Commentary
Video Is Video -- Right?
- by November 3, 2010
Buying TV is a lay-up, and here's why: Buyers and planners review Nielsen and look at the VPVHs of specific shows on broadcast, cable, spot, or syndication. They don't buy "ABC," they buy "America's Funniest Home Videos," "Dancing with the Stars," "20/20," etc. They get a plan from the network, massage it a little, negotiate a few billboards and the demographic CPM, and they're basically done. And the buy is all guaranteed on a brand's target demographic.
When you get into the digital space, the whole world of buying gets turned upside down for planners and strategists. Clients and brands understand VPVHs. Digital agencies don't. Digital agencies for the most part buy by publisher based on content. It's similar to TV in that they're buying an environment, but different in that instead of getting a guaranteed demographic CPM, everything is bought on persons 2+.
What these same digital agency folks are beginning to realize, is that a target audience can be bought from a digital video network. While brands will still partner with ESPN.com, People.com, and other individual publisher sites, they're also highly aware that their target audiences are consuming video across the Internet -- and it's more efficient to buy with broad reach and targeting capabilities from a video network than from one stand-alone site.It's the video distribution networks that are going to bridge the gap for brands and agencies to buy video like they're accustomed to buying it: by demo.
Whoa, hold the phone! You had me up until the last paragraph. Yes, VPVH's apply to TV, and not internet channels CUZ IT'S TV. When media people start looking at those criteria and CPC etc. they have to make sure it is relevant for the channel. (We don't expect mice to bark, so why would we expect internet to work like TV, or content distribution in a social media space to work in terms of CPM?)
Video distribution will move beyond that model. Sure there will be hosting sites, but there will be no channel exclusivity. Haven't we learned that lesson from the Internet? Owned media is owned media no matter the source, and it doesn't have to be on a single portal.
2 years plus ?
True, distribution networks will HELP to bridge the gap by allowing to buy by demo, but that is only one of the many targeting abilities that video networks have at their disposal. What about buying by behavior, psychographic, site category or even something as specific as consumption habit?
While we want to progress the video buying environment through the use of ad nets, we also want to be careful to apply a quick fix of "speaking" too often in conventional terms that may cause more headache down the line later. The very nature of the industry is quick-changing, can we possibly expect to carry over techniques and habits 100% of the time?