YouTube has introduced a tool to help optimise their longer video content for mobile audiences. The tool, called ‘Bumper Machine’, uses machine learning to generate six-second videos from longer video assets.

Bumper Machine identifies ‘interesting, well-structured’ moments in longer-form video, including moments that contain product or brand information, human faces, motion, or contrast. These moments are then organised and used to create different six-second ad variations for the advertiser to choose from.

The tool complements the six-second ‘bumper’ ad format introduced by YouTube in 2016. These are short ads which appear in-stream but can’t be skipped by video watchers.

“Since introducing six-second bumper ads in 2016 as a way to help you reach more mobile viewers, we’ve found that they punch far above their weight when it comes to effectiveness,” said Vishal Sharma, VP of product management at YouTube. “But producing a six-second video requires additional time and resources that not every team has. That’s where Bumper Machine… can help.”