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Claussen Pickles Is Latest Brand to Use Incentivized Video Views
Claussen Pickles, which is part of the Kraft Foods family, is the latest brand to successfully use incentivized video views in social games. For those not familiar with the concept (which I wrote about last April), those playing social games on sites like Facebook and others are offered the opportunity to earn virtual currency in exchange for watching a brand's video and/or engaging with it in a particular way (e.g. sharing, liking, etc.). The brand gets an uncluttered experience delivered to a highly-targeted audience.
Mitchell Reichgut, CEO of Jun Group, whose firm partnered with ad agency The Escape Pod, to execute the Claussen campaign, shared the 1-minute video that was created, called "Journey to the Claussen Pickles" (see video below). The offbeat video highlights the idea that Claussen pickles are found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, and though they require extra effort to find, are worth it.
Mitchell said that video is targeted to moms playing social games on sites like Facebook. The completion rate is 75-80%, driven be the need to finish viewing in order to earn the reward. Of those that complete viewing, approximately 10% "Like" Claussen on Facebook, which means the brand now has a direct communications channel to send future offers and news.
Categories: Advertising, Games, Social Media
Topics: Claussen Pickles, Jun Group, Kraft Foods, The Escape Pod
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New Data Indicates Almost Half of Online Viewers Watch Pre-Roll Ads Even When They Can Choose Not To
Two recent data points share a common, though somewhat surprising, conclusion: almost half of online viewers watch pre-roll ads to the end even when presented with the choice to opt out and skip the ad entirely. Clearly two data points aren't enough to form a real trend, but they do provide insight into how online video advertising may ultimately differ from traditional TV advertising.
The first data point came from YouTube and Scripps, via this article in Online Media Daily. Scripps ran ads for 3 different programs on YouTube using its "True View" format that allows users to easily skip past the ad. It turned out that 44% of viewers actually watched the ad through to the end (a key benefit of the TrueView model is that advertisers only pay for ad views, not for skips).
Then separately this week, video ad manager AdoTube released its Q1 2011 In-Stream Ad Format Index, which provides data on the 4.25 billion ad impressions generated across AdoTube's network (slides here). Among the key findings: 45% of viewers of its "Polite Pre-Roll" which allows skipping, watched through to the end. That was a 7% increase from the prior quarter and on par with conventional pre-roll ads. Another interesting finding was that when the Polite Pre-Roll is used, the abandonment rate for the content itself is 18% lower than when conventional pre-rolls are used, suggesting that ad choice enhances the content experience.
Categories: Advertising
Topics: AdoTube, Scripps, YouTube
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TED, YouTube and the Renaissance in Ad Creativity
Yesterday TED celebrated the 5 year anniversary of its "TEDTalks" being distributed online, with 500 million views to date. TEDTalks, which feature individuals speaking for up to 18 minutes on a variety of different subjects, are thought-provoking and inspiring. Using the power of online video, TED has extended its reach and influence far beyond the group of people who attend TED events in person.
More recently, TED, with the support of YouTube and others partners, has begun to focus on how advertising can be reinvented in the digital age to be more compelling and relevant. Last September, it launched "Ads Worth Spreading" (a spin on its tagline of "Ideas Worth Spreading") to recognize ads that nurture passion and encourage viewers to watch and be a part of a community. AWS seeks to move the advertising model beyond "ambushing" viewers, as has long been advertising's M.O., to instead develop a shared dialogue.
At the recent ELEVATE conference, we were very pleased to have Ronda Carnegie, TED's head of global partnerships and John Militello, Google's head of creative innovation, Americas join us for a fireside chat to discuss AWS and the role YouTube itself is playing in redefining how brands engage their audiences (video after the jump). I've written a number of times recently about breakthrough campaigns on YouTube (e.g. Perrier, The Expendables, Desperados beer); no doubt other creative ads on YouTube will follow.
