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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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YouTube Has Been a Home Run for Google and the Online Video Industry
Back in October, 2006, when Google announced its intention to acquire YouTube, the fledgling, but already-dominant video upload/sharing site, for $1.65 billion, many observers thought it was a wild swing by Google, and
further evidence of its profligate ways. Critics cited YouTube's thin UGC-based business model, its minimal revenues and its skyrocketing hosting/delivery costs caused by surging usage. Even though the deal was all in stock, it indeed looked like a rich price, and an unjustifiably huge short-term reward to YouTube's founders and investors.
Yet yesterday's news from YouTube, that a staggering 48 hours of video are now uploaded to the site each minute, and that it hit a recent peak of 3 billion video views in a single day, both underscore how YouTube has been a home run for both Google and for the larger online video industry. YouTube's ongoing viewership dominance is a rare "winner take all" situation in which second place video upload/sharing competitors are practically off the radar screen. Google now owns the dominant asset in one of the fastest-growing sectors of the Internet, which has huge revenue potential as consumer adoption of online video and devices soars. That $1.65 billion looks cheap now, all the more so given the durability of Google's own robust ad business.
Categories: Aggregators
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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 periodicallyover 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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3. YouTube Getting Back Into the Hollywood Movie Rental Game
This week also brought unexpected news that YouTube is seeking to license movies from top studios for online rental. Hmm, somebody please explain to me how YouTube thinks it can create a differentiated offering relative to what's already available from iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, etc. because I don't get it. Plus, just a few weeks ago it seemed like YouTube was placing its bets on original web-only content, which felt like a viable strategy. Now YouTube wants back into Hollywood. It's hard to see how this will have a happy ending with so many options already available.
Categories: Aggregators, FIlms
Topics: YouTube
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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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Here's the Most Innovative Video Ad To Run On YouTube So Far
As brilliant as the video ads on YouTube were for Tipp-Ex and Sylvester Stallone's "The Expendables," it's time to crown a new champion as the most innovative video ad yet on YouTube - Desperados Tequila Flavored Beer (right, I'd never heard of the product either). I stumbled on this one yesterday (gotta love those random tweets on TweetDeck!) and the ad raises the bar once again for the rest of the market. I'm not going to spoil the fun, but suffice to say there are some great head-fakes and really well-done interactivity.
Desperados is further proof of how tantalizing online video advertising is for brands ready to think out of the box and engage their target audiences in completely unexpected ways. Over the last few weeks, as part of the planning for ELEVATE: Online Video Advertising Summit on Tues., June 7th in NYC, I've been talking to a lot of executives in the online video ecosystem and what I consistently hear is the genuine desire by brands and agencies to learn how to do breakthrough creative, at scale, in the bustling new medium of online video.
Categories: Advertising
Topics: Desperados Tequila Flavored Beer, The Expendables, Tipp-Ex, YouTube
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YouTube Pursuing "Strategic Catalyst" Role for Industry
An article in the WSJ yesterday reported that YouTube may be planning to spend up to $100 million to commission low-cost web-only content as part ofa reorganization of the site into 20 "channels." While the article was short on details and YouTube wouldn't confirm anything, the initiative feels consistent with the "strategic catalyst" role I characterized YouTube as playing in the online video industry last month, following its acquisition of Next New Networks.
Categories: Aggregators, Indie Video
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YouTube Dominating Online Video Ad Business; $1.3 Billion Forecast in 2011
A new report this week from Citi analyst Mark Mahaney forecasted that YouTube revenue could exceed $1.3 billion in 2011 and rise to almost $1.7 billion in 2012 (see below). Mahaney's conclusion is based on YouTube driving higher video views and an improved ability to monetize these views with advertising. Google has of course been famously tight-lipped about YouTube's financial condition, other than to issue increasingly optimistic statements in its quarterly earnings calls.
Categories: Advertising, Aggregators
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VideoNuze Report Podcast #91 - Mar. 11, 2011
I'm pleased to present the 91st edition of the VideoNuze Report podcast, for March 11, 2011.
