• by Daisy Whitney , Op-Ed Contributor, August 17, 2012

Online video and TV just can’t stay away from each other. They share the same content often, they usually share the same ads, and now they are trading in the same measurement.

In many ways, this coziness is a very good thing. TV is the common currency for media buyers, and the more online video is like TV, the more buyers may spend on the medium. But there’s a risk too as more deals are made linking the two media -- and that risk lies in creative.

But first, consider a slew of recent deals. For starters, camera maker GoPro ran a four-screen campaign with Tremor Video across online, tablets, mobile and connected TVs based on its TV spots. Then there’s online video ad technology company Videology, which introduced what it calls a TV amplifier tool to allow media buyers to use the same metrics for TV and digital video buying. Likewise, Univision paired up with Mixpo to let marketers add interactivity to TV spots that run online and on mobile. Add Adap.TV to the mix -- the company just announced its “Adap.tv Audience Unifier” that enables brands to buy targeted digital video ads based on TV viewing behaviors using “Nielsen Online Audience Segments – TV Viewing” tools. Adap.tv said it will use Nielsen’s cross-platform data across all types of video inventory.

So yes, online and TV are getting cozier -- and ultimately this is good because more money will flow into Web video. The risk lies in whether marketers primarily choose to repurpose the same creative over and over. For digital video to keep thriving, it needs ad dollars, but also creative ads that make the best use of the medium. Ads that fully leverage all that digital offers via interactive features, store locators, coupon requests, targeting, and tailoring will make the money go farther.

That’s why shared measurement deals are a great first step, but the next step is in creative.