How Do You Want Your Video Ads?
Before, during, or after? Pop up opaque banner over the video or product placement? It’s here, and there will be more video ads because video is hot and getting hotter. Google is putting Family Guy on a few thousand blogs. The video will be served thru their AdSense system and be about a minute or two long.
I think advertisers are missing a huge product placement opportunity in online video. There is a concern by mainstream companies that their video ad may be placed alongside content that is not in keeping with their brand. Like showing Victoria’s Secret ads anytime on NBC, or ED pills anytime on CBS, or feminine sanitary products anytime on ABC. Mainstream advertisers are afraid of Youtube. So they need more control.
Remember, although Youtube is the killer, there are some great high quality, larger image video programs being produced and shown on Vimeo, Brightcove, Revver, Daily Motion, and more.
Contextual video is here and getting stronger. But traditional video doesn’t work online. People are in control, so they click away from the ads.
Product placement is the answer. Mainstream advertisers can reach out to mainstream video producers and make the deal. Edgy advertisers can reach out and make the deal.
But there still are people inside the box.
The big issue would be whether the product placement was disclosed or not in some way that would be obvious to viewers. Brook Hinton says product placements need to be disclosed at the start of the video or else he considers them even more tasteless than ads.
It’s NOT an issue - don’t disclose. Give the viewer some credit for some brains. At the end of the Highway Patrol tv programs, there was a line that said: Ford Motor provided automobiles for Broderick Crawford. No animals were injured in the making of this program, etc. etc.
Was this necessary then? No. Do they still do it today? I dunno. I’m not even sure they have credits on broadcast tv anymore.
To feel the urge to disclose that Mr. Crawford was compensated to drink Dr Pepper and use iPhone is kinda ridiculous, right? Viewers either 1. don’t care or 2. already knew that.
Give me a scenario that would be so outrageous, so devious, that product placement disclosure would give you a clue.