What is a bumper in advertising?

How can your brand reach the billions of YouTube watchers? One of the most cost-efficient and straightforward ad types on YouTube is called Bumper ads.

YouTube Bumper ads give advertisers a creative way to increase brand awareness in an affordable format.

There are several benefits to implementing this type of YouTube ad.

However, since these non-skippable ads only run a few short seconds, creating compelling ads in the limited format can be a challenge.

To overcome all difficulties and create a winning YouTube Bumper ads strategy, you can start with this guide.

Did video kill the radio star…and written content?

It is true that interest in online videos has steadily increased in recent years. But is it really poised to overtake written content?

While some people may always prefer written content, it is hard to ignore the rise in video content’s popularity.

Today, people use video to learn how to knit, do math homework, find DIY solutions, learn about digital marketing, and follow their favorite YouTube celebrities.

In fact, by 2022, video traffic is expected to make up 82 percent of all IP traffic (both business and consumer), up from 75 percent in 2017.

YouTube, in particular, is a giant in the online video industry.

According to their own stats, YouTube reaches more Americans between the ages of 18 to 34 than any television network. With more than a billion viewers, it is hard to ignore YouTube’s place in the online video and paid advertising fields.

Let’s take a look at what your brand has to gain with YouTube Bumper ads.

What Are YouTube Bumper Ads? 

YouTube’s Bumper ads are one of the six ad types available on the platform, including display ads, overlay ads, and skippable video ads.

Bumper ads run for six seconds at the beginning of YouTube videos. Most notably, they are unskippable, which means viewers have no choice but to watch the ad.

Here is how they look to viewers:

Notice there is no “skip this ad” button as there are for other YouTube ads. But, again, these slots are just six seconds long.

Benefits of YouTube Bumper Ads 

The shortened format of Bumper ads makes them challenging for some advertisers. How much can you really share about your absolutely amazing product in just six seconds?

You might wonder why you would choose such a short format when there are so many other YouTube advertising options.

The main reason you should choose them? Bumper ads work.

Many consumers are becoming ‘ad-blind,’ meaning they do not pay attention to ads. Particularly on a desktop computer, users are likely to find something else to hold their attention while a long ad plays.

The short length of bumper ads makes them uniquely effective at keeping attention because a countdown timer shows viewers how long the ad will last. In fact, Google found that viewers are far more likely to recall the ad content of bumper ads.

Plus, bumper ads are one of the most cost-effective ways to reach billions of YouTube watchers, since Google uses cost per thousand impressions to charge.

How Much Do Bumper Ads Cost on YouTube? 

Exact pricing for YouTube Bumper ads will vary based on your industry, location, and target audience.

However, advertisers are only charged for every 1,000 impressions, and you can set limits on how much you will pay per 1,000 impressions and how much you are willing to spend on the entire campaign.

In general, you can expect to pay between $1 and $4 per thousand views.

Some industries or target audiences may be considerably higher, however.

How to Create a Bumper Ad on YouTube 

Since Google bought YouTube in 2006, you will need to create a Google Ads account to set up YouTube Bumper ads. Keep in mind that there are several other types of YouTube ads advertisers can use, so take care to select Bumper Ads as your Campaign Subtype.

Here is how to set up and launch your YouTube Bumper ads. 

Once you login to Google Ads, navigate to the Campaigns page, and click the blue “+” button:

• Click New Campaigns
• Establish your campaign goal. For this example, we choose Brand Awareness and Reach
• Select Video as your campaign type.

• Select Bumper as your campaign subtypes

• Enter your total campaign budget and start and end date for your campaign.
• Choose what networks you want your ad to show in.
• Set your audience’s language and location
• Establish where you don’t want your ads to be shown
• Use Additional Settings to choose what devices, frequency, and set other actions for your campaign
• Name your ad group
• Establish your target audience in the demographics section.
• Set keywords you want your ad to display for.
• Set your Target CPM, or the average rate you want to pay for every thousand views.
• Upload your video
• Hit Create Campaign

Once your ad is created, it will have to be approved by Google, which generally takes no more than 24 hours.

Congratulations, you’ve just created your first YouTube Bumper ad!

4 Strategies for YouTube Bumper Ad Success 

Now that you understand what Bumper ads are and how to create them, you might be excited to get started. Their short format and affordability make them an ideal way to dip your toes into YouTube advertising or level up an already successful campaign.

But, before you dive in, it is important to understand what makes a Bumper ad successful.

Here are the four best practices you have to follow when launching your YouTube Bumper ad campaign.

#1 – Keep Your Ad Simple & Straightforward 

In a longer ad, you have plenty of time to include elements of storytelling, ad product details, even show of features. With just six seconds, however, you don’t have the luxury of time.

Your ad has to be short and to the point.

If you try to fit too much in the short time frame, you may end up confusing viewers or overwhelming them.

