In marketing, when your results look too good to be true… they usually are.
And one thing you should pay attention to when running video ads on Meta is ThruPlay.
ThruPlay measures video ad engagement. Meta counts a view as a ThruPlay if a user watches at least 15 seconds of your video.
“But what if my video is longer than 15 seconds?”
Good question. Unfortunately, you can’t really know if users actually watched more of the video or not. And that’s not even the most painful part…
Jon Loomer recently discovered that his campaign ThruPlay numbers were inflated.
For example, out of 526 people reached, there were 665 ThruPlays… which is impossible.
How on earth does this happen?
The culprit is Audience Network Rewarded Video. It’s an ad placement where “users view a video ad in exchange for something of value,” like in-app items, virtual currency, and so on.
Ever played a mobile game that forced you to watch an ad to get coins or unlock a level? Yep, that’s what happens with Audience Network Rewarded Video.
People who watch videos in this context have no interest in the ads. At all.
It’s a low-quality placement.
So here’s what to do if you’re seeing inflated ThruPlay numbers:
First, check distribution by placement. Click the “Breakdown” dropdown in your Ads Manager. Select “By Delivery” and then “Placement.”
That shows you how much money you’re spending on Audience Network Reward Video.
Then, choose manual placements. If you’re wasting money on low-quality placement, you can opt to select placements on your own.
You can then turn off Audience Networks under platforms. You can also uncheck Rewarded Video placements and keep other Audience Network placements running.
And that’s how you can finally get relevant video placements that won’t force your audience to watch them.
Because who wants people cursing at your ads while they’re waiting for in-game gold?