Google has published new research into what makes for good TrueView ad content on YouTube. TrueView ads are skippable after five seconds, so the research sought to establish how to make those first five seconds engaging enough to hold people’s attention.

Google’s insights from the UK show that particular types of people are more likely to watch an ad to the end than others. People aged 25-44 are most likely to complete an ad. Within that age group, 25-34 year olds are 16 per cent more likely than other age groups, and 35-44 year-olds 21 per cent more likely, to complete a skippable ad.

It’s not all about age though, there is also a slight difference between the genders when it comes to those who choose to watch. Women are 9 per cent more likely than men to complete an ad. The research also found that if someone has already visited your brand’s website they are 12 per cent more likely to complete the ad.

Unsurprisingly, the most common reason for people to skip ads is “lack of interest”. There is no magic recipe for the perfect ad but there are some key characteristics that appeal to a global audience and are associated with higher completion rates.

In order to define these characteristics, Google looked at thousands of TrueView ads across 16 countries and 11 verticals. It categorised them according to 170 creative characteristics and monitored how long people watched without hitting the ‘Skip’ button.

Humour is the number one characteristic associated with higher view-through rates. Air New Zealand’s ‘The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made #airnzhobbit’, Pepsi’s ‘Test Drive’ and Poo Pourri’s ‘Girls don’t Poop’ are all referenced by Google as examples of how powerful humour can be.

The study also found that people are more likely to complete ads that contain celebrities.They may even work in some humour, so combining a couple of the key characteristics in one ad. Celebrity-focused ads that have made it onto the YouTube Ads Leaderboard include Turkish Airlines’ ‘Kobe vs Messi: Selfie Shootout’; Volvo Trucks’ ‘Epic Split’; and T-Mobile’s ‘#KimsDataStash’. Turkish Airlines’ ‘Selfie Shootout’ has built up an incredible 141m views, and was recently crowned the winner of the #10YearsofYouTubeAds contest. Ads that feature humour and celebrities are not only associated with higher view-through rates, they also see higher uplifts in brand awareness and ad recall.

Animations also feature as a key characteristic in adsthat people choose not to skip. Nike’s ‘Last Game’, Honda’s ‘Honda Hands’ and Metro Trains, Melbourne’s ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ have all featured on the YouTube Ads Leaderboard and are associated with higher view-through rates. With over 100m views, ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ brought a new edge to safety around railway lines with help from animated characters and humour. Metro Trains’ use of animation helped to take serious subject matter and turn it into something that was engaging for viewers.

The research also found that the content that ads play before can be a key ingredient for success. Ads played before videos with 100,000 likes are associated with much higher view-through rates.

Based on the findings of the study, Google has put together a list of tips to give your TrueView ad a better chance of being viewed to completion.

Firstly, when creating new content, consider the top characteristics that are successful in engaging audiences – humour, celebrity endorsement and animation. Think about your existing creatives that feature any of the top characteristics that you can use to reach consumers during the moments that matter. It doesn’t have to be new to be great. Having great creative, however, is only half the recipe for success. Ensure that youre reaching more of the right people, at the right time by taking advantage of YouTube’s targeting options.