In this week's podcast, Daisy Whitney and I discuss YouTube's acquisition of independent online video producer Next New Networks. As I explained in my post earlier this week, while it's tempting to see Google/YouTube becoming a content creator itself with the deal, instead I think of the move as taking a page from the cable industry's early playbook. YouTube is trying to play the role of "strategic catalyst" for online video creators, similar to what early cable TV operators did for early cable TV networks. Daisy doesn't see it quite the way I do however, which might suggest I'm giving YouTube more credit than they deserve. We'll see how it plays out over time.
Then we talk briefly about "ELEVATE: Online Video Advertising Summit," a new 1-day conference I announced earlier this week. Note, just as I finish up inviting Daisy to participate, the gremlins attacked and the podcast recording unexpectedly stopped. For those of you interested in her response, she said "she'd be happy to join us, that is if she's not in Paris at the time." Ahhh, choices, choices.
Click here to listen to the podcast (13 minutes, 41 seconds)
Click here for previous podcasts
The VideoNuze Report is available in iTunes...subscribe today!
Categories: Aggregators, Deals & Financings, Events, Indie Video, Podcasts
Topics: ELEVATE, Next New Networks, YouTube
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With Next New Networks Deal, YouTube Evokes Cable's Early Days
With Monday's announcement that YouTube is acquiring independent video producer Next New Networks, plenty of people have concluded that Googleand YouTube have officially become content providers themselves - something the companies swore they'd never become. While it's tempting to conclude this, my take is that YouTube is actually lifting a page from the cable industry's evolution - seeking to act less as content creator, and more as a "strategic catalyst" for the online video era. Let me explain.
Back in the early days of cable, its primary value proposition was purely improved reception. Many of the earliest cable systems were built in communities where over-the air broadcast signals were poor. Once those initial systems were built and then subsequently upgraded to have expanded capacity, the industry recognized that it needed to hang its hat on more than just the proposition of "better picture quality." Thus began a frenzied process of creating new specialty channels to appeal to specific audience segments. Initially these channels offered re-runs and other inexpensive shows they could get their hands on (who remembers that ESPN's early days featured ping-pong?). Eventually however, these channels would become original programming powerhouses in their own right.
Categories: Aggregators, Cable Networks, Cable TV Operators, Deals & Financings, Indie Video
Topics: Liberty Media, Next New Networks, TCI, YouTube
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Break Media Introduces 5 New Originals
Break Media is introducing 5 new web series today, continuing its investment in original content production. The first new series rolling out is "For the Win," a weekly how-to series focused on helping men "win at life," which will run on Break's "Made Man" lifestyle site. The topic is defined expansively in keeping with Break's target audience; today's episode is "Win a Fight With One Punch." For the Win will also be distributed on YouTube and through the Break Media Network.
The other series, which will debut in the spring - and the Break sites they'll reside on - include "Awesome America" (Break), an offbeat travelogue show, "Thinking Out Loud" (Screen Junkies), a comedic take on celebrity interviews, "MMAashed Potato" (Cage Potato), weekly re-caps of MMA highlights and "FAQ U" (Game Front), a review show for popular games.
Categories: Indie Video
Topics: Break Media, YouTube
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YouTube Charges $375K Per Day for Home Page Masthead Ads, Plus Other Fun Facts
The February edition of Fast Company magazine, which features a lengthy piece on YouTube, includes a number of interesting data points. One that caught my eye is that YouTube charges $375,000 per day for a home page
"masthead" ad (these are the rich media 970x250 ads that occupy the top third to half of the home page). According to the article, the home page generates an average of 45 million views per day (though it's not clear if that's U.S.-only or global). A companion article notes that the home page gets 18 million visitors in the U.S. only.
