Say what you will about user interface, but as we consider the experience of in-app vs. mobile Web video, current consumer attention is on the apps. The app-happy world is where today's mobile consumers are engaged and spending most of their time, making it the perfect medium to host video. Recent reports by Flurry suggest that as much of 86% of time spent on mobile devices is spent inside the application rather than roaming the mobile Meb. Yet, a strategy that includes both in-app and mobile Web video advertising is crucial for achieving scale and engagement.

With Apple's newest operating systems and Apple Watch, we now have users who are potentially using five devices (Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV) from the same manufacturer, all interconnected through the same iCloud and iTunes accounts! Given its new offerings, here are some implications and opportunities to consider.

For many years, brands have gone to great lengths to ensure that their videos "go viral." They try to create funny, endearing or heart-wrenching ads that are compelling enough for people to share across their social channels. Some take it a step further by creating ads that are somewhat controversial to spark more conversations across Facebook and Twitter. While we always applaud great creative efforts, we believe these brands need to resthink their overall approach to video. The key to creating a successful video strategy in 2014 and beyond isn't just about going viral; it's about understanding what motivates consumers …

Looks like cable operators will need a new excuse for slow adoption of TV Everywhere, because it turns out consumers are doing just fine on that whole authentication boogeyman that was supposedly slowing them down from using the service.

One of the lesser-known facts about the video advertising industry is that the ad ecosystem's knowledge of the content is limited to literally just the page URL that the video is being viewed on. This is in part due to the business model that online video grew up with, which centers on traditional demographic ideas: If I can get the right audience, why do I even care about the content, since I'm getting the right user? This kind of approach might work in display, but it's actually missing a huge piece of data in video.

Marketers and consumers of HD video are being inundated with waves of messaging telling them to trade in their outdated HD video streaming equipment for the latest in 4K Ultra HD (UHD) technology. This newer technology boasts four times the resolution of current HD along with eye-popping clarity and unmatched color richness. Still, while the promises of 4K technology sound great, there are a couple of good reasons most marketers -- especially those interested in live video/streaming media -- should avoid making 4K investments anytime soon.

Mobile video is growing, programmatic buying is rocking, and over-the-top devices continue to gain traction. All the latest news and reports tell us that, and those are all positive trends for the digital advertising business. But one of the key questions is, what's next? As digital video moves past the rapid growth of the early days, what kind of role will it play in the overall ad business?

There's something new and fresh about "The Way-Too-Helpful Neighbor," a video from Volkswagen, Target, and Funny or Die promoting the new 2015 Golf automobile. The video opens on a guy who has just been surprised by a call from his girlfriend. Her parents will be at his place in just two hours, and his place is a mess. Fortunately, he has a pushy and very nosy neighbor in the form of Rob Huebel (a familiar face who starred in "The Descendants"), who takes the boyfriend on an unconventional shopping spree in his new Golf. Huebel drives the car through the …

As a planner and buyer of media, I was often concerned about the loss of potential television advertising impressions to viewer multitasking. After all, by the late 1990s the traditional networks (broadcast and cable) had so over-cluttered the programming environment with ads, and longer-length pods of ads, that it was clear that viewers were actually trained to avoid them. When the Internet arrived with its unbridled offering of content to search and surf, the chance that T/V (Television/Video) consumers would stop and engage with an advertiser's message at scale was further compromised, and became further based on hope. What other …

With the evolution of new video platforms such as Vine and Instagram, the ability to skip an ad after five seconds on YouTube, and the proliferation of smart mobile devices, consumers (including myself) are beginning to see even 15 seconds as too long, let alone 30 seconds. So what do you do if you're not hitting the sweet spot for the effective 30-second ad? There is a huge opportunity for marketers and publishers to embrace micro-video ads, particularly when the core content message is whittled down to one minute or less. Whether it's the 6-second spot on Vine or the …