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The 'Sushi Approach' To Simplifying Online Video Advertising
by Barry Grant, Thursday, September 10, 2009 1:30 PM
I've often found that communicating the value of different types of ad units to clients is almost as challenging as the back end technology work that goes into creating the units themselves. Each
campaign is different, and each targeted audience calls for a new mix in both message and presentation. I like to think of the wide variety of available ad units in terms of sushi: There are lots of
different styles, but only a few key families (i.e., sashimi, nigiri, rolls). This sushi analogy can be useful in helping clients to plan campaigns. Instead of presenting clients that are
less familiar with video with a flurry of industry jargon that includes pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll, expandable, overlay, ticker, bumper, bug, interstitial, floating ad, takeover, etc., I find it
useful to break things into a few simple families: in-stream, in-banner, and page-level (which includes units like interstitials, floating ads, and page takeovers). This way, you can unclutter your
value proposition for potentially timid online video advertising customers, and leave them feeling that they've found the optimal ad mix for their marketing spend. So what does this mean for
the industry? As we move more and more toward flexible pricing models and hybrid video buys, standardization of terminology and education becomes a paramount issue when working with media buying
partners. By presenting the potential formats as "families," it's easier to summarize the pros and cons for individual campaign buys. After that, it's easier to determine which "styles" will be most
effective. Let's look at a few of the high-level pros and cons associated with each of the families described above: In-Stream
Pros Well-understood (and most complementary) when compared to traditional television ads Easy to develop if using existing
television assets Tends to have highest completed views and click-through rates High engagement due to a "captured" audience
Cons Tends to receive user backlash due to intrusiveness Repurposed television ads may not be best-suited for this purpose Inventory is generally more
expensive than display inventory In-Banner Pros Easy-to-find, relatively inexpensive display inventory
Can be easily sold on a performance basis Relatively unintrusive (as long as it doesn't auto start with sound) Offers many opportunities for rich-media customization
Cons Often not as engaging as in-stream or page-level May not be seen if appearing below the fold If trafficked via an
exchange, may not provide desired transparency into site placements Page-Level Pros Extremely engaging
Affords tremendous potential for creative freedom Offers lots of flexibility for rich media customization Great for building awareness and other top of funnel metrics
Cons Can be quite expensive, depending upon where it's being run If not user-initiated, can be very intrusive and annoying to the
user May require considerable design work In summary, the online video advertising world is changing. It's more flexible, diverse and rife with opportunities -- but media buyers can
only take advantage of this more favorable atmosphere if they can clearly understand the benefits and downfalls of all their purchase elements. In this increasingly complex world of video ad unit
formats, let's start with the "sushi roll" before diving into the "tempura shrimp wrapped in grilled unagi and avocado."