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Whiteboard Animation for Pre-Roll Advertisements

By October 9, 2015November 3rd, 2016Whiteboard Animation, Marketing

You know those short ads that play before your YouTube video, which you can skip over after a few seconds? If you’ve watched videos online recently, you’ve probably seen one (or dozens). Those are called pre-roll advertisements, and (while sometimes annoying) they are an awesome tool all marketers should know about.

Pre-roll ads are typically about 15 seconds long and play before videos on video streaming services like YouTube and Hulu. They are proven to be an effective advertising tool — in fact, 2.5 times more effective than plain old banner ads.

Why do they work? Let’s break it down:

1). Video gets people to take notice.

It makes more of an impact than text or an image. It combines visual and audio elements to make a more memorable experience for the viewer.

ipad_colour pre-roll advertisement animation whiteboard 2) Pre-roll advertisements reach audiences across devices.

People stream videos all the time, from all devices. Catch someone on their commute, on their lunch break, before bed — anytime that people stream videos (which is all the time).
iphone_colour2 pre-roll advertisement whiteboard video

3) Pre-roll advertisements reach your target audience.

Hopefully, you know who is most likely to be interested in your product or services. Streaming services can help you target these audiences based on geography, demographics, and interests and make sure that the right people are seeing your video.

4) They get more bang for your buck!

When you create a whiteboard animation for your pre-roll ad, you save in two ways: First, whiteboard animation is far more affordable than other forms of video and second, pre-roll ads are a remarkably affordable way to get your message in front of as many eyeballs as possible.

So you’re ready to put a pre-roll ad into the world- but how do you create one that will generate results?

At Next Day Animations, we can deliver you a whiteboard animation that thrives in this medium. Here’s how we do it:

  • We’ll keep it short. Conventional TV style ads won’t work here. Remember: Short + Sweet = Memorable.
  • We’ll find your hook: The option to skip appears at the 5 second mark, so making the first 5 seconds super engaging is the key to retaining viewers.
  • We’ll feature a clear Call to Action, like “visit our website” or “call us now”.

Ready for an example? Here’s a successful pre-roll ad, made to capture the attention of Chicago-area residents who had experienced a recent car accident:

If you are interested in reaching new eyes with a pre-roll ad, let us help you make it happen. Give us a call at 202-747-0404 today to get started!

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