Free time in front of potential customers doesn't happen for advertisers often, but a video ad model on YouTube makes it a reality for Scripps Network and other advertisers -- as long as the viewer opts out before the 30-second spot concludes. The video ad format -- cost per view -- rolled out last fall on the YouTube network, but parent company Google also is considering making it available across the Google Display Network. Facebook, Pandora, YouTube and Twitter become the focus of the ad media buy for HGTV's "Design Star," with the new season airing July 11. The Scripps Networks wants to reach for "a younger and newer viewer base" that has traditionally attracted adults ages 45 and older. Gay men are avid fans of "Design Star," in addition to women. That demographic insight, in part, comes from monitoring metrics on YouTube. The metrics bleed into the overall ratings for the show. "After marketing a few shows, we're finding some pull in younger viewers," said Jonah Spegman, director of digital media and database marketing at Scripps. Going after younger demos, ads will run on YouTube tapping TrueView, which requires the brand to only pay when the viewer watches the entire ad. Promoted video ads will highlight the show's clips at the top of YouTube search results pages and in suggested videos. HGTV ran 30-second pre-roll spots on YouTube TrueView to separately promote the shows "Design Star," "Cash & Cari" and "Selling New York." "As the ad runs in the YouTube video, a big call to action lets viewers skip the ad, but we found 44% of people actively choose to watch the ad for "Selling New York" all the way through," Spegman said. "The other 56% still see the ad, but not in its entirety. The nice thing is they still watch between 25% and 50% before they choose to skip." A cookie gets dropped in the browser of site visitors who choose to view the ad. The cookie provides a metric that Spegman calls "view through." The metrics can't directly link it to viewership, but he knows a "huge" percentage of people come back to the site once they are exposed to the YouTube video ad. And when viewers don't watch the whole ad through TrueView, HGTV gets the partial view for free." Aside from YouTube, HGTV will buy a variety of Facebook ads that target the younger demos demonstrating through Likes an interest in competitive design shows. On Twitter, Spegman said the social network's sales team estimates HGTV can expect between 55 million and 75 million impressions on the day the ad runs. Internet radio also will play a role in the ad buy. Combining a computer-and-mobile media buy on the Internet radio station, Pandora will target women 25-54. When logging into Pandora, she will see a custom skin on the page that promotes "Design Star." The campaign will provide an option to run a video clip, but also offer an option to add a design-inspired Design Star branded radio station to their lineup. The media buy also includes ads run on SayMedia for video, Lotame for semantic targeting and Apple iAd, which Spegman describes as Apple iAds for Developers, a lighter-weight banner that lets users download to the HGTV iPad app. The iAd runs on a cost-per-click model, so impressions are free. Through the Apple iPad app, users can watch full episodes of the show. "Design Star" will sponsor People's iPad app. "We'll also have a considerable amount of ads running through ad exchanges and demand side platforms," Spegman said, clarifying that "considerable" means about 15% of the total media plan. "The efficiency of buying media through exchanges is tough to ignore." Through ad exchanges, the ability to target and remarket improves. It lets HGTV serve up more easily click-to-play or click-through in-banner video ads.
A viral video and a new Web site are the hints of what's to come in the Summer's Eve brand relaunch, scheduled for July. The feminine hygiene product manufacturer announced ownership of the recently launched "That's Vaginal!" video. The initially unbranded, tongue-in-cheek video (which attempts to replace the old idiom, "That's awesome!" with the new phrase, "That's vaginal!") was virally released as the first step in the company's effort to invigorate the brand with new vitality, says Angela Bryant, director of U.S. marketing, feminine care for Summer's Eve. The video, which is also on YouTube, has been viewed more than 255,000 times since launching a week ago. Summer's Eve will debut its new campaign July 18, including integrated television, print and digital creative, as well as a body-awareness campaign. Summer's Eve also infused its new Website with the same candid attitude, Bryant says. Both the Web site and the video are aimed at prompting dialogue about the female anatomy while inspiring women to be proud of their bodies, she says. "The industry, including Summer's Eve, and society have talked in code about the vagina and women's genitalia for too long, and it's time for a change," Bryant says in a release. "Women tell us they're ready to embrace talking about their bodies in an open, honest way. We've been dancing around the word 'vagina' for so long, we wanted to invent an unexpected, fun way to give it a new, positive place in today's vernacular." The video features Carlton, a scholarly talking cat, who is on a crusade to tell America how important the vagina is (or should be.) Likening the vagina to such natural wonders as Mount Kilimanjaro and the rings of Saturn, Carlton drives home, in an amusing way, the need for a shift in conversation, to move away from euphemisms and treating the vagina as a taboo topic. At www.thatsvaginal.com, visitors can also submit videos and praise all things "vaginal." The new Web site is revamped to reflect the brand's new packaging, including other conversation-spurring components such as a "V Power" page with expert articles about the stigmas associated with the vagina and women's anatomy, a glossary of feminine hygiene terms, and a "Vagina Owner's Manual," a document full of fun, educational facts about the vagina.
