Eyeblaster Debuts New Video-Based Ad Product
- by Ross Fadner , June 4, 2004
Eyeblaster says the new format will allow national brand advertisers that are often reluctant to allocate funds to interactive media to re-purpose existing video assets and TV commercials online, thereby reducing production costs. The VCM also enables advertisers to add interactive elements such as clickable Flash animations, data capture, dynamic email, file transfers, and links to promotions. Unicast recently debuted an upgrade to its Video Commercial that offers a similar interactive overlay that can run adjacent to the unit, or at the end of the spot.
Paul Kadin, EVP-marketing for Eyeblaster, says he expects that the migration of brand advertisers online will be facilitated by products like the VCM, but the interactive element offers marketers an even greater opportunity to reach consumers. "Video formats allow advertisers to move beyond the one-way communication format of TV ads," Kadin says. "TV is a lean-back medium, while the Internet is a lean-forward specific medium."
Mike Bologna, interactive TV and emerging media manager, The Digital Edge, calls the new Eyeblaster product "robust," but notes that the new advertising technologies won't benefit every client. "We're definitely looking at the possibilities," he says, adding that the agency will look into re-purposing TV ads online, as well as developing custom creative.
"Ultimately, marketers will create commercials with an eye towards the Web that will take advantage of the interactivity," adds Alan Schanzer, managing partner, The Digital Edge, the digital unit of WPP Group's Mediaedge:cia, New York. "The ability to have a Flash overlay on a video ad and to have interactivity within the unit is really incredible."
The VideoClip Module offers publishers up to 8 MB of streaming video content to any page, which can then be converted into ads of up to 1 MB each. Each content module can serve up to three ads--one at the beginning, middle, and end of each content stream. Ads are either 15 or 30 seconds long. Kadin says that the VCM is in compliance with the Internet Advertising Bureau's rich media standards.
The VideoClip Module also has built-in bandwidth detection capabilities enabling "lighter" bandwidth video content to be loaded for dial-up users in order to minimize load delays and interruptions. Kadin notes that the product is not really designed for dial-up users, however.
The VideoClip Module serves ads into Flash or Windows Media Player content streams. According to AccuStream iMedia Research, the number of video streams served and viewed in 2004 is expected to hit the 10 million mark. In 2003, the number of video streams rose 104 percent, and according to Scarborough Research, 78 percent of all video streams last year were accessed by broadband users, who were also twice as likely to have spent $2,500 or more online last year.
Other reports offer evidence that streaming media is poised for long-term growth. Last Thursday, an Online Publishers Association (OPA) study conducted by comScore Networks revealed that 18- to-34-year-old broadband users are providing a boost for streaming media. The demographic spent a whopping 96 percent more time on entertainment sites with multimedia and streaming capabilities compared to dial-up users. Furthermore, the OPA found that 40 percent of 18- to-34-year-olds have accessed movie clips or trailers, while over 32 percent have watched music videos online.
Kadin notes that VideoClip is the result of increased advertiser and publisher demand for video ads, in addition to increased consumer usage of streaming technologies. He says that until now, video content has been a space largely "unattended to" by advertising technology providers. Eyeblaster is also expected to announce today that it is increasing its video and Flash file-size capacity to 2.2 MB for its 7 video-enabled ad formats.
