DoubleClick Bows Video Ad-Serving

Only days after Atlas launched a new video-ad platform, ad technology rival DoubleClick today answered with its own video ad system. The company's Dart Motif for In-Stream is aimed at Web publishers, and allows tracking of both Web and specific video metrics as well as a range of video ad formats.

In addition to standard online ad metrics such as impressions, clicks and conversions, DoubleClick's new ad product also reports on a more specialized set of video measurements such as mutes, pauses, average view times, and full-screen views.

"Technology and operational hurdles are one of the things holding back the [video ad] business and that's where we think we can help make life easier," said Ari Paparo, vice president of rich media at DoubleClick. With demand for video ads growing rapidly, he said it was increasingly important for publishers to have a reliable, specialized system for serving video ads.

Market research firm e-Marketer recently identified video as the fastest-growing online ad format. It predicts video ad spending will grow by 71% this year to $225 million, and to $640 million by 2007.

Paparo emphasized that the new video product, part of its Dart Motif rich media platform, is intended for publishers' use. It would therefore complement DoubleClick's existing video ad division, Klipmart, which is aimed at agencies and advertisers, allowing them to track various metrics across top Web sites. "The two products play well together and we will continue to develop both of them," said Paparo.

Atlas's new video ad-serving technology, unveiled last week, is aimed at both publishers and advertisers.

Beyond delivering pre- and post-roll ads, DoubleClick's new system offers a range of specialized video effects. They include video "roadblocks," which allow advertisers to place companion display or rich media ads adjacent to the in-stream video. Other options enable users to play long-form versions of video ads or display a floating ad on top of the streaming video.

The new video ad system complies with video ad standards issued this year by the Interactive Advertising Board, and also adopts the Ad-ID ad coding standard for tracking ads across various media. Ad-ID was developed last year by the Association of National Advertisers and the American Association of Advertising Agencies to synchronize ad-tracking on TV, print, online and radio. Paparo said the Ad-ID system would help tailor Web video reporting for media buyers from the traditional TV world.

About a half-dozen publishers so far have been testing DoubleClick's video-ad system, including TVGuide.com and TheFifthNetwork, an online video network. Paparo said the system would appeal to online ad networks "because of the need to run video on a lot of sites and to have to standardize the technology."

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