The Never-Ending Saga: Why Your Video Ads Need a User Feedback Reality Check (and How to Get It)

Let’s be real – nobody *actually* likes ads, right? Okay, maybe a select few marketing nerds like myself get a little too excited about a well-placed pun or a catchy jingle. But for the average internet user, ads are the digital equivalent of that one friend who always shows up uninvited and eats all the snacks. You know the one.

But here’s the thing: we live in a capitalist society, and ads are (unfortunately) a necessary evil. They keep the internet lights on, the content flowing, and allow us to enjoy endless hours of cat videos and questionable life hacks.

So, if ads are here to stay (and they are), we might as well make them suck less, am I right? And the key to crafting video ads that don’t make people want to chuck their laptops out the window?

User Feedback: The Secret Sauce to Ad Relevance

You wouldn’t launch a new product without asking potential customers what they think, would you? (Don’t answer that, we’ve all seen those “As Seen on TV” products that make us question the very fabric of reality.) The same principle applies to video ads.

User feedback gives you invaluable insights into what works, what flops harder than that sourdough bread you attempted during quarantine, and how to create ads that actually resonate with your target audience. It’s like having a direct line to the people you’re trying to reach (minus the awkward small talk and potential for unsolicited relationship advice).

Ad Relevance: Are You Preaching to the Choir or Singing to a Brick Wall?

Imagine this: you’re finally about to watch that documentary about the history of cheese you’ve been meaning to get to (don’t judge), and BAM – an ad for lawn care services pops up. Now, unless you’re a lactose-tolerant sheep with an impressive green thumb, that ad is about as relevant to your interests as a screen door on a submarine.

That’s where the concept of ad relevance comes in. It’s all about showing the right ad to the right person at the right time. Sounds simple enough, right? Yet, so many brands miss the mark, leaving viewers feeling like they’re stuck in a bad game of advertising roulette.

How to Measure Ad Relevance: Because Data is Your BFF

So, how do you actually gauge ad relevance? Let’s break it down:

• Rating Scales: Think back to your school days and those multiple-choice quizzes. Remember how much you loved those? (Okay, maybe not.) Rating scales for ad relevance are kind of like that, but hopefully, less soul-crushing.



• Open-Ended Feedback: This is where things get juicy. Open-ended questions give users the freedom to spill the tea (or, in this case, the ad feedback) in their own words. It’s like eavesdropping on your target audience’s thoughts without the ethical dilemma.

Technical Issues: When Your Video Ads Go Haywire

Okay, you’ve nailed the whole relevance thing. Your ads are more targeted than a world-class archer after a triple espresso. But wait! What happens when your ad takes an eternity to load, buffers more than a stand-up comedian on open mic night, or sounds like it was recorded in a wind tunnel?

Technical issues can sabotage even the most brilliant ad campaigns. It’s like spending hours crafting the perfect pickup line, only to trip and faceplant right before delivering it. Ouch.

Video Player Performance: Because Nobody Has Time for a Loading Screen Symphony

In the age of instant gratification, patience is a virtue that wears thinner than my grandma’s patience for slow Wi-Fi.

Slow Loading Times:

Remember dial-up internet? Yeah, nobody wants to relive those dark ages of internet history. If your video ad takes longer to load than it takes to make instant ramen, you’ve already lost your audience. They’ve moved on to more exciting things, like watching paint dry or counting the individual grains of sand in a sandbox.