Consumption of online video content among Canadians is gradually shifting from traditional sources (i.e. desktop screens) to mobile devices and connected TVs. and advertisers are following.

In an analysis of the 77 million advertising impression delivered on its platform between October and December, digital advertising platform and solutions provider Videology found that Canada leads its global business in terms of cross-device video advertising.

Approximately 26% of the video ad impressions placed by Videology in the fourth quarter were to mobile (8%) and connected TV (18%) platforms, compared with 8% in the U.S. and 5% in the United Kingdom.

Connected TVs are one of Videology’s fastest-growing areas in Canada, its growth fueled by online consumption via gaming consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox and the Sony PlayStation, said Brian Danzis, senior vice-president of media and platform sales for Videology in New York.

Danzis called Canadians “voracious” consumers of online video and predicted that 2013 would be a “watershed year” for online video advertising, particularly among brand advertisers who view it as another component of their television campaigns.

More than half (51.6%) of all video ads delivered in the fourth quarter were 15-second spots, although the Videology analysis showed a significant gain for 30-second spots in the quarter (in the first quarter of 2012, for example, 63% of the impressions were 15-second ads).

Danzis attributed the growth of the 30-second spot to more and more marketers re-purposing their TV spots, regarding online as an extension of their TV buys. “There’s so much consumption going on, they realize their campaign is going to be more targeted, that the results are more measurable, and they look at it as a great alternative to expensive TV marketplaces,” he said.

The consumer packaged goods category was the runaway leader in terms of advertiser adoption of online video, accounting for 38% of the impressions served by Videology – more than double the amount of impressions for the entertainment category (17.6%) and ahead of travel (13.8%), restaurants (9.5%) and automotive (6.7%).

The vast majority of online video ads (81.7%) were behaviourally or data-driven, with only 18.3% aimed at a specific demographic. Of the total impressions served, 74.4% were geo-targeted and 25.3% were day-parted.

Dansiz said the video ad format could be enhanced by tactics such as layering on a call-to-action or “personalizing” an ad (showing the location of the nearest dealership during an automotive ad, for instance). Such elements, he said, can make the spots “work harder.”

Graphics courtesy Videology