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HOME • MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS • MEDIA KIT
Giving Pre-Roll Video A Chance
by Mike Cassidy, Tuesday, March 13, 2007, 2:30 PM

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As online video advertisements become more pervasive, so too does the argument over the merit and viability of pre-roll.  After it's boiled down, there are generally three schools of thought on pre-roll video:  those who believe that it will soon become pre-historic; those who are proponents of pre-roll; and those who are on the proverbial fence, seeing the value while acknowledging its shortcomings. I happen to believe that, while I wouldn't consider it perfect, pre-roll has its place in a complete integrated campaign and is a good beginning for online video outside of the banner.

According to an eMarketer report from November of last year, online video advertising in 2006 was set to increase over 80 percent from the previous year.  As more dollars are poured into online video, marketers and advertisers are seeking out the best ways to maximize that investment to build brand awareness and influence purchasing decisions.  With no clear-cut answer as to which of the current, or yet to be developed, online video ad units will be the most effective, it behooves us not to dismiss any.

The pre-roll ad unit allows traditional advertisers to make use of existing video assets, i.e. TV commercials. Because of this, pre-roll has made it relatively easy for advertisers with existing video to efficiently move these assets online.  While creating video assets specifically for the Web is great, there is nothing wrong with repurposing 15- and 30- second spots originally made for broadcast, especially if they are strong and compelling, or humorous and memorable.  With a professionally produced, nationally televised 30-second commercial costing upwards of $500,000, why not fully leverage that investment?  Additionally, pre-roll typically includes a companion ad that further reinforces a brand, offering advertisers a place to encourage interaction on the part of the consumer.

Pre-roll is oftentimes scorned because of its perceived disruptive nature to consumers who are seeking specific video content.  However, in a survey done by the Online Publishers Association, 62% of consumers said they were accepting of ads up to 30 seconds in length, with an additional 38% accepting of ads of longer lengths.  The study also states that "Consumers are viewing video ads and are taking action, including checking out related links & Web sites as well as purchasing."  With that being said, we should continue to monitor consumer reactions and acceptance levels as the industry continues to refine and develop video content on the Web.  Already we have seen the unofficial standard for pre-roll move to 15 seconds, which demonstrates publishers are listening to consumers.

As we continue to see more advertisers add video to their campaigns, we should not discount pre-roll video as an ad unit.  Much like the 468 banner that has given way to many larger and more creative formats, pre-roll will most likely evolve and be used differently moving forward.  In the meantime, including pre-roll video in an integrated campaign is proving to be effective and worth the consideration.

 

Editor's Note: The Video Insider you received yesterday was actually meant to be an Online Publishing Insider. To make up for the mistake, today we're sending you a column on the correct subject. MediaPost regrets the error.

1 person recommends this article. 

6 comments on "Giving Pre-Roll Video A Chance"

  1. Darin Ingalls from James Tower
    commented on: March 26, 2007 at 6:16 PM
    As indicated in almost everyones replies....content -specific is the key. As more online video inventory becomes available and ad insertion based on meta-data is more comon place , pre/post/inside/outside...It will all be viable. A person is much more likely to not only watch, but also click thru, and ultimately purchase something that is of their interest or better yet something they need. This is where the strength of the medium is and will be.

    TV ad placement was built on the premise that your potential customers will be tuned in during specific programing at a specific time, on a specific day and was a much more broad brush approach. And then on top of it all hope they did not use that time to walk away from the TV or to use the restroom. Traditional TV spots usually work better as branding pieces as opposed to price point ads. Interactive ads can be both due to the immediate opportunity to purchase online.

    IPTV or VOD is already being viewed by those interested in that subject so you have the luxury of knowing your viewers in much more detail than ever before. And with this knowledge comes the responsibility to market the appropriate material at the appropriate length. So content IMO is and will always be king.

    DEI

    "The Cutting Edge requires sharp blades, handle with care"

  2. Nicholas Wright from Digital Media & Advertising
    commented on: March 14, 2007 at 9:40 AM
    Pre-roll is still an ugly format and i'm not sure reducing it to 15 seconds is enough: that's still disruptive. The problem is that, given the huge inventory of web video that is accessible and the variety of subjects they cover (professional/amateur, serious/comic and everywhere in between), any pre-roll must have some relevance to the content to which its being attached. I'm not talking about generic key-demographic matching either but a well-placed relevant ad that (ideally) links into the content. Pre-roll ads on videos less than 2 minutes in length is also a huge folly. What about side-roll contextual adverts? Ie. adverts running alongside the content that are targeted to what's being shown (matched to metadata etc.). Consumers are multi-tasking in their entertainment habits, why not use this knowledge to put adverts around rather than before content? Pre-roll is easy and won't go away but there are better ways to do it.

  3. Mark Metz from MetroGuide.com, Inc.
    commented on: March 13, 2007 at 9:35 PM
    The right answer will have to be content-specific, I think. Face it, pre-roll is annoying without a skip button (which pretty much defeats the purpose of having it). So, the video itself has to be valuable enough to watch to justify watching the pre-roll. If I am going to watch an hour long documentary embedded in an RSS feed, which I did last night, 15 or 30 seconds of pre-roll is trivial. If, however, people are sharing a 25 second clip that is a view of the balcony from their hotel room on their last vacation (we post these things on our site and they are popular with travelers), a 30 second pre-roll would naturally be absurd.

  4. Jeff Gartner from Gartner & Associates LLC
    commented on: March 13, 2007 at 5:15 PM
    Individuals will watch any length ad, as long as it intrigues them, engages them, and entertains or informs them. Stop worrying about the spot's duration, and instead more about its message and how it's delivered. Jeff Gartner (Grand Rapids, MI)

  5. Kathy Sharpe from Sharpe Partners
    commented on: March 13, 2007 at 4:11 PM
    The reason publishers are interested in Preroll is its easy; to deliver and sell. Of course consumers "accept" ads in a study. Were they given a choice? And isn't "acceptance" about as lukewarm an endorsement as is acceptable. Just because you have an asset you shouldn't use it-we've tested tv ads online against made for web video and their is not comparison. Consumers are used to interacting with the screen-then moving to sale. Just watching can't compare in brand engagement.

  6. David Elkins from Yes Network
    commented on: March 13, 2007 at 3:55 PM
    let's get the message down to :15 or less, 1 spot "per pod", and a viewer-friendly ratio of spots to content......

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Do you have strong opinions and inside knowledge about the topic of this article -- and do you want to share your insights, observations and points of view regularly with the readers of MediaPost? To be considered as a MediaPost contributing writer, please send pertinent info about your credentials, plus several column ideas and one example of your writing on the topic, to pfine@mediapost.com. Please see our editorial guidelines here first.

MIKE CASSIDY
  • Mike Cassidy is CEO of Undertone Networks, an online advertising network.


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