Instead, focus on one purpose, one message you want to convey in your YouTube Bumper ad.

Is your product more affordable than your competitors? Is it ideal for college students? Is there a specific pain point you solve? Are you targeting a new niche? What do they care most about?

For example, say you sell a smartphone case. You might focus on the innovative stand or how it protects your phone from a long fall or water. If you are promoting a SaaS tool, you might focus on one emotion users feel when they find your solution. Are they relieved? Excited? Do they have more time to focus on important tasks?

Whatever your focus is, keep it concise.

You only have six seconds and trying to stuff all of your features in one ad simply isn’t the most effective use of the time.

If you really have a lot of features, consider creating a new campaign for each feature!

In addition, make sure the images and font are simple. Flashy or overly complex imagery can overwhelm viewers, making your ad less effective.

Need a bit of inspiration? Check out YouTube’s Bumper ad leaderboard, which highlights the top Bumper ads from around the world.

#2 – Target Bumper Ads Carefully 

Bumper ads can be an affordable way to drive traffic, increase brand awareness, and even drive sales. However, without careful targeting, you risk wasting your ad spend by displaying your ad to viewers who are not in your target audience.

There are two main methods for adjusting your ad targeting: demographics and interests.

Demographics allow you to target people of specific genders, age, parental status, and household income, though household income targeting is only currently available in the countries of Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and the U.S.

This may occur when Google cannot determine, for example, if a viewer is a parent or not. Some websites in Google’s display network opt-out of gathering demographic information, and leaving this box selected allows your content to show on these sites.

Unless you are targeting a very small, specific audience, leave the Unknown box checked.

Under Audiences, you have even more options to target specific people based on who they are, what they are planning, even whether they have interacted with your business before.

For example, under Detailed Demographics, you can target audiences based on marital status, education, and whether they own a home.

Beneath What they are actively researching or planning, you can choose to target audiences who are looking to change jobs, start a business, or renovate their homes.

So, a hardware store might choose to target men between the ages of 18 and 44 who have been researching information about home renovations. Or, a bridal boutique might target women between the ages of 18 and 34 who are preparing for marriage.

Just like you wouldn’t run any other campaign without targeting carefully, make sure you take the time to set detailed targeting. Keep in mind that you will want to make adjustments as you go once you get a better idea for what works.

#3 – Leverage Retargeting

Retargeting, as you may know, allows marketers to target people who have interacted with their brand in the past.

Depending on the setting of your campaign, you might choose to target people who have visited your website or joined your email list.

But, if you think of retargeting only as a way to encourage people to, for example, to check out an abandoned cart, you might be underestimating this strategy.

You can also remarket to viewers who watch videos on your YouTube channel, commented on a video, watched a specific video, or watched a video as an ad.

These options make retargeting particularly useful when it comes to Bumper ads. The short format is ideal for getting your brand back in front of viewers who have interacted with you in some way.

Many users are annoyed by the unskippable ads, but with Bumper ads, you can reinforce your brand without further frustrating customers. In fact, they are likely to be relieved the ad is just six seconds!

Just keep in mind that using remarketing in addition to another demographic targeting can significantly reduce your overall reach. Instead, target remarketing ads broadly.

#4 – Consider Using Bumper Ads Alongside TrueView Ads

TrueView ads are skippable YouTube ads that viewers have the option to watch if they are interested in the company, or skip if they don’t want to watch the ad.

These are ideal for advertisers because you only pay for ads that people choose to watch.

Source

Running similar campaigns in both Bumper ads and TrueView ads can extend your brand’s reach considerably— and save money on ad spend.

For example, if someone chooses to watch a full 30-second ad for your brand, you’ve got a pretty good idea they are interested in your brand.

Showing them a six-second ad a few days later is likely to be very effective at reminding them about your company and — hopefully— improve conversions.

Pairing the two formats can improve upper funnel metrics such as ad recall,

Or, you can flip the script by using Bumper ads to tease longer format ads like KFC. They started by launching six-second teaser ads, then releasing a longer form ‘unboxing’ video a few weeks later.

Much like previews for the new season of your favorite shows, using these two formats together can drive buzz and excitement.

Final Thoughts 

Integrating Bumper ads into your current paid advertising campaign offers a variety of advantages for growing awareness of your brand and even driving traffic.

These ads are highly customizable, affordable, and make the most of the ever-shortening attention spans of online consumers.

Plus, YouTube’s advanced targeting options allow you to show ads to very specific audiences types, rather than wasting money showing ads to the billions of YouTube viewers.

Pairing Bumper ads with retargeting or TrueView ads can increase their efficacy as well.

Now that you have a good idea of how Bumper ads work and how to make the most of them, you are ready to make the most of this versatile video ad format.

How do you make a bumper ad?

Are bumper ads effective?

What is the difference between TrueView and bumper?

Where do bumper ads appear?