Categories: Advertising
Topics: Sharethrough, TED, YouTube
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Microsoft and Nielsen Team Up to Correlate Online Ads With TV Tune-In
Microsoft and Nielsen are teaming up to launch the "Television Online Effect" pilot program, to help measure how specific online ads drive TV tune-in. The partners will leverage aggregate profile data from Nielsen's TV/Internet Fusion panel to create a target audience based on TV and online usage. Microsoft then plans to run online campaigns to this audience on its owned properties. It will then measure the tune-in effect of these campaigns. Entertainment is the first vertical in the program, which will launch by August 1st.
I can see a real opportunity for this for various reasons. The TV landscape noisier than ever, with cable TV networks flooding the market with a record amount of original programming and broadcast networks continuing to fight for audience share. Meanwhile, traditional tune-in advertising, in radio and newspaper, is less effective than ever because audiences are spending more time online. The good news is that in online, users' profiles can be accurately understand and then correlated to what TV shows they're likely to enjoy, in turn increasing the ads' ROI and the likelihood that shows find their appropriate audience.
Categories: Advertising
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Here's What the World's Largest Media Buying Agency Thinks About Online Video Advertising [VIDEO]
A couple of weeks ago at the ELEVATE: Online Video Advertising Summit, Mike Bologna, head of emerging communications at GroupM did a fireside chat with Jack Myers, Chairman, Media Advisory Group, to discuss the agency view of online video advertising. For those not familiar with GroupM, it is a unit of WPP and is the world's largest media buying agency, accounting for over 32% of global media billings. Mike is the point person on all emerging media and has a front-row seat in the unfolding drama of online video's efforts to attract traditional TV dollars.
In the 25-minute video (after the jump), Mike provides a candid view of online video's opportunities and challenges. Among other things, he clarifies what constitutes "professionally created" content, explains that online video can be viewed as more economical than TV despite its higher CPMs, discusses how the strong recent upfront actually benefits online video, shares why he just advised a client to shift 4% of its TV spending to online video, describes why a single source of measurement is critical to the industry's growth and articulates the challenges YouTube has in attracting ad dollars.
Categories: Advertising, People
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Perrier Scoring With Interactive YouTube Campaign
Add Perrier to the list of brands that are discovering the power of running creative video campaigns on YouTube. Perrier launched a clever interactive experience called "Le Club Perrier" 2 weeks ago that appears to be driving significant viewership and engagement. Viewers are invited to watch and pass along links to videos in order to "unlock" the next versions which promise to get "sexier, steamier and wilder as the number of viewers goes up" (right, could they make it more tempting?).
It seems to be working though, at least according to the viewership meter, which indicates nearly 7 million total views to date (the campaign is also #5 on this week's AdAge/Visible Measures Viral Video Chart, though with a far lower view count). Part of the mystery is that it's not clear how many times the videos have been shared via email, Twitter or Facebook, or what it takes to unlock the next version. However, the invitations to share are heavily promoted and follow each video segment.
Categories: Advertising
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comScore: YouTube's Time Per Viewer In May Tops 5 Hours, More Than Next 5 Sites COMBINED
comScore released its May 2011 U.S. online video rankings today which once again illustrated the extent to which YouTube remains the 800-pound gorilla of the online video market. For the first time, YouTube's time spent per viewer during the month exceeded 5 hours, coming in at 5 hours, 11 minutes. That reflects nearly 2.2 billion viewing sessions generated from over 147 million unique viewers (83.5% of all Americans who watched any online video in May).
Looked at another way, YouTube's 5 hours, 11 minutes of viewership is more than the next 5 properties ranked had during the month, combined. The number 6 property, Microsoft's sites, had 46.5 million visitors for the month, less than a 1/3 of YouTube's, and 252 million viewing sessions, just 1/9 of YouTube's (see below). Hulu is the only property remotely close to YouTube in viewing time per user, racking up 3 hours, 38 minutes per viewer in May from 196 million viewing sessions. But Hulu had 28.5 million unique viewers in May, less than 1/5 of YouTube's.
