While the mobile revolution is shrinking everything in sight, expect marketers to throw increasing support behind larger display screens. That’s because new data draws a direct link between video player size and ad performance, including engagement and completion rates. Proprietary data from Tremor Video shows that when viewers watch a video within a larger-sized online player, they are far more likely to interact with the ad. Engagement rates nearly double when ads are served within a 400-pixel player. They continue to climb for video ads served in even larger players. Viewer habits also began to resemble traditional TV watching behavior as player size expanded, Tremor found. Viewers were relaxed and more likely to sit through ads before watching content -- as demonstrated by the rising completion rates that Tremor saw across its network. About 62% of all viewers watched an ad through to completion when it appeared in a 400-to-500 pixel environment, while completion rates jumped up nearly 75% when the ad appeared in a player at between 500 and 700 pixels.Marketers appear to be aware that size matters when it comes to online video displays. Consumers “are turning to online video during prime time, and they’re doing so on devices with high-definition screens that offer TV-like viewing experiences,” said Ron Amram, senior media director at Heineken USA. “We want to be on those screens in larger video environments.” Based on its findings, Tremor is encouraging publisher partners to increase their player sizes. This year, eMarketer expects online video advertising to rise 40% to reach $3.1 billion.
Three of America’s most recognizable entertainers -- Jerry Seinfeld, Tom Hanks and Larry King -- have joined the wave of new online video series coming to market -- each with a different kind of show, and each utilizing a different distribution platform. Seinfeld’s new series “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” is quite simply a series of jaunts to the local coffee shop between Seinfeld and a fellow comedian in one of his vintage cars. Larry David, Ricky Gervais, Alec Baldwin and Michael Richards are a few of the special guests slated to appear in the series, which premiere Thursday evenings on ComediansInCarsGettingCoffee.com and Crackle.com. Hanks’ “Electric City” is a new animated series on Yahoo set in a dystopian future where electricity has become scarce and the world more dangerous following a climatic event. As Jake Coyle of the Associated Press says, the series was billed as a prime example of quality online video programming, but as is so often the case with Web series, “the hype outpaced the show's quality, which is dragged down by mediocre production value and a muddled purpose.” King’s new show “Larry King Now” will be familiar to fans of the long-time CNN interviewer, as he will interview entertainers and other celebrities, but this time it will be from the comfort of his own home. Among those slated to appear on his show are Matthew McConaughey, Betty White, Seth MacFarlane and George Lopez. The series is created by King and the new digital network Ora TV (which is backed by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim) and will run four 20- to-25-minute episodes per week on Hulu. To be sure, Seinfeld, Hanks and King have enjoyed tremendous success, building impressive careers through traditional media. Now they are forging ahead with the principal goal of trying to crack the online video code. Coyle claims their respective projects “could all be classified in the vanity variety” in that none of them are expecting to make gobs of money. Part of the problem, Coyle says, is that the Web, by its very nature, “is not good at ‘immersive’.” If there’s a lull in a show, or the user remembers something more pressing that he or she needs to do, for example, myriad other options are clicks away. Thus, distraction becomes the biggest competitor to any video series. But as Coyle says, “even if the dollars aren't there yet and the content isn't always superior, it's surely a milestone when one of America's most favorite movie stars, one of its most beloved comedians and one of its signature news anchors are all opting for the Web.”
A new video from Ultimat vodka has generated more than 1.1 million views in the four days since it was posted on YouTube on July 26. The video, part of the brand’s “Find Balance, Find Ultimat” campaign, shows a window washer dressed as a businessman flashing signs at office workers from his perch outside their skyscraper windows. The signs include messages such as: “You people are hard to reach,” “Let’s drink to you getting out of here before 6,” “Cheers to less work and more play” and “When was the last time you got some fresh air? It’s awesome,” and of course: “Find balance, find Ultimat.” The brand shot similar footage on a skyscraper in Chicago. Both shoots were done on a summer Friday afternoon, to dramatize the campaign’s theme and results of a Harris Interactive poll conducted for Ultimat that found 70% of respondents saying that Summer Friday benefits would improve their work/life balance (just 12% reported having such benefits). Ultimat hosted late-day cocktail parties for the workers in the skyscrapers where the ads were shot. The creative is from the Amalgamated agency, and was directed by Xander of the East Pleasant production company. Thirty-second and long-form versions were launched through social and paid media, including Hulu and Tremor, as well as YouTube. In addition, the brand is running targeted ads on WSJ.com and other finance Web sites on weekend nights after 5 p.m., to “catch” professionals with deficient life/work balances. The ads have messages targeted/personalized to the user based on the content of the articles they are reading. They urge the reader to find balance, and provide a map to the nearest venue where they can order an Ultimat vodka. The brand is also running direct-to-consumer initiatives. These include Ultimat-hosted parties at corporate offices (such as Gilt Groupe’s) featuring a “build-your-own-cocktail” bar, with fresh ingredients provided. In addition, on Fridays in August, Ultimat will sponsor complimentary manicures and other spa services, as well as cocktails, for men patronizing New York City’s Truman’s Gentleman’s Groomers (described as a cross between a dream man-cave and modern-day barber shop).
