Pandora Launches Video Plus for All Advertisers

CommPRO.biz Editorial Staff

Pandora has announced that they have made Video Plus available to all advertisers. This new product allows brands to only pay when users watch a full 15 seconds of a video ad.

After watching the ad, listeners will unlock features that are typically only available with a subscription to Pandora Plus or Pandora Premium: the ability to skip more songs and replay tracks. A number of top brands, including T-Mobile, are mixing Video Plus into their media plans beginning today.

Pandora began testing Video Plus last fall. Results prove it is effective at reaching highly-engaged consumers in sought-after demos and aligns brands with positive listening experiences:

The majority of users who watch these ads were between the ages of 18 and 34 with listeners under the age of 24 three times more likely to opt-in.

The types of listeners opting-in to these new ads and features are some of Pandora’s most engaged – they listen 57% longer and thumb 65% more.

“The competition for consumer attention is only getting more intense. Brands need high-quality ad solutions that create lasting impressions and resonate with their target audiences,” said John Trimble, chief revenue officer at Pandora. “Video Plus boosts brand awareness, builds loyalty, captures views and promotes deeper interactions with listeners who are significantly more likely to take action.”

Pandora joins a handful of leading publishers that allow brands to pay for ads only when users complete viewing a video (in this case: at the 15-second mark). With the roll-out of Video Plus, advertisers now have the flexibility to buy across a full spectrum of cost types in Pandora’s video ecosystem depending on their goals, including:

• Cost-per-thousand ad impressions (CPM): Video Everywhere / Platform-Specific Video
• Cost-per-15-second-completed-view (CPCV): Video Plus
• Cost-per-engagement (CPE): Sponsored Listening

“We’re always looking for new and innovative tactics to reach and engage with consumers in relevant ways,” said Kari Marshall, vice president of media at T-Mobile. “We’re excited to test Video Plus to deliver our Un-carrier message to Pandora’s very engaged user-base, and the meaningful brand connections we hope it drives as a result.”