Power Video

Monetize the page, not just the video.

You've heard me say it before, video advertising just isn't there yet; targeting (metadata, transcribing transcripts), relevant/related inventory, appealing/appropriate (typically non-UGC) content, you name it. Don't get me wrong, I'm a believer in online video advertising and have high hopes for it as there are valiant efforts in play to figure it out. But until that time people, get your ROI by taking advantage of every opportunity harnessing the engagement factor of video which is to say, monetize your pages with video rather than just monetizing the video itself.

The average user floats onto your home page via a Google search and clicks away within a few seconds after passingly scanning the page contents. With video on the page you can up that 4 second drop off to 4 minutes with engaging video content ever so gingerly placed on a page along side high value leaderboards, skyscrapers, MPUs, windows, banners, AdSense, etc. You're exponentially increasing the viewership of (and hopefully click thru) your ads by capturing the attention of your audience with a vibrant combination of words, sound, and action.

I'd like to share with you a beautiful example of this seemingly endless blather by pointing you to Fliqz customer, OpenSports.The elegantly designed OpenSports Video channel captures audience attention with great shows along side high value ads from MLB, and a page sponsorship from State Farm Insurance, PLUS pre-roll ads within the video complimenting the State Farm page sponsorship. Now that's a trifecta! Nice job OpenSports!

Enjoy OV!

A firm grip on UGC.

Fliqz customer, Dogster.com has had a UGC (user generated content) presence on their dog social network from early on in their product strategy. People love their dogs, so much so that they'll film them doing anything, anything at all including working out on a treadmill (see video below). Is it useful? Are you a better person having viewed the video? Probably not, but I laud anyone's passion and if you're passionate about your dog then by all means, shoot video and share your creation with one of the best dog lovers communities on the Internet today.

Enjoy online video!

Online video advertising, c'mon baby, you can do it

We've heard it before and will hear it again, and again, and again during this economic downturn that marketers are moving online, taking their budgets to the Information Super Highway, specifically to online video. It's been reported many times that online video advertising is growing as it is more targeted, better tracked, and more easily reported.

A recent study by BrightRoll of interactive ad agencies found some interesting insight on how agencies will spend their money in '09 and why:

• 87% of agency executives plan to spend more of their online advertising budgets on video in 2009
• 71% of survey participants view online video advertising as a complementary medium to television
• A majority of respondents estimates CPM prices to be at their lowest, and 20% thinks the price of pre-roll will drop to half what it is today
• Prices of pre-roll continue to fall (early Q2 data suggests this trend will continue) 

We've found online video advertising CPMs, in general, to be rather lack-luster as well, unless videos are clearly defined within the metadata, and ads are available to be served against those videos (typically found in proprietary content). The problem, once past these hurdles, seems to be one of inventory. There just aren't enough ads that fit...perfectly. Sure, you can serve an ad for toothpaste on a YouTube video of a kid knocking his teeth out doing a rail slide down a 45 step handrail, but will anyone click on that ad...especially the 14 year old kids watching them? Nyet. 

I enjoyed this peice on the subject from MediaPost where agencies and web publishers banter on whether it's a matter of inventory shortage or abundance. As previously stated, I believe it to be a problem of the right ad for the right piece of conent. What do you think?

Bust a move with VirtualTourist

Fliqz customer VirtualTourist always has intriguing videos from around the world displaying exotic destinations, bountiful beaches, and on occasion Zulu dancers. In this video we are privileged to experience, first hand, the tribal dance of the Zulu in a video uploaded from a VirtualTourist user. Check out the lil fella in the front trying to get his groove on...