• by Daisy Whitney , Op-Ed Contributor, January 9, 2012

As online video proponents — yes, I assume if you read this blog you have a stake in the online video business —it’s nice to know ad dollars are rising and consumers are watching more video online. But what matters most is whether this viewing can translate into more engagement for a programmer delivering the content or a brand sponsoring it.

According to interactive video ad firm Jivox, consumers have indeed been interacting with ads, especially during the holidays. Jivox said that interactive ads that ran on Christmas Day scored engagement rates six times higher  than on Cyber Monday. Were we all shopping in the wee hours of the morning or just buying right after unwrapping? Jivox attributed the jump to aggressive holiday promotions. Which in turn says that ads for sales pique our interest. Perhaps the takeaway for online video is that a call to action — such as a sale — is a good thing to incorporate in an ad when possible.

Along those same lines, Gerson Lehrman Group’s business Q & A site, Gplus, just released an interesting infographic about online video consumption and interaction. The firm said that Discovery Channel more than doubled the number of video streams watched on its site by adding a site map, which made it easier for Google to return the results in searches. In addition, Dell has said online videos have reduced call center volume by 5%, and nearly 70% of respondents to a GetResponse survey said video in emails have a “moderate to significant” impact on conversion rates.

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