Categories: Advertising, Aggregators
Topics: comScore, Hulu, YouTube
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Recapping All of the Product and Partnership News from ELEVATE
At the ELEVATE conference on Tuesday a number of our partners made product and partnership announcements which I mentioned were coming in a teaser last Friday. Each helps move the online video advertising market forward in different ways. A brief recap of each follows:
Categories: Advertising, Events, Technology
Topics: Adap.TV, AdoTube, Conviva, ELEVATE, EyeView, Grab Networks, Innovid, Ooyala, Panache, RAMP, Tremor Video, Undertone, YuMe
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Panache Introduces Interactive Ads in HTTP Live Streaming (HLS)
Video ad technology provider Panache is introducing the ability to insert interactive ad overlays in HTTP live streaming (HLS) content delivered to iOS and Android connected devices. Panache is announcing the capability at ELEVATE: Online Video Advertising Summit. Panache CEO Steve Robinson, who briefed me last week on the capability, sees this as primarily supporting dynamic ad insertion into live television streams that would be simulcast to devices.
Panache believes this capability is significant because it bypasses the need to separate TV programs streamed online into segments, with video ads inserted between them, which is a cumbersome process. Steve reports that pay-TV operators and TV technology providers are excited about Panache's offering because it moves them closer to their vision of convergence between TV and other devices. Many premium content providers are recognizing the value of live streaming for audiences, especially to newer mobile devices. Categories most often mentioned are sports or music, but entertainment programming is also a priority.
Categories: Advertising, Technology
Topics: Panache
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Teaser: More Video Ad Innovation Coming Next Week
A little teaser for this Friday morning: next week is going to bring a number of announcements of new video advertising innovations, particularly for mobile devices. The announcements will be synched with ELEVATE: Online Video Advertising Summit, coming up next Tuesday, June 7th. This week I've been getting a preview of some of the news from various technology providers and it's exciting stuff that will no doubt help accelerate the market.
A key underlying theme I am continually hearing from technology providers for online and mobile video advertising is their desire to help move ad dollars over from TV (or at a minimum to have online and mobile become complimentary media buys). But, as I wrote a couple of weeks ago, TV advertising is still a "known" commodity, whereas it's still early for online and mobile and there are a lot of question marks. Technology providers are united in their goal of helping premium video content providers improve their monetization and are innovating at a furious pace in order to demonstrate the advantages over TV.
Stay tuned next week for some cool updates.Categories: Advertising, Mobile Video
Topics: ELEVATE
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DVR Capability Would Make Online Video Even More Compelling
The BBC's announcement late last week of its new "Series Record" feature, which enables iPlayer users to subscribe to download future episodes of specific TV programs just as they might do with a DVR, caught my attention because it adds compelling new value to the current online video streaming model. That's because, as valuable as it is to have premium content available online, it still requires the user to actually be online and have a robust broadband connection (and soon enough to also be adhering to their ISP's usage cap).
For many, meeting these criteria isn't a problem. However, there are lots of others, particularly those of us who travel frequently, for whom these streaming prerequisites block many potential viewing opportunities (try streaming over a MiFi card or on a hotel's wireless network or on an airplane!). As a result, if we want to watch an episode of our favorite network TV program freely available online, or something from the Netflix streaming or Hulu Plus catalog, the only option is likely to have to pay to download it from iTunes or Amazon or another provider.
Categories: Advertising, Devices, DVR
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VideoNuze Report Podcast #99 - May 20, 2011
I'm pleased to present the 99th edition of the VideoNuze Report podcast, for May 20, 2011.
In this week's podcast, Daisy Whitney and I discuss the new "Bud United Presents: The Big Time" contest which was announced earlier this week. The contest resonated with me because it really showed how brands can take full control by leveraging social media and online video. Daisy and I discuss the implications and what it might mean for other brands. Listen in to learn more.
Click here to listen to the podcast (8 minutes, 39 seconds)
Click here for previous podcasts
The VideoNuze Report is available in iTunes...subscribe today!Categories: Advertising, Podcasts
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Online Video Advertising's Number One Challenge: Measurement
Despite online video advertising's surging growth, its number one current challenge is a consistent and widely-accepted measurement system that allows media buyers, content publishers and brands to gain a clear understanding of how ad campaigns are planned, executed and evaluated. That was the consensus at a launch dinner for the upcoming ELEVATE: Online Video Advertising Summit I attended last night, which included about ten online video industry CEOs, plus brand and agency executives, which was hosted by the private equity firm The Blackstone Group and the law firm Sheppard Mullin.