What happened to appointment television? Some say your DVR, laptop, and tablet now make all the appointments. Paul Lee, president of ABC Entertainment, says appointment television is still important at his network, especially with its soaps and its continuous weeks of original episodes of shows like "Revenge," "Once Upon A Time" and the still-big "Grey's Anatomy." Lee told the Television Critics Association meeting in Los Angeles last week: "I mean, you tend to get higher CPMs because it's more appointment television, and we tend to be able to sell it more aggressively around the world because it's appointment television. If the term "appointment television" seems a bit anachronistic, Lee says to take into consideration that ABC gets higher CPMs because of it. The thinking: Avid viewers who are compelled to watch their favorite shows as soon as they are available -- on the traditional TV screen – are worth more to advertisers. But we know the flip side is true as well. CBS’ more self-contained crime-procedural-action shows like "CSI," "The Mentalist" and "Person of Interest" may not always get the highest CPMs, but given their higher rerun ratings than "serial soap" dramas, CBS can be ahead overall. Original shows on the Internet will probably never worry about having "appointment" attached to their efforts. You can see things online anytime. "Water cooler" activity also doesn't apply here. Fans may send around links to these shows but -- as of now -- they get seen when the viewer finds the time. Original online video efforts, like Jerry Seinfeld’s new limited series on Sony Entertainments "Crackle," don't need "appointment" status. All that may quell the urgency versus watching a new episode of a TV series at Thursday at 9 p.m. If online TV grows as many expect, consumers won't be looking at any futuristic TV-themed datebook. No appointments necessary.
NBC and the Olympics Dear social media gurus, I get it: if you ran NBC, you'd program the Olympics differently, everything would be live on television and online, but… you don’t. So get over it, and keep saving up to one day buy NBC or pay billions of dollars for the rights to the games. Or you can, of course, stop watching the Games and get back to work and hope to rise to the top of the corporate latter to one day run NBC. Listen, I don't agree – or necessarily like – NBC's approach to programming the Olympics, but the only thing more frustrating than that is hearing all of the social media gurus who rant about it on every other freaking tweet. That doesn’t mean that eventually things will change – but after all, this is a business, and NBC has the right to do what it wants. Oswald Patton’s two letters Speaking of changing dynamics, comedian Oswald Patton gave the third annual keynote at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal. Read it here. His speech consists of two letters: the first is addressed to comedians, but it applies to creative people in general and entrepreneurs, as well. It stresses how the recent changes mean the world is less about luck and being given things, so people are rewarded for being proactive and going after their goals. It’s a great read. The second letter is addressed to media companies and those whom he refers to as the gatekeepers. Patton is absolutely correct that technology has changed everything, driven largely by mobile computing (and, more recently, tablets). He urges media executives to see the world as fans. This is also a great read, and valuable advice for video executives who have one foot in creation and one in business. Why does tech have it so easy? Socialcam sold for $60 million to Autodesk, with $0 in revenues. Even though everyone is betting on content, I can’t for the life of me ever see a content company sell for that amount with $0 in revenues, even though by the time the paperwork is done and integration complete, there will be a new fad that will make people wonder what the fuss was all about. But until then, onward and upward. Zynga stock down to $3 In April, social gaming company Zynga insiders sold 43 million shares in a secondary stock offering, pocketing $516 million at $12 a share. The fact that none of the proceeds went into company offers wasn’t alarming, as is the case with many secondary offerings. But now, a mere quarter later, the stock is trading at $3 after reporting horrible results. Is management to blame? I don’t know, but if Oswald Patton were chiming in, I think he’d argue that the only people dumber than Zynga investors are those who paid real dollars for virtual goods; and that says a lot. Facebook hits new lows Zynga’s distant cousin, Facebook, is also failing to impress investors. Everyone’s focused on Facebook’s challenges in monetizing on mobile, but the real issue remains that Facebook’s revenues grew as a result of its sheer size, despite social media. From 2008-2011, Facebook generated $272 million, $777 million, $1.974 billion and $3.7 billion in revenues respectively. However, while social media is projected to generate $17 billion in total revenues (commerce, advertising, etc) and Facebook has “only” generated $2.2 billion through the first six months of the year, it’s clear that Facebook isn’t even as dominant within social media as it is across all digital media. Considering that Google is increasingly embracing content (Google, Zagat) then Facebook needs to drop the Switzerland “we are a utility and platform” spiel and embrace content, fast. That’s what advertisers want, and while Mark Zuckerberg ought to remain in charge for the foreseeable future, he should take $1 billion of the recent money he raised and assemble a team to tackle content.