Google Experiments with YouTube Ad Skipping

Google will begin experimenting with allowing YouTube users to skip pre-roll ads in a test to give the company insight into types of ads that are skipped or viewed, profiles of users who engage in either action and types of ads that are most successful, Online Media Daily reported.

The experiment will also seek to determine at what point during sessions users decide to skip ads, with Google pondering an advertising model where users opt-in to ads and advertisers pay only for users who view the entire ad, according to Online Media Daily.

YouTube product manager Phil Farhi told Online Media Daily:

We’re already down that road with promoted videos. We see the ability to skip ads as another form of engagement.

On television, you might need 30 seconds to make sure people know the Website and phone number, and tell them the offer three times. Online, you can run a much shorter industry ad and use the companion ad space for the call to action.

Join Baratunde Thurston (left), The Onion’s Director of Digital and author of How to Be Black, for an entertaining look at creative social media campaigns in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. Other speakers include Morin Oluwole (Facebook), Tim Devane (bitly), and SocialTimes' writer Devon Glenn.   Register now.