Online Video Advertising Trends to Watch Out For in 2018 Mass personalization to be the key to winning customer trust and wallet share in 2018

With smartphone users in India expected to reach the 530 million mark, along with growing internet penetration, 2018 will witness another major leap in online video advertising. Falling data charges followed by a rise in over-the-top video content players will act as a catalyst. Government's push towards digital and cashless economy will further push advertisers towards online video advertising.

Millennials in both urban and semi-urban India are spending more time on social media and OTT videos. This is encouraging as content players expand their audience outreach through a mix of both international and regional content. Thus, for any brand trying to carve a niche market for its product and reach optimum visibility, online video advertising is becoming a vital part of its marketing portfolio.

With brands and marketers trying to seize this growing opportunity, the competition for online video advertising space and dominance will increase in 2018. Below are the "Four optimized video advertising modules" that will rule the Indian online video advertising world in 2018.

Programmatic Ads

While all other forms of online video advertising will grow in 2018, programmatic advertising will continue to lead the trend. With the continuous increase in video consumption spreading across devices, there is an increased scope of growth in programmatic advertising. Programmatic ads will not only lead the game in desktops, laptops, mobile and tablets but it has a bigger scope of spreading across the (Internet of Things) IoT devices, smart watches, VR boxes etc.

It will be the leading choice amongst brand marketers for a better ROI and will continue to rule the future of online video advertising.

Personalised Ads

Mass personalisation will be the key to winning customer trust and wallet share in 2018. It is expected to retain its significance till 2020 and beyond.

Personalisation of digital video ads creates a sense of individuality. The ad placement is tailored to the demographics and context of the customer, intrinsically building a sense of connect with advertisers. Coupled with OTT platforms and digital transformation in Indian transportation industry like installations of ipads/ taxi screens in cabs, monitor screens in aeroplanes and passenger trains; brands and marketers are expected to increase their audience outreach by 15-20% in 2018 through personalised ads.

Rich Content Ads

Ads with the right visual content will continue to shoot up the ROI ladder as last year. Brands would be focused on delivering better creativity while keeping the content to the point. Brands which will consistently invest in content will achieve more success in comparison to competitors. Content-based ads would lead to more engagement for brands, advertisers and marketers due to consumers' willingness to consume ads as part of the total content experience. Added with the touch of personalisation in ads, content-based ads can be a game changer in 2018.

Native Ads

Native video ads will witness an increasing trend in 2018 because of its engaging and personalised layout. As this form of advertising is formatted according to the platform where the ad is hosted, these ads blend in with the content of the platform. This also makes the ad undetectable by ad blocker and provides a better look and feel to the content the user is browsing. Marketers will use this form of an ad in a major way, even in mobile advertising, because of its non-intrusive nature. Native video advertising is expected to rise by 15% in 2018.