Upfronts in their current form are insidious. Advertisers are asked to make huge investments in content long before they know whether anyone will watch. These big brands then tag on a few million dollars to their offline media buys to also buy digital coverage. Being treated like an afterthought in the buying process ensures that online spots themselves are treated like an afterthought in the placement process.

"Video snacking" is already a frequently invoked term in online video circles, despite some marked differences in how it's used. For example, while some use the term to describe the kind or length of video being consumed, others use it to describe a kind of random online behavior. This article defines video snacking as a behavior: what happens when we watch a video that we encounter by chance while surfing the Web, or when we receive an unsolicited video link forwarded from a friend, etc.

The automotive makers were early adopters of online video, from adding functionality to their Web sites to leveraging in-stream advertising. In fact, some of the best video executions out there are from the auto makers. Examples include the Hyundai Genesis Coupe and Audi A5 microsites -- truly excellent work. Recent research confirms that the automakers' investments in online video are the right decision. Here are some factors that automakers -- and those online media buyers and sellers that support them -- should keep in mind regarding online video....