Comments on: Videoplaza Rolls its Eyes at Pre-Rolls (but Still Serves Them)

By: Eddie G

Eddie G — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:27:09 +0000

Nice work Sorosh! The contracts really seem to be flowing in from all over. Sweden, Denmark, UK, you're on a roll (not pre-roll, that is).

By: Ad_Guy

Ad_Guy — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:32:46 +0000

Dear The Marketing Intern,

We know you're an intern and therefore cannot afford to buy anything. When you are older and have more money we'll deliver ads that actually compel you to act. Until then we would rather annoy you since any press is good press.

Signed,

The Advertisers

By: The Marketing Intern

The Marketing Intern — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 19:14:43 +0000

Pre-rolls are just awful. If I may be permitted to lodge an opinion, whenever I see a pre-roll, I automatically resent the company who is advertising and the website that allows it. If I have to watch that Shaq-Ben Stein ad on Hulu one more time, I'm going to explode. Does Icy-Hot work on headaches?

The problem is that when I'm watching old episodes of The Family Guy, I'm not in the mood to consume. When matched up against the wit of Seth MacFarlane, "Shaqenstein" just isn't funny, so I tune it out. Now, if I was watching, say, a National Geographic special on the plight of the common dolphin, and if I suddenly tried to navigate away from the video ten minutes into it, I would be pleasantly surprised to be confronted with a video advertising Citizens for the Health and Safety of the Common Dolphin, with a link to their website.

Maybe that's it: don't get their attention going in, get it coming out. At least then we've been entertained and are in a better mood.

By: Sorosh Tavakoli

Sorosh Tavakoli — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 15:37:01 +0000

Mark, I totally agree with you on all points. New 'cool formats' will not make online video proftable. It's more important to solve the basic and core issues around making video ad serving work.

This article is quite focused on how we, without any extra efforts from the advertisers, can turn the preroll into a better experience for both users and advertisers.

This is however not the core part of our product which is more about solving the more critical ad serving issues around video such as targeting, inventory management, capping, managing ad serving on embedded sites, managing ad insertions into commercial breaks, video specific reporting, easier implementations etc.

Thanks Sorosh Tavakoli Videoplaza

By: Mark Trefgarne

Mark Trefgarne — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 23:32:47 +0000

What so many start-ups fail to recognize is that the evolution of video advertising will be dictated by what the agencies and advertisers actually want to buy... Which is driven primarily by what is simple, cost effective and able to generate a reliable, measurable ROI.

Publishers need to focus first on delivering the core functionality and data that makes buying video simpler and more predictable for their advertisers. Providing core services like more granular targeting or richer reporting helps drive advertiser ROI and confidence in a medium that is still confusing and complex. Addressing these key advertiser concerns first will drive revenue for publishers today, providing the groundwork for growing our industry tomorrow. Until we solve these core underlying issues, no amount of exotic ad units will help turn online video into a profitable industry.