New media trends last about a day and a half in the digital marketing business. And now it is online video's time to bask in the limelight like a shiny new coin, vying for media buyers' attention and dollars. It has moved within a year from the hot media with great CPMs for publishers and high engagement for advertisers to a rapidly maturing channel that lives in the same neighborhood as mobile and search, or at least the adjacent zip code, with mobile and tablets subletting nearby. Something happens along the way from "hottest new media darling" to mature, reliable digital marketing channel. That "something" has much to thank for audience targeting and customer segmentation. Think about it. No need to think that hard as targeting has been acknowledged as being on the cusp of revolutionizing online video publishing and advertising and will make online video exponentially more effective for marketers. Let's get to a little history. Display ads. Back when display ads were called banners, they were bought in two ways. We had run of site, which placed banners pretty much everywhere on an entire Web site, or a section of that site. Yahoo used to sell run of site banners for every page view in the late '90s, as an example. It wasn't long before advertisers bailed on the banner and migrated to search, rich media and then back to display ads. The reason they came back to display, and the reason they are fueling Internet ad spending, is because audience targeting made banners more relevant. You get the point: digital marketing heads toward targeting and segmentation in a very short period of time. Along the way, the science of digital marketing gets more informed. Marketers are smarter, make fact-based decisions and allocate more dollars. And consumers are more satisfied with their experience because that experience is more relevant. Online video is at that same tipping point that display was at two years ago. And undoubtedly, mobile advertising will be, too, once the heated debates about inventory availability, i.e. scalability have been settled. The argument worth pursuing right now is about numbers. It's about audience and the understanding that in order to effectively reach the online video customer, there is no one customer. More likely, there are hundreds of different customers. To think that you can advertise to the online video viewer without understanding that they fall into segments just like display and mobile is to risk your brand's relevance, not to mention your marketing dollars. So, as we rush to pick up that shiny new coin, let's all make sure that we have our heads up -- for good fortune.
Attention, media buyers: If you areevaluating online video with TV metrics like GRP and TRP, please be aware of what you are actually buying. If you go bargain basement shopping for the lowest video CPMs hoping to maximize your reach and frequency at the lowest cost, you are going to come up short on realized ROI. As the adage goes, if it's too good to be true, it probably is. Be aware of imitations. The problem plaguing video advertising right now is a simple difference between perception and reality. The inventory for in-stream video has grown immensely, but not quickly enough to meet overwhelming demand. In an attempt to meet this demand, many ad networks, particularly those rooted in display, take a more literal approach and define video advertising as an advertisement with video regardless of where that video is played. This is generally used to describe units in the display space either as rich media or as a syndicated player. If you ask for an in-stream ad, make sure that's what your provider is delivering. Do your research and know your specs. Before purchasing, know your specs. First examine your brand objectives, understand the elements of each video channel and choose the outlet that will lead you to success. There are three main video ad distribution models. Familiarize yourself with each one and complete a cost benefit analysis to understand the best option for your particular campaign. In-Stream Video In-stream is the most effective and engaging video real estate for advertising. The content is user-initiated and is the primary focal point garnering the viewer's full focus and attention. Most often, in-stream is viewed on Web pages; however it can also expand to include video delivered to mobile, tablets or connected TV devices. As a premium location for video ads, in-stream offers the highest visibility for your creative and also allows for a greater variety of ad formats and user engagement. However, with all these bells and whistles, this valuable inventory is priced at a premium CPM. This price is proportional to the quality of the placement. You wouldn't buy a car and expect to pay the same price you'd pay for a bicycle, would you? In-Banner In-banner video ads are rich-media banner ads that play video within the boundaries of the display banner. They offer flexibility for delivering video ads and users can typically expand the ad for a better and larger viewing experience with additional engagement points. Keep in mind - this is not a video player, but rather a banner that can be placed anywhere rich media is accepted. In-banner provides multiple features and functionalities to engage users and also offers higher reach than in-stream. However, price will vary by functionality and site placement. Visibility and impact can also be compromised, as ads may appear below the fold. Syndicated Players Syndicated players extend reach of video content. They help distribute ads by placing video players within display banner spots. Video content and ads are placed on Web pages that don't already have video. User initiation is not always needed. Syndicated player video ads are generally the most inexpensive video buys. They are typically placed on contextually relevant pages. Similar to rich-media ads, visibility and impact can be hindered due to banner blindness. Unlike in-stream or in-banner, the ad format is extremely limited in functionality. Finally, understand if you are buying auto- or click-to-play ads. There is a huge difference in terms of actual results and reporting. Auto-play can inflate view counts and make it seem like you're reaching more people than you actually are. So the question remains: Do you know what you've been buying? Is it in-stream, in-banner, or in a syndicated player? Ask before you buy. Understand the realities of promised CPMs and reach. Understand what they mean for you and ultimately the brand ROI.