Correction: A previous version of this story stated AdColony had $500 million in sales. The company had just under $500 million in sales. Additionally, the prior version said Disney's campaign included interactions with custom Disney characters. The Disney campaign included a custom Disney trailer. The previous version also misstated the campaigns involved; results reported were based solely on partnered campaigns run by Disney and Buffalo Wild Wings. The story has been updated to reflect these facts.

Brief:

• AdColony, the largest mobile ad platform, found a 43% consumer engagement rate after unveiling Aurora HD Video, an interactive video format in June. In a press release provided to Mobile Marketer, AdColony released the results of partnered campaigns with Disney and Buffalo Wild Wings.
• AdColony worked with its partnered brands to develop content personalized to their needs and customers. The campaigns included brand-specific interactions such as custom Disney trailer consumers could engage with or the ability to smear Buffalo Wild Wings barbeque sauce on the screen with each finger swipe.  
• In 2016, AdColony had just under $500 million in sales, establishing itself as a leader in providing interactive platforms. Outpacing the traditional AdColony platform by seven times, Aurora’s implementation in campaigns like Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, brought an engagement level 50 times the average for interactive ad platforms, according to the company.  

Insight:

Currently, 50% of all marketing expenditure goes to creating video content, according to previous AdColony research. AdColony's Aurora content capitalizes on the fascination with interactive videos and reduces the passivity of traditional video content. As an extension of playable ads, interactive videos are a marketer’s call to action for their customers.

The Aurora HD Video campaigns resulted in 90% of users watching a video to completion — three times the average for traditional video viewing. Aurora uses the same technologies found in video games and CGI, which help features appear more realistic.  

The video interaction in Disney’s Aurora HD Video offered incentives for those who played. Depending on the level of engagement, movie goers could go on treasure hunts that rewarded them with clips of the film before their screening.

Interactive video content allows for customers to personalize their experience with a brand through action. 

Because of the expected growth of interactive videos, brands are reworking budgets and strategies. However, brands must be aware of the need for an HTML5-based platform as well as possible technological challenges with interactive content. This means that companies need to be conscious of the material created and how and where that material will be used. Mobile product providers may have to be consulted before launching an interactive ad platform.