The ad running today, for Lexus's new CT 200h hybrid is a typical masthead implementation: graphics rich, with embedded video, and links to a series of original, branded videos (in this case "Darkcasting" vignettes). Last September, in "YouTube Gets Center Stage in Google's New 'Watch This Space' Ad Campaign," I noted that the premier brands that used the masthead unit in the previous month included Sony Pictures, Lionsgate, Showtime, NBC, Mattel, EA, T-Mobile, American Express and others. Each has its own creative execution that often extended far beyond what's typically seen in rich media display ads (my favorite example continues to be the Sly Stallone ad for the movie "The Expendables").Categories: Advertising, Aggregators
Topics: Fast Company, YouTube
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5 Items of Interest for the Week of Jan. 10th
Even though I was very focused this week on the CES "takeaways" series, there was still plenty of news happening in the online and mobile video industries. So as in the past, I'm pleased to offer VideoNuze's end-of-week feature highlighting 5-6 interesting online/mobile video industry news items that we weren't able to cover this week. Enjoy!
Level 3 fights on in Comcast traffic dispute
Level 3 is showing no signs of relenting on its accusations that Comcast is unfairly trying to charge the CDN for Internet traffic it delivers to Comcast's network. In an interview this week, Level 3 said it may use the "Open Internet" provisions of the FCC's new network neutrality rules to press its case. Level 3's challenge is coming at the 11th hour of the FCC's approval process of the Comcast-NBCU deal; it's not really clear if Level 3 is having any impact on slowing the approval, which appears imminent.
Comcast-NBCU deal challenged over online video proposal
Speaking of challenges to the Comcast-NBCU deal, word emerged this week that Disney is voicing concern over the FCC's proposed deal condition that would force Comcast to offer NBC programming to any party that had concluded a deal with one of NBC's competitors for online distribution. The Disney concern appears to be that the condition would have an undue influence on how the online video market evolves and how Disney's own deals would be impacted. While the FCC should be setting conditions to the deal, the Disney concerns highlights how, in a nascent, fast-moving market like online video, government intervention can cause unintended side effects.
YouTube is notching 200 million mobile video views/day
As if on cue with my CES takeaway #3, that mobility is video's next frontier, YouTube revealed this week that it is now delivering 200 million mobile views per day, tripling its volume in 2010. That would equal about 6 billion views per month, which is remarkable. And that amount is poised to increase, as YouTube launched music video site VEVO for Android devices. YouTube clearly sees the revenue potential in all this mobile video activity; it also said that it would append a pre-roll ad in Android views for tens of thousands of content partners.
Google creates video codec dust-up
Google stirred up a hornet's nest this week by announcing that it was dropping support for the widely popular H.264 video codec in its Chrome browser, in favor of its own WebM codec, in an attempt to drive open standards. Though Chrome only represents about 10% market share among browsers (doubling in 2010 though), for these users, it means they'll need to use Flash to view non-WebM ended video. There are a lot of downstream implications of Google's move, but for space reasons, rather than enumerating them here, check out some of the great in-depth coverage the issue has received this week (here, here, here, here).
Netflix usage drives up Canadian broadband bills
An interesting test of Canadian Netflix streaming showed that a user there might have to pay an incremental $12/month under one ISP's consumption cap. That would be more than the $7.99/mo that the Netflix subscription itself costs, leading to potential cord-shaving behavior. This type of upcharge hasn't become an issue here in the U.S. because even ISPs that have caps have set them high relative to most users' current consumption. But if streaming skyrockets as many think it will, and the FCC allows usage-based billing, this could fast become a reality in the U.S. as well.
Categories: Aggregators, Broadband ISPs, Broadcasters, Cable TV Operators, CDNs, Deals & Financings, International, Mobile Video, Regulation, Technology
Topics: Comcast, Disney, FCC, Google, Level 3, NBCU, Netflix, WebM, YouTube
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CES Takeaway #3: Mobility is Video's Next Frontier
(Note: Each day this week I'm writing about one key takeaway from last week's CES 2011. Also, next Wednesday, January 19th, The Diffusion Group's Colin Dixon and I will be hosting a complimentary webinar, "Demystifying CES 2011," in which we'll discuss key CES highlights and answer participants' questions.)
One of the clear trends that emerges from the video-related product announcements at CES 2011, and in the months leading up to it, is that mobility is video's next frontier.
Just as online video adoption grew out of massive online Internet use, mobile video consumption is going to ride the tremendous wave of mobile Internet use. And by many accounts mobile Internet usage is on the cusp of a massive expansion. The analyst Mary Meeker believes that by 2014 there will be more mobile Internet users globally (about 1.6 billion) than desktop Internet users. In just the past year, the number of Americans who have used the Internet from their mobile phones has increased from 32% to 40%, with those reporting they accessed the 'net several times a day from a mobile phone jumping from 24% to 43%, according to Pew.
