AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 16, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sizmek, an open ad management company for multiscreen ad experiences, today released the Rich Media and Video Benchmarks Report for H1 2016. The report’s comparison of benchmarks indicates that rich media is often used by advertisers looking to foster ad unit engagement, raising brand awareness without necessitating that the consumer interrupt their online experience. Analysis of rich media engagement lift over standard banner shows that all verticals benefit from the use of rich media formats, with Tech and Internet, Retail, and Restaurants topping the list at 40 times or more in engagement lift.

“While technology and data have been at center of improvements in digital advertising efficiencies like programmatic, the pendulum is swinging back and the industry is focusing on of impactful creative,” said Jaime Singson, Director of Product Marketing at Sizmek. “This report aims above all else to educate advertisers about the advantages of rich media formats and assist them in making important ad spend decisions that are necessary to drive business KPIs.”

Additional Key Findings for 2016 H1:

• Globally, rich media lifted engagement 7.44 times more than standard banners.
• Advertisers experienced 9.21 times lift in North America by switching to interactive video from non-interactive video.
• Differentials of fully-played in-stream and rich media videos (in all regions) is less than 15 percent, suggesting that audiences are likely to watch through completion once the video in a rich media unit starts, almost to the same extent for both formats.

The above is illustrative of the findings in Sizmek’s 2015 Video Index, which highlighted the need for marketers to use a combination of both in-stream and rich media video formats to optimize results.

For this report, Sizmek Research analyzed an extensive data set including 21 unique formats, over 2,500 unique unit size combinations, more than 1.3 million individual ads and hundreds of billions of impressions served through the Sizmek’s platforms. For access to Sizmek’s 2016 Rich Media and Video Benchmarks visit http://go.sizmek.com/benchmarksH1-2016.html.  

About Sizmek
Sizmek is the Open Ad Management company that brings freedom of choice and contextual relevance to omnichannel digital advertising. As the largest independent ad server, more than 42,000 next generation advertisers, agencies, publishers, and trading desks rely on Sizmek’s offerings and flexible third-party platform integrations to provide the industry’s most customizable, best-in-class approach to creating seamless workflow across a wide variety of partners in the digital advertising ecosystem. With a single point of access to the best technology, data, and strategic guidance, Sizmek builds flexible solutions for marketers and publishers that combine programmatic efficiency with creative. Sizmek operates in more than 70 countries, with local offices providing award-winning service throughout North America, EMEA, LATAM, and APAC.