M+E Connections

YuMe: Early Morning is Sweetest for Advertisers

Reaching today’s digital consumer isn’t easy, but if you’re an advertiser, your best bet is to target them in the morning, not at night.

That’s according to new research from audience tech company YuMe, which found that while evenings have always been the traditional best time for ad targeting, thanks to the volume of video viewers, early morning might actually be worth a better premium, with higher receptivity to ads and more willingness to receive a brand message.

On a scale of 1-100, morning ads beat out evening ads on those metrics, 59 to 45, according to the study, which surveyed 10,000 consumers.

“Our research continues to show that a combination of behavioral, contextual and psychographic factors play a decisive role in how consumers view and respond to advertising,” said Stephanie Gaines, VP of corporate marketing for YuMe. “We believe publishers can improve effectiveness when they use consumer insights to match content and adapt publishing practices to optimize ad receptivity and effectiveness.”

The results are part of YuMe’s “Publisher’s Guide,” which focuses on understanding the relationship between viewing habits and the receptivity of ads. The guide is geared toward helping publishers find more monetization opportunities.

The study found that the time of day drastically impacts the performance of ads, with purchase intent among consumers highest before noon (plus 11%), with after 9 p.m. second at plus 5%. Afternoon (noon-5 p.m.) and evening (5 p.m.-9 p.m.) are last at plus 4% each. And overall favorability scores were higher for the morning and night (plus 17% and plus 8%, respectively).

Consumers expressed a preference for single, longer ads (30 seconds) vs. a series of shorter ads, mostly because they don’t want their content interrupted, YuMe found, and they also found that consumers are more receptive to ads on tablets than smartphones in the morning, but will be more receptive to smartphone ads at night.

The report also found that the content matters: Overall favorability ratings were 60% if consumers liked the content, vs. 15% if they did not.

“Our research shows that by understanding viewership behaviors, ad receptivity and ad performance insights, publishers can build strategies to better curate content at the right time across the right devices,” said Paul Neto, senior research director for YuMe. “Based on these consumer insights, publishers can and should take advantage of new monetization opportunities, particularly as it relates to placing a premium on early mornings where digital ad receptivity is highest.”