Re-using 30-second TV ads as online video pre-rolls is a great way to keep costs down versus shooting new creative. But re-purposing such ads rather than producing online-native ones risks driving down engagement.

Consumer research conducted by Millward Brown suggests this can be solved by bolting on interactive online elements over re-purposed TV spots.

“Just the visual presence alone of these interactive elements could increase consumer engagement with a repurposed video, even if they don’t interact with the ad,” the group’s chief analyst Juan Lindstrom told a round-table convened by multi-screen video ad firm YuMe.

Viewers exposed to interactive versions were 11% more likely to take an action on the advertised product than those who saw the TV ad without any bolt-on, research says.

The same pattern goes for when advertisers add interactive visual elements that play over a web page, beyond a video’s window frame, Lindstrom said: “People found them more involving, more unique, more interesting.”

According to YuMe client services VP Travis Hockersmith: “Interactive elements are absolutely a good thing to add across the board – for those who are going to interact and even for those who aren’t.

You can download the research study here.   This video is part of a series from YuMe Research Roadshow created by Beet.TV under a sponsorship arrangement.