Like many major marketers, Reebok wondered where its digital video ad dollars might be better spent—Facebook or YouTube video —and it partnered with Pixability to find out. The company tested its campaign by Venables Bell & Partners, featuring NFL player J.J. Watt endorsing the ZPump Fusion sneaker.

The results showed combining YouTube and Facebook buys is the most effective method for marketers.

YouTube had a higher video view rate (23.6% of people who scrolled past the video viewed it versus Facebook’s 5.4%) and video completion rate (20.4 percent versus Facebook’s 4.5 percent) as well as a lower cost per view. But Facebook had higher engagement.

“You want to meet the needs of the consumer. It depends on the time, where they’re going to be able to watch it, when they watch it,” said Jessica Ruscito, Reebok’s director of U.S. media and digital branding. “You want to make sure any time that a consumer wants to engage with your brand, you’ve got the content to deliver upon that need.” Pixability and Reebok noted it’s hard to make a direct comparison between the two platforms since Facebook’s “interactive elements” (Likes and Shares) are “simpler, easier to understand and take up more screen real estate.”

via adweek.com