Unquestionably the big growth in mobile Internet use has been facilitated by the explosion of video-friendly smartphones and tablets. Indeed CES could have almost been renamed "Tablet-Fest 2011" as numerous tablets were introduced, all seeking to imitate the iPad's huge success. In 2011, IDC predicts 330 million smartphones and 42 million tablets will be sold worldwide. In the U.S., Nielsen estimates that by the end of 2011, smartphones will have a greater market share than feature phones. Certainly Verizon's iPhone announcement yesterday is another smartphone accelerant, with Verizon loyalists finally gaining access to the iconic device. A recent study from MeFeedia underscored Apple's role in driving mobile video adoption: 43% of mobile video usage was from iPhones and iPads, with Android bringing in 21%. In addition to the proliferation of devices, the rollout of speedy 4G networks will make mobile video consumption easier and more pleasing to viewers.
Categories: Mobile Video
Topics: Android, CES, IDC, iPhone, MeFeedia, Nielsen, Pew, Verizon, YouTube
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Online/Mobile Video's Top 10 of 2010
2010 was another spectacular year of growth and innovation in online and mobile video, so it's no easy feat to choose the 10 most significant things that happened during the year. However, I've taken my best shot below, and offered explanations. No doubt I've forgotten a few things, but I think it's a pretty solid list. As much as happened in 2010 though, I expect even more next year, with plenty of surprises.
My top 10 are as follows:
Categories: Advertising, Aggregators, Broadband ISPs, Broadcasters, Cable Networks, Cable TV Operators, Deals & Financings, Devices, Mobile Video, Regulation, Satellite, Technology, Telcos
Topics: 4G, Android, Apple, Google TV, iPad, Net Neutrality, Netflix, YouTube
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5 Items of Interest for the Week of Dec. 12th
Happy Friday. Once again I'm pleased to offer VideoNuze's end-of-week feature analyzing 5-6 interesting online/mobile video industry news items from the week that we didn't have a chance to cover previously. This week I'm changing the format a little bit, creating an individual post for each item. I'm doing this in response to reader interest in being able to share individual items (not the whole group) more easily. Let me know what you think of the new format. Here they are:
1. Potential YouTube-Next New Networks deal is a bit of a head-scratcher
2. Here's a great example of why TV Everywhere matters so much to the pay-TV industry
3. Hulu's Kilar: "Hulu Plus now a material portion" of revenues
4. Google not ready to announce fiber winning communities
5. Tiffany shows online video works for luxury retailers
Read them now or check them out this weekend!Categories: Aggregators, Broadband ISPs, Cable Networks, Cable TV Operators, Commerce, Deals & Financings, Indie Video, Satellite, Telcos
Topics: Google, Hulu Plus, Netflix, Next New Networks, Tiffany, YouTube
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Potential YouTube-Next New Networks Deal is a Bit of a Head-Scratcher
I'm still scratching my head a little over this week's report that YouTube may be looking to acquire independent video network/developer Next New Networks. An acquisition of Next New Networks would mean that YouTube would no longer be solely a platform for indie video, but a producer as well. So the first question is why, after so many assertions by Google executives that it is "not a media company" has it decided that in fact it now wants to be a media company? Does Google feel that indie content is underfunded and developing too slowly, hence the need to bring its massive resources to bear? Maybe so.
But data just this week from the company, disclosing its 2010 top videos viewed seems to suggest that indie creativity is bubbling along just fine. The top two videos were actually Next New productions, and the company blogged a must-read post about how it achieved this success. Maybe YouTube feels it can turbo-charge indie content, and this is strategic to help support its Google TV efforts since it's getting stiff-armed by major broadcasters. If the deal is done (and doesn't end up as another Groupon non-deal) it will be interesting to learn how Google/YouTube explains it.Categories: Aggregators, Deals & Financings, Indie Video
Topics: Google, Next New Networks, YouTube
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