Power Video

Learning to Love the Recession

Sure, recessions are generally unpleasant. But all that corporate belt-tightening may actually be good for online video advertising. At least according to the folks at BtoB. The magazine’s 2008 Interactive Marketing Guide—completed with data research assistance from eMarketer—finds that the gloomy economic horizon will accelerate the shift away from traditional media to digital media as marketers demand granular, measurable data.

Money paragraph: “Online video is an especially interesting category, in part because the cost of entry is so much lower than traditional broadcast efforts, a fact that has and will spur adoption by companies that never had a video strategy in the past. U.S. online video advertising spending this year will increase 74.2% from 2007.”

Not that we’re hoping for the economy to dig itself into a deeper hole—even we know about the law of diminishing returns. Besides, this shouldn’t be a short-term proposition. Yes, more companies will use the opportunity to explore this new medium. But they’re likely to stay here if they get the results they demand.

It’s worth reading the entire guide. You’ll find some helpful tidbits about online video ads, including “5 Simple Rules for Producing Effective Online Video.”

Video Classifieds: Where Are They?

Mike Cassidy at Video Insider wonders why online classifieds—and eBay in particular—haven’t jumped on the video bandwagon. “Much like virtual tours have allowed home buyers to be much more effective when searching for a property on real estate Web sites, the same could potentially be true for consumers of miscellaneous goods and services.”

It’s a good point, especially given the nature of classified ads. Unlike traditional advertising, you don’t have to be a professional videographer to get your point across in a video classified (just as you don’t need to be a professional copywriter to craft a competent classified ad). And we’d like to add that it’s critical that the video uploading tools be as intuitive as possible, and that the player blends in well with the look and feel of the site that’s hosting it. That way, you’ve created value for both the consumer and the listing site.

Another Ad Network Joins the Fray

A few months ago we told you about AdItAll, which allows companies to create online video ads from a library of prepackaged clips. Today, a new service called Jivox hits the scene, allowing companies to… create online video ads from a library of prepackaged clips. The main difference is while AdItAll uses Google’s AdSense platform for distribution, Jivox distributes the free, user-created ads through its own network based on user preferences for geographic, demographic, and contextual parameters.

Making it easier for the little guy to take advantage online video advertising is a worthy endeavor, one that we aspire to in our own way. But, as NewTeeVee points out, it’s not clear whether Jivox users can distribute their videos over other ad networks. If they can’t, that may defeat the purpose for many would-be advertisers.

Update: Today’s New York Times has a piece about D.I.Y. web video ads, mostly focusing on a company called The Talk Market, which helps companies create QVC-like product demonstration videos. A sub-niche of a niche offering. Oh yes, this is definitely a trend.