Today, online video measurement tends to focus on that which is easily measured and at least relatively well-understood: number of views/impressions and the number of click-throughs (if applicable). While that's a good starting point, much more is required. As a number of CEOs noted, media buyers have set a higher standard for pricier online video buys; they need specific information about audience targeting, meaningful engagement, and importantly, the correlation between spending and brand/sales lift. There was agreement that many of these new requirements never entered the equation in traditional TV advertising.
Categories: Advertising
Topics: Nielsen
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Budweiser Rolls Out "Big Time" Social Media Reality Contest
Budweiser has rolled out a new reality show dubbed "Bud United Presents: The Big Time," (Facebook registration required) which lets four contest winners train for their "big time" dream with celebrities such as NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick, chef Hubert Keller and others. Entries are being solicited via Bud's Facebook and Renren pages. The project's creative team includes @radical.media and six-time Emmy winner Evan Weinstein. Big Time follows on "Bud United: Beer House," an online reality show the company launched during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Big Time is a perfect example of how online video and social media allow major brands to take greater control of how they interact with audiences, going far beyond the classic 30-second TV spot. Rather than the usual model where a TV network heavily guides a show's concept, scheduling and promotion, with Big Time, Budweiser has taken the reins on all of these aspects. With social media, Bud can generate awareness and interest, and with online video it has an avenue for both video-based submissions and for distribution.
Categories: Advertising, Social Media
Topics: Budweiser
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TED Executive to Present at ELEVATE on the Renaissance in Ad Creativity
I'm delighted to announce that Ronda Carnegie, Head of Global Partnerships for TED, the highly-influential non-profit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, will be the closing presenter at ELEVATE: Online Video Advertising Summit, on Tues, June 7th in NYC. This special session will be hosted by Dan Greenberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Sharethrough, a leading performance-based social video advertising program.
Ronda's presentation, "TED's Ads Worth Spreading and the Renaissance in Creativity," will focus on TED's recent Ads Worth Spreading competition which recognized breakthrough new ads that are infectiously compelling, have strong industry impact, are in the style of a TEDTalk (30 seconds to 5
minutes) and pursue a social good with a powerful idea or innovative approach. The 10 winning submissions, plus the 14 honorable mentions, are tangible evidence of the powerful renaissance underway in advertising creativity, as online video eliminates the traditional limitations of 15 and 30-second TV ads, unleashing a new level of ad creativity not seen in decades. Ronda will share a number of examples in her presentation.
TED's vision of advertisers and consumers being part of the same community, sharing ideas and engaging in a joint learning cycle, is perfectly aligned with ELEVATE's mission. As ELEVATE's agenda amply demonstrates, we're bringing together senior executives from throughout the ecosystem to understand online video's key trends, accelerate the future of online video advertising and tackle remaining challenges.
Ronda's presentation, part of which I viewed at the WPP Global Video Summit last week, will be the capstone to an action-packed day of learning and networking. It is an honor for us that TED has decided to participate in the inaugural ELEVATE conference. I'm confident that attendees will leave the closing session inspired and excited to be part of the action, and having a role in changing the status quo. Cocktails and a reception will follow immediately after this closing session.
Early bird discounted registration is available until this Friday.
Categories: Advertising, Events
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VideoNuze Report Podcast #98 - May 5, 2011
I'm pleased to present the 98th edition of the VideoNuze Report podcast, for May 5, 2011.
In this week's podcast, Daisy Whitney and I discuss YouTube's forecast that by 2015, 50% of video ads will include cost-per-view video, which I wrote about earlier this week. If the forecast pans out, it would cause a huge transformation in the way the online video ad market works, since virtually all of today's in-stream video ads don't have any performance aspect.
As we discuss, the move isn't that surprising, as it attempts to re-shape the video ad market to look more like the search advertising market, which Google dominates. By aligning engagement with advertiser payments, there's clearly more efficiency. But it would be a radical departure from the way TV advertising has traditionally been bought, so it would take a concerted effort by brands and agencies to adapt to the model. Listen in to learn more.
