• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, October 7, 2008

Publishers looking to nix the 30-second pre-rolls for a few-second online video spot now have another option. The new online ad video format, introduced Tuesday by Adap.tv, cuts 30-second TV ads into shorter spots that run as pre-rolls.

The format uses pre-roll title cards, 5-to-7-second ads, appearing immediately before a video. The platform can integrate static HTML, rich media or short video ads. The cards allow ad networks and brand marketers to capture the attention of consumers by turning standard 300 x 250 ads into video pre-rolls with no additional creative development.

The tool aims to help online advertising networks make money from video campaigns without the need for costly video infrastructures and unnecessary staff. Brands and ad networks need to focus on content and building audiences, rather than trying to integrate a variety of formats into one platform, said Amir Ashkenazi, Adap.tv CEO

"For the next year, video publishers should focus on monetization, because being successful means leveraging ad sources in all formats," Ashkenazi said. "The economy is weak, but similar to the technology bubble, companies that survive will emerge stronger. It is clear venture capital money will be available, but not as much as in the past, so companies will need to do the best they can with less."

Companies are vying for a growing number of eyeballs. Nearly 67% of U.S. Internet users will view online video ads at least once a month, and 129.5 million will watch online video ads in 2008, estimates research firm eMarketer.

Dakota Sullivan, Adap.tv VP of marketing, said companies like Procter & Gamble and Ford Motor Co. would like to repurpose 30-second television commercials and onto video ads because, along with Web publishers, brands don't want consumers to sit through a 30-second pre-roll just to get to a 2-minute video.

Many ad network media buyers won't offer video because they don't have the product inventory or haven't developed the technology, Sullivan said.