If you’re looking to maximize your reach and impact in just six seconds, then bumper ads are the way to go. Bumper ads are six-second non-skippable in-stream ads that drive reach, frequency, and brand awareness. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the benefits of bumper ads and how you can use them to drive brand awareness and engagement.

What Are Bumper Ads?

Bumper ads are short video ads that run for just six seconds. They’re non-skippable, meaning that viewers don’t have the option to skip the ad. They’re designed to be mobile-friendly and work well on small screens. Bumpers are available on YouTube and Google Video Partners, and they have the lowest CPM among in-stream video formats.

Bumpers are bought on a target cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM) through Google Ads (auction or advance buy), Display & Video 360, or Google Preferred. They serve predominantly on mobile and deliver more reach than any other ad format. Bumpers work well as both a complement to TrueView in-stream and Google Preferred, while also making an impact as a standalone video solution.

Why Use Bumper Ads?

Bumper ads are a great way to drive maximum reach, brand impact, and high attention in just six seconds. Here are some of the key benefits of using bumper ads:

Maximum Reach

Bumpers ads are able to reach users who are usually on the go and not ready to watch your longer TrueView ad. The efficient CPM of bumpers (25% to 40% cheaper than TrueView in-stream CPV) enables you to reach more users than with any other YouTube format.

Brand Impact

Bumpers deliver comparable brand impact to TrueView in-stream, particularly for upper-funnel metrics such as ad recall and awareness.

High Attention

Bumper ads capture audience’s attention in just six seconds. This ad format has high completion rates as well as industry-leading viewability and audibility rates.

How to Maximize Impact with Bumper Ads?

To maximize your impact with bumper ads, here are some tips to consider:

1. Focus on a Single, Simple Purpose: Bumpers are built for mobile, delivering brand messages as a quick hit to viewers on the go. With only seconds to convey a message, make it clear and single-minded from the start.
2. Budget Time to Establish the Ad: As your ad starts, it can take viewers a moment to orient. Build context by opening with a striking visual that immediately transports your viewer to your brand space. Sticking the landing usually requires about two seconds to give the final thought or call-to-action time to sink in.
3. Consider Remarketing: For campaigns that use bumper ads, consider remarketing to audiences used in campaigns with longer creative using your data segments. This strategy helps to build frequency and increase lift in brand awareness for new and lapsed customers.
4. Considerations for Creative Effectiveness

Consider these aspects when designing bumpers for ad recall and brand awareness:

1. Branding: Ads that include the product on-screen had higher ad recall.
2. Audio: Stronger brand response is found from ads that are audible and viewable, compared to ads that are viewable only.
3. Breaking the Fourth Wall: Ads with a person speaking directly to the camera had higher ad recall.
4. Supers & Voice Overs: Some care must be exercised in how information is communicated in such a short time. Text slides, subtitles, and other supers are associated with lower brand awareness. Voiceovers are also associated with lower brand awareness.

How to measure the effectiveness of bumpers

It’s important to measure the effectiveness of your bumper ads to understand their impact on your audience and make improvements to future campaigns. Here are some key metrics to track:

Ad recall

Bumpers have been found to be highly effective at driving ad recall. Track how well your audience remembers your ad after seeing it.

Brand lift

Bumpers can also drive brand lift, so it’s important to track how much more aware or favorable your audience is towards your brand after seeing your ad.

Viewability and audibility rates

Bumpers have industry-leading viewability and audibility rates, so make sure you’re tracking these metrics to ensure your ads are being seen and heard.

Completion rates

Bumpers have high completion rates, which means most people who see your ad will watch it all the way through. Track this metric to understand how engaging your ad is to your audience.

Click-through rates

While bumper ads are not designed to drive clicks, you may still want to track click-through rates to see if your ad is driving any additional engagement with your brand.

Conclusion

In conclusion, bumper ads are a highly effective way to reach your audience and drive brand awareness. By creating short, memorable ads, you can capture your audience’s attention in just six seconds and make a lasting impression. By measuring the effectiveness of your bumper ads, you can continually improve your campaigns and drive even better results.