Embracing the Vertical Video
When our nanny would send me vertical videos of our kids, I kept correcting her. “Hold the camera like this!” I would say. Everyone knows that horizontal videos are the best way to view video, right? Well those 18-34 year olds haven’t changed their ways, in fact, they have changed everyone else.
Vertical videos are all the rage, and sadly aren’t going away. What’s so great about them? They’re engaging, natural, intimate, and personal. Studies show that vertical videos have a 90% higher completion rate than horizontal videos. Most 18-34 year olds prefer vertical positioned videos to the more traditional cinema style layout because they feel it is less intrusive (data according to Pandora).
We are all looking at our mobile devices FAR more than we are watching TV, going to movies, or even watching horizontal online videos. Snapchat and Instagram Stories have accustomed us to seeing videos vertically. Since users are ALREADY looking at their screens vertically, getting in front of your primary audience with a vertical video is more natural than horizontal video. More native. And native ads win, period.
I just met with my Pandora rep who showed me that not only can Pandora do video ads to grab listener attention during transitional moments in their listening, but they also launched Vertical Videos. Users can watch a vertical video to get more skips and listen to replays! This is a great way to ensure you get in front of your primary audience for 15 seconds in a way that they’ll remember and won’t irritate them!
In this article Medium cites a study by MediaBrix that found that vertical videos see a 90% higher completion rate compared to horizontal videos. According to their data, less than 30% of users will turn their phones sideways to watch an ad, and those users who do turn their phones only watch about 14% of the video ad.
According to Will Ingham, creative director and founder of Wing, “For some content makers in the ever-evolving advertising landscape, the idea of shooting vertical film may be uncomfortable – but we must recalibrate ourselves to think of it as an art form rather than a compromise.”
Have you embraced the vertical video?