Brands Getting the Memo on Vertical Video Ads as Consumer Preference

Whatever your concerns may be about Snapchat nowadays, it's undeniable the app has left its mark on mobile video and ad consumption. One of the biggest ways you see its impact is with vertical video, which IAB is now pushing as the way forward, with or without Snap. As always, brand safety and ad transparency also took center stage this week, as nearly 50% of marketers listed fraud as their top programmatic concern in a recent survey.If "everyone" is addressing fraud so well right now, why is it still such a big issue? For marketers, it might require a little more diligence to determine who actually has your best interests in mind on the ad front.Your full rundown of mobile and online video ad industry happenings are below. See anything else we need to know about? Let us know.Mobile Ad Trends: Ad Fraud Tops Transparency Concerns [NetImperative]The survey uncovered that 49.6% of marketers view ad fraud as the leading concern within programmatic advertising. When asked about ad fraud specifically, 50% were “very concerned” and 41% were “somewhat concerned,” making up 91% of those surveyed. The survey also found that 28.7% of respondents also stated “ad viewability” was their main concern, tying into the recent news surrounding domain spoofing and misplaced ad inventory.IAB to Brands: Here’s How to Embrace Vertical Video [MediaPost]One key finding is that vertical video takes up 100% of a phone’s screen when playing, compared to about 25% of the screen when a regular horizontal video is being played vertically. Users may rotate their phone to landscape mode for content they want to watch, but are less likely to do so for an ad. IAB recommends that brands think about shooting ads specifically in a vertical format, or at least shooting with a vertical format in mind, by keeping the talent or action in the center of the frame.Publishers Need to Step Up to Get a Clean Slate [AdExchanger]As with any good business deal, everyone needs to win: Publishers want a fair price, advertisers want the right audiences and agencies want to effectively measure their work. Transparency has been the industry’s word of the year but without much change in the status quo so far. The conversation has been led by big advertisers and their name CMOs. It’s time for publishers to step up and become more involved in the industry self-regulation that’s being driven by the IAB.DSPs are Under Pressure to Adopt Ads.txt [Digiday]The Trade Desk’s adoption of ads.txt also puts further stress on publishers to correct basic flaws in their ads.txt files and eliminate misspellings, said David Lee, programmatic lead at ad agency The Richards Group. Publishers that botch the spellings of their supply-side platforms are now more likely to lose out on demand for their inventory since DSPs may not account for spelling mistakes when they check who is authorized to sell.With Browsers Playing God, Publishers Must Find New Religion [AdExchanger]We’re done with talks of the duopoly. With mobile video exploding and TV turning digital, there are at least five, if not 10, big companies that will affect publisher revenue in the future, including Apple and Amazon. The right way to profit in the long haul is to stay above board and partner, partner, partner. Publishers can’t rely on the tech giants to keep them afloat. They need to work together to make it easier for advertisers to buy at scale without a middleman.Brands Shouldn’t Try to Disrupt People’s Days [HuffPost]It must be recognised that it’s not just the brands that have created such a mess, but the agencies who put them out there. Too often, self-interest has been the driver behind the services the agencies provide. The communication loop that connects brands and their customers has been contrived to require an expensive and dysfunctional array of platforms and activities, which are inserted into the process wherever possible. It seems that many agencies are focusing on selling themselves rather than driving sales for the brand. Technology and Creativity Can Help Each Other Rediscover the Passion in the Ad Industry [The Drum]He also thinks marketers can do a better job of getting creative agencies more interested in technology and data by taking a different approach. Simply “chucking insights” at them will not work. “We have to get better at understanding the insight and deliver what we think is going to be engaging to an audience rather than simply seeing it as an insight without emotion.”The Importance of Innovative Ad Formats [Mobile Marketing Magazine]For brands, there are essentially two ways of catching someone’s attention: Either they were already interested in the product you’re selling or have some familiarity with it, or it’s being packaged in such a way that it piques their interest. The best ads are able to connect with the consumer in a new way, whether by displaying content that the consumer will find interesting, or through interactive aspects and functions that the consumer can engage with.Publishers are Using Advertiser Trust Concerns to Their Advantage [Digiday]Brands like Jaguar Land Rover are all for publisher-client direct deals. The carmaker is among those increasing efforts to work directly with publishers to help bring transparency to its buys. Speaking at the Festival of Marketing last month, Dominic Chambers, JLR’s global head of digital marketing, criticized the amount of middlemen within the programmatic trading supply chain. The advertiser is now questioning where the value is within the layers of ad tech and in turn dealing more directly with publishers. “We need to get the controls and quality in place, then double down on great content,” he said.Few Viewers are Giving the TV Set Their Undivided Attention [eMarketer]You Can’t Be Creative Without Data [Adweek]Brands, Consumers Just Aren’t That Into You -- But Here’s How to Change That [The Drum]Mobile-First is Coming: Don’t Make These Mistakes [HuffPost]Reports of a Free, Ad-Supported Amazon Video Service [TechCrunch]How Salon Media Group Built its Video Content Strategy [eMarketer]