Knowing the outsized impact of creative on driving sales, we’re launching video experiments globally in Google Ads over the next several weeks. These experiments are easy to set up and quick to deliver results you can act on. So whether you’re looking to understand the impact of different video ads on Brand Lift, conversions or CPAs, you too can make more informed decisions that improve your results on YouTube.
In global studies we ran in 2019 and 2020, advertisers who successfully used creative experiments to optimize upper funnel impact saw a 60% higher ad recall from the better performing creative. And those who used experiments to optimize for lower funnel performance saw a 30% lower median cost-per-acquisition from the better performing creative. (Successful experiments were those with a significant difference in Brand Lift between experiment arms.)
A creative test entails showing two distinctly different video ads to the same audience. You may choose to experiment with different visual language elements like framing, pacing, brightness or text. That’s what India-based life insurance company Aegon Life did. By experimenting with different text overlays, they were able to drive 139% more conversions and 23% lower CPA.
Here are three easy experiments, all of which borrow from our best practices for video ads, that can help you find your creative sweet spot on YouTube:
- Supersize text. Does making text elements (including logos) bigger drive more brand awareness?
- Tighten framing. Does zooming in on important subjects, whether they’re people or products, drive higher consideration?
- Make it easy to buy. Does placing the call to action at the beginning of the video drive more conversions than placing it at the end?
To learn how to set up a successful video experiment, follow the steps in the Help Center guide.
Posted by Ammar Ibrahim, Product Manager, YouTube Ads