Two companies--Get Interactive and Adjustables--yesterday announced patent-pending developments in the burgeoning field of getting advertising and marketing messages to appear within or beside online
videos.
Get Interactive, based in Winston Salem, NC, said its new ad platform identifies specific products in online and mobile
videos--and provides viewers with the opportunity to buy those products without disrupting their viewing experience.
As viewers watch a video, an adjacent button allows them to go to several
scenes from the video, where "Get Shop" icons are placed strategically above specific products. As the user scrolls across the icons, info about the product pops up, with the option of going directly
to retail sites for more info or ordering.
The system has been tested for the past month on the Web site for the Paramount Pictures DVD of Freedom Writers, with 70% of users of the service staying to roll over various items of Hilary Swank's clothing
and accessories, according to a Get Interactive spokeswoman. The average user viewed 4½ screens and 6½ ads, with a 12% click-through rate. Some of the sites to which users are directed in
the test include Lands' End, Coach and Talbot's.
Get Interactive said it is currently in discussions with Interscope, Geffen and A&M Records, all part of the Universal Music Group, and expects to
announce new publisher and content partnerships this quarter. Mobile users viewing products using Get Interactive's platform will be able to make purchases applied directly to their wireless bill, or
to download coupons for use at the nearest store carrying the product.
Adjustables, based in San Francisco and Rotterdam, said its new technology allows
logos, banners, picture-in-picture, or text to appear at specific times during the video, based on both content and viewers' interests. For example, a company's product would be displayed when the
item comes on screen, and a viewer who watches lots of home decorating videos would see different ads than someone who has a passion for cars.
Adjustables' Web site offers advertisers a public
beta version of its software free of charge until its planned public release this summer.
Last week, ADAP.TV launched a contextual ad platform for online video. Other services reported to be
working on in-stream video ads include Adbrite and Google's YouTube.