This case study was done in partnership with Turn Digital, a loyal partner for Nexd for a few years now. They are a leading tech-media agency operating in Romania and the CEE region. They specialize in mobile advertising, digital publishing monetization, and hyper-local advertising. Since 2015, Turn Digital has been the exclusive ad sales partner for Republica.ro. Together we ran a test on video ad load time and performance.
What we wanted to find out?
We wanted to find out if Nexd can outperform competitors in real-world delivery. The side-by-side test of Nexd vs Celtra using same creative file showed some surprising results. Continue reading to find out how the test was conducted and what we discovered.
Result: Faster load, higher CTR, simpler deployment!
In a mobile-first world, especially with video formats like interscrollers, load performance is critical. If a video takes too long to load, users may scroll past before playback starts, directly impacting viewability and completion rates.
How the was the test conducted?
We tested the same creative across Nexd and Celtra to measure load speed, completion, and viewer engagement on Republica.ro.
- Creative: 1 video file
- Format: Mobile Video Interscroller
- Hosting: republica.ro
- Platforms Tested:
- Nexd
- Celtra
- Measurement Tool: WebPageTest
Can Nexd outperform competitors in real-world delivery?
| Metric | Nexd | Celtra | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| CTR | 0.58% | 0.29% | Double |
Important technical caveat is that Nexd’s videos start loading as soon as the page loads, whilst Celtra’s video starts loading when the ad comes in-view. In case of lower internet connection speed or the page having a lot of elements to load, the user might have already scrolled past the video if it only starts loading once it comes in-view.
To put the test in perspective, Celtra initially showed a higher video completion rate but as Nexd’s video got more engagements, the tables were soon turned. Because…
… the publisher’s ad server (AdOcean by Gemius) automatically optimizes creative delivery based on user interaction.
Due to Nexd’s creatives recorded a significantly better engagement, higher interaction rates with users, more impressions were directed to the Nexd’s creative. Causing it to be shown more frequently and across a broader range of placements.
Overall, Nexd’s creatives showed 3x better engagement and double the CTR of its competition.
Celtra appears to have received a smaller number of early, high-quality placements which may have boosted its completion rate, while Nexd’s ad was delivered at scale – including lower-engagement placements. Both platforms ran in the same premium ad slots on republica.ro (3 top homepage placements and 3 in-article placements), but Nexd’s larger volume was a direct result of the creative’s higher CTR and faster load times.
Client Feedback
“For the standard video placement, we are using Nexd Creative Management Tool only. The competitor’s solution for this placement requires separate units for mobile and desktop, and we prefer to keep the Nexd solution, since it’s universal.
Additionally, for mobile interscrollers, we have been using Nexd only, specifically because the competitor’s ad tech provider’s version triggers slower.”
– Valentin Ichim, Managing Partner at Turn Digital
Key Takeaways
- Nexd achieved nearly a double CTR rate.
- Nexd ads loaded faster, ensuring visibility before users scrolled away.
- The publisher ad server algorithm favoured Nexd’s ads due to better engagement.
- Campaign deployment was simpler with Nexd due to a universal format.
Conclusion
The test confirmed that Nexd outperformed the competing platform in metrics that matter – viewer engagement, speed, and usability. Turn Digital has since committed to Nexd for all standard video placements, citing performance reliability and creative efficiency.