What’s Up With Video?
It is clear in 2008 that we have moved far away from the age old formula of advertising where interstitials were king (pre, mid and surround roll). People aren’t watching video online like they do at home in front of their 65-inch plasma, they decide where and when they want to view it. The time has come to stop focusing on “avails” in media but rather on those small segments of “avails” in consumers’ daily lives. Video strategy and planning is at a new height as we move into complete consumer empowerment through interactivity.
The big questions this year are where exactly is all the online video content coming from and who is producing it? And, concurrently what are the best ad products that will continue to fall out?
Video Production
There is a new generation of content producers taking control of video creativity in our industry; interactive agencies, web publishers and consumers.
Digitas and AKQA recently announced new divisions dedicated to helping clients leverage new and emerging opportunities to create and distribute media content (Digitas Launches Third Act). Mark Beeching, Digitas’ global chief creative officer, said “As traditional production and distribution hierarchies erode, video is set to explode into exciting new ways of reaching audiences… this explosion opens up infinite new possibilities for brands to play.”
Jumpstart launched its Labs group in late ‘07 to support clients and publishers with creative strategy, syndication and new product innovation (including film and video production). Labs will utilize resources internally as well as among the Jumpstart family of publishers to produce unique and relevant video content on behalf of OEM, regional and Mega dealer clients.
And then there is the ever growing world of users generating and sharing video. EyeSpot CEO, Jim Kaskade, said “Consumers want to make content their own. The publishers who make that possible will come out on top in 2008.” Eyespot is one of those companies making user generated video easier for both publishers and consumers by helping with uploading, editing and sharing. Users encountering Eyespot’s technology on a publisher’s site can drag-and-drop video clips, mix and match rights-cleared content with user-generated content, and send content to their friends online or via mobile.
What is the world coming to when even the Vatican announces that it is utilizing mobile and social media as a way to reach people for World Youth Day?
Video Advertising
Video advertising online continues to evolve as fast as the production of it, ultimately enhancing the user experience with brands both inside and out of the video. With this quick-changing evolution comes a lack of video standards but a ton of innovation and new thinking!
Delmond Newton, chief executive officer of Fever Beverage USA, recently discovered that sales of his new energy drink skyrocketed with a mere mention in a music video featuring rapper Ludacris. Rather than spending money on TV commercials and other traditional advertising vehicles, he’s discovered the power of content integration with the help from a company called NextMedium.
NextMedium is hoping to standardize the product-placement marketplace. Playing matchmaker of sorts, the company has created an online marketplace called Embed, where advertisers can find shows, music videos and movies on which to appear, and producers can find advertisers willing to pay for placement. Brands can search the marketplace for opportunities by keyword, demographic or even experiences for desired communications. Analytics then help show the value of each opportunity and historical brand integration performance. NextMedium CEO David Bluhm said “making product placement more efficient and available to smaller advertisers could help TV networks offset the shift of advertising dollars to the Internet.”
There is also good advertising being developed outside or as a companion to video online. Here are a few of the latest examples helping to further the shift of advertising dollars to the Internet (click on graphics for full demos):
- Video Bug - The less intrusive and user initiated format replacing pre-roll.
- Multiple Video - If you are lucky enough to capture a consumer’s “avail” and showcase video, why not give them a selection to choose from or tell a story?
- Video Widgets - Fun web-based mini application that can be ad-served as rich media ad formats, published into personal web pages and shared virally.
What’s Next with Video?
Everybody acknowledges the ability to target and optimize on performance, that which digital marketing provides, is quickly pushing the medium forward (Crisis? What Crisis?) but many are forgetting about the power of creative, especially pertaining to the sound, sight and motion of video. We are taking the most powerful creative medium from the last 50 years and overlaying it with precise targeting, interactivity and performance effectiveness. Let’s do it right and focus on the message, delivery and ultimately the consumer!
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