Online Video Advertising: Give the people what they want when they want it.

As we all know the Apple iPhone is pretty much an amazing piece of technology that connects people to the world with a touch of the finger. And so the fact that such a cool and up to date piece of technology would have a direct access to youtube right on the options display says alot about the popularity of online video among people today. While I enjoy indulging in some youtube surfing I know other people who are completely obsessed and are always filling me in on the latest video they have found. I think the popularity of online video is pretty amazing and will only continue to grow hand in hand with online video advertising.
Besides the novelty and entertainment aspects of online videos causing this up and coming media to be all the rage, it is also the work of media giants and the news media that make online video almost impossible not to interact with. There are large numbers of people who get their news off the Internet everyday. Most large and or popular newspapers are now online and make subscription easy. A perk of having the paper online is that articles are now not only accompanied by images but now by videos. Also, there are many times that their is simply a short clip being showed on the screen with a headline and the video replaces the article all together. It is this use of online video that links many different types of users and people who may not even go on sites like youtube, but read the news everyday. Also, media giants owning film making corporations have also developed the online video industry by making films available to Internet users and not only films but T.V. shows as well. T.V. shows that are put online actually appeal more and have much higher ratings with younger audiences than if they were only put on television. It is because of the consistent use of online video that advertisers see an opening for an excellent business opportunity to develop online video ads and create a powerful new arena for online advertising. However, some people may question
such high regard for online video ads because alot of the content of online videos is user generated. This creates a problem because a company could advertise on someones unprofessional video and end up being associated with content they do not want people relating to their product. On the other hand, I think that having ads on videos that are not so commercial could make certain ads seem more personal and with the targeting abilities we have now in online advertising and the use of good research there is definitely a window for successful ads.
The large issue that is faced with online video ads is that people do not want to be bothered or interrupted while viewing their videos and may become annoyed and opposed to the video ads. Advertisers have been doing alot of research on how to fix this problem and have been developing some good strategies. One strategy is to get rid of the pre-roll that users are forced to watch before the video and have the ad come one at the end of the video. The pre-roll, instead of being terminated, could also simply be shortened which has been much more successful than full 30 second or even 15 second ads. There is also the option of using skins that surround the video but do not interfere with playing the video so that a consumer can choose whether they want to click on the ad before, during, or after their viewing. Bugs and news type tickers across the bottom of the screen have also shown some positive results. Bugs specifically are a graphic design that come across the bottom of the screen that can be clicked on or left alone without affecting the movie. Animated bugs have also been developed and have been making even more headway than before.
All in all I would have to say that online advertising is nice because there are alot of options and alot of ways to customize the ads to viewers. A very important point to be made which is huge in all types of advertising is that creativity and giving the consumer what they want is always the most important thing. Jason Glickman, the CEO of tremor media, makes some excellent points in his interview about online advertising ( http://video.about.com/onlineadvertising/Jason-Glickman.htm#t), that put emphasis on the importance of everything coming down to how creatively we can develop this media and innovate online ads.
About.com also interviewed alot more people about online ads and there are some really good interesting insights on: http://onlineadvertising.about.com/od/videointerview1/Video_Interviews_on_the_Use_of_Online_Advertising_Videos.htm