Streaming Media - 2008 Industry Sourcebook - (Page 48) industry update bio Another trick that advertising agencies are pitching is multiple forms of advertisement on the same page. The idea, dubbed a “companion banner” by some, is that a skyscraper or top-of-thepage banner would run to emphasize the video content that might be lower on the page. Hotspotting also continues to progress as a method of online video advertising, trailing preroll and interstitials in much the same way as targeted advertising within television programs (think Apple MacBook product placement in TV shows or movies). Hotspotting, or clickable video, gained a set of key tools in 2007 with the advent of Adobe’s Flash CS3, which added many video-interaction tools directly within the program. Hotspotting has obvious implications for product placement, but the question that arises both in online video and IPTV is whether consumers want to be bothered with actively clicking on something while they passively watch primary content. Placement of ads within other video content is still in the experiment stage, as media buyers play around with proper locations. This is especially important in longform content of 30 minutes or greater, as Kelly Egan, VP of business development at Swarmcast, noted in a mid-year interview. “Knowing what type of ad to buy and where it might be streamed in can also impact campaign effectiveness,” said Egan. “If, for example, an interstitial will be streamed in at the 20-minute mark of a 30-minute program, the bulk of the viewers may have already dropped out at that point, and your ad really won’t be seen.” Egan continued by noting that longform content—unlike the shortform content on YouTube and other “clip” sites—is typically encoded to full-screen, which means that the video advertising going along with the longform content must also be able to meet the quality level of full-screen playback. This, in turn, means that network strain and cost to deliver also increase as longform content is typically streamed at data rates of 1.5Mbps and higher. Predictions for 2008 So what does 2008 hold? While it’s cliché to say “more of the same,” that sentiment might not be too far off. The rising impact of online video advertising, plus the growing trend in entertainment to provide televised content on the web for free—supported by advertisements—means that content owners and advertisers alike are going to have to rethink their first-run, syndication, and web advertising strategies. The advent of online HD (see "High Time," pp. 121-128), will propel online video advertising to a level that allows equal quality between televised and online video advertising, opening new doors for ad agencies and bottom-line revenue for destination site owners. Tim Siglin (writer@braintrustdigital.com) writes and consults on digital media business models and "go to market" strategies. He is chairman of Braintrust Digital, a digital media production company, and co-founder of consulting firm Transitions, Inc. Comments? Contact us at letters@streamingmedia.com, or check the masthead for other ways to contact us. Pull One Up. Talk with the people—more than 5,000 of them—who ARE the industry, and who use the Streaming Media Discussion Groups to network, discuss the latest industry developments, and get quick, knowledgeable answers to their business and technical questions. They’re free, and we don’t allow sales pitches. So what are you waiting for, an invitation? You just got one. StreamingMedia.com/Discussion 48 STREAMING MEDIA INDUSTRY SOURCEBOOK 2008 ESTABLISHED 1998 http://StreamingMedia.com/Discussion
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