“A Day in the Life of Video Viewers,” the new study presented by IAB at the 2019 NewFronts, demonstrated that consumers mindsets and motivation for watching the digital video varies throughout the day and this factor significantly impacts their perception of advertising.

The IAB study surveyed 1,544 U.S. respondents to determine which mindsets through the day increase ad receptivity in video. The types of mindsets include, Spontaneous, Escapist, Educational and Informative.

The findings revealed that viewers’ attention to content and ads get a boost when they are exposed to educational/informative or instructional video content. In fact, 40 percent of respondents admitted that they are more receptive to ads in this mindset.

Consumers also switch between devices during a typical day. According to the study, smartphones are leading Informational (45 percent), Spontaneous (53 percent) and Escapist (49 percent watch to take a break during the day, and 61 percent to pass time while traveling) mindsets.

Big screen viewing across all age groups is right behind mobile. It normally happens during Appointment viewing (51 percent) or in Relaxation (51 percent).

Educational/instructional videos, which in the course of the study proved to be the most ad-friendly, ranked highest on desktop for all age groups.

In terms of general advertising, nearly 80 percent of respondents stated that they accept it as a “necessary evil” in exchange for free content. Fifty-sex percent of video viewers admitted to preferring contextual ads. About 37 percent reported an increase in ad receptivity when experiencing ad targeting that they prefer, such as Behavioral, Contextual, Mindset and Demo.  

Eric John, deputy director, video center of excellence at IAB said of the study, “The industry recognizes that the on-demand and always-on nature of media consumption requires a more nuanced approach to connecting with the right audience. We see this ‘day-part to mind-part evolution’ as key to a more relevant and effective way of working. We hope this study will lead to innovation and greater rigor in both audience research and the data and methods used for pairing content, consumer mindset, and advertising.”

Motivation/Mindset Description

  • Relaxation To relax at the end of the day/during free time
  • Appointment I have planned to watch alone I have planned to watch with others
  • Spontaneous I stumble-upon or get pulled into watching To spontaneously view/share with others To catch up on popular/viral videos
  • Escapist To take a break during the day To pass time while traveling
  • Educational To learn a new skill To help me with a project/task
  • Informative To get ready for the day