but other formats are gaining traction including interactive video ads, which have grown five times in volume in the first half of the year. That finding comes from video ad-serving platform Vindico, which analyzed more than 6 billion video ad impressions in its just-released report from the second quarter of this year, and 12 billion total video ads for the first half of the year.

Interactive video ads comprise 6% of video ads so far this year, up from 2% for all of last year, Vindico said. However, the interactive video share in the month of June ticked up to 11%, suggesting that interactive ad volume will grow more throughout the year, especially since January’s share of interactive video ads was 2%. That’s a five times increase in interactive video ad volume then for the first half of the year.

Vindico also found that impressions on full-episode-player sites, such as Hulu or CBS.com, comprised 29% of the ads delivered in the second quarter. That’s down from 40% in the first quarter. However, full-episode player sites have the highest completion rates for video ads, indicating the audience on those sites may be more engaged. The ad completion rate on full-episode-player sites is about 93%, Vindico said. That compares to an 84% completion rate for a video portal like YouTube or Vevo, 83% for a business or news site, 74% for a portal, 73% for a lifestyle site, and 68% for an ad network. However, video portals have the highest click-through rates for video ads at 1.75%, with all the others at about 1% or below. That’s an important metric to keep in mind for advertisers who may want to experiment with new types of creative or with ads with interactive features. The most receptive audience for those features may be on a video portal.

Vindico also found that the completion rate for ads is higher in long-form content — about 91% versus 73% for short-form.

As advertisers boost the use of interactive video spots they should bear in mind four tips, Vindico said. A clear call to action is vital; a bigger player size can yield better results; site placement matters; and when giving users options to click, have them click on an ad not away from it.