Click here to listen to the podcast (13 minutes, 18 seconds)
Click here for previous podcasts
The VideoNuze Report is available in iTunes...subscribe today!Categories: Advertising, Podcasts
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YouTube: By 2015, 50% of Video Ads Will Include Cost-Per-View Video
At WPP Group's Global Video Summit yesterday afternoon, hosted by Kantar Video, GroupM and WPP Digital, Baljeet Singh, YouTube's product manager for video monetization reiterated a bold assertion YouTube has made periodically
over the past 6 months: by 2015, 50% of video ads will include cost-per-view video.
Baljeet defines "cost-per-view" as an engaged view of a video ad where "engaged" means the user chose to watch that video in some way. The vast majority of today's in-stream pre-rolls, mid-rolls and post-rolls that auto-play during the content experience wouldn't qualify under the definition. If YouTube is right, then massive change is coming in how online video ads are created, purchased, valued and measured.
Categories: Advertising
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Survey: 65% of Media Buyers Plan to Shift Spending from TV to Online Video
Online video ad network BrightRoll has released results of its Q1 '11 survey of media buyers' attitudes towards online video, and no surprise, they are yet again quite bullish. Several data points highlight online video's growing appeal; in particular the survey found 65% of respondents said they plan to shift campaign dollars from TV to online video. Beyond TV, as the chart below shows, display advertising is actually the spending bucket likely to see the biggest shift to online video, with 86% of buyers planning to move some of their display budget to online video.
Importantly, 28% of media buyers forecast online video will see the largest increase in spending in 2011, with mobile video right behind at 27%. Online video is also becoming a more common component of all ad campaigns, with 27% of media buyers saying that over half of their request for proposals included an online video component. 41% of buyers reported targeting as the most valuable aspect of online video advertising to their clients. Within targeting, the most beneficial form is behavioral, followed closely by contextual and demographic.
Categories: Advertising
Topics: BrightRoll
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VideoNuze Report Podcast #96 - Apr. 22, 2011
I'm pleased to present the 96th edition of the VideoNuze Report podcast, for April 22, 2011.
In this week's podcast, Daisy Whitney and I discuss 2 new video ads that I recently wrote about, the Desperados Tequila Flavored Beer ad on YouTube, and the Evian "Baby Inside" ad. I thought they were both highly creative and offered great opportunities for viewers to become involved. On the other hand, Daisy did not like either one, the Desperados ad because it required too many actions, and the Evian ad because she's averse to the images of adult heads on babies' bodies. As Daisy explains, often she just wants to enjoy ads as entertainment, rather than be required to act.
Daisy draws an interesting distinction between "interactivity" and "engagement," two concepts that are often used interchangeably. But as Daisy points out, many ads incite deep engagement while not requiring any interactivity. I can relate to the point as I found myself very engaged with "The Force" Super Bowl ad from Volkswagen, though it didn't include any interactivity. The larger point is that even though opportunities now abound for brands to immerse users in online experiences, more than ever they need to strike the right balance between pure entertainment vs. requiring to users to act.
Click here to listen to the podcast (12 minutes, 20 seconds)
Click here for previous podcasts
The VideoNuze Report is available in iTunes...subscribe today!
Categories: Advertising, Podcasts
Topics: Desperados Tequila Flavored Beer, Evian, Podcast, YouTube
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With New "Baby Inside" Spot, Evian Once Again Cracks the Online Video Ad Code
Evian has released its latest online video ad - "Evian Baby Inside" this week, and once again it has cracked the code on executing a memorable, engaging, and likely-to-go-viral campaign. Baby Inside follows Evian's hugely successful "Roller Babies" ad from 2009 which has already racked up over 38 million views on YouTube. Both ads are part of Evian's "Live Young" theme and were created by the agency BETC Euro RSCG.
In the new Baby Inside campaign, a series of adults are shown dancing while wearing white T-shirts imprinted with the body of one of three different babies on them. By using stop-action and quick cuts, the viewer's eye quickly acclimates to the adult heads becoming one with the babies' bodies. It's very compelling concept and the catchy soundtrack further embellishes the experience.
Categories: Advertising
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