A lack of emotional impact from six-second mobile video ads, alongside the repurposing of TV ads for the smaller screen, could be acting as a detriment to sales, according to research from Teads and Realeyes.

Teads and Realeyes teamed up to analyse 166 six-second creatives from 75 brands, using facial coding software to measure users’ emotional reactions. Each ad was awarded a score out of 10 based on Realeyes’ EmotionAll, which use facial coding and post-view questionnaires to measure potential engagement with creative.

It was found that, although six-second ads have an average view through rate of 55 per cent on mobile, they only scored an average of 3.6 versus 5.1 for 30-second ads. The issue with this is highlighted by findings that suggest emotional impact from video ads correlates to sales lift with 75 per cent accuracy.

“With mobile now the dominant device in our lives, marketers know that 30 second TV spots will no longer cut it for engaging video ads on the small screen,” said Caroline Hugonenc, global VP of research and insights at Teads. “However, what this research reveals is that simply making an ad shorter won’t necessarily guarantee performance if the emotional connection is lost.”

The research also found that six-second ads which tell a story perform better – 4.1 compared to 3.1 – and film outperforms animation by 74 per cent. In addition, repurposing of TV ads can create confusion, with 27 per cent of respondents not understanding repurposed ads. Meanwhile, ads with packshots enhance impact and desire, but 84 per cent of six-second ads have no call to action.