Aside from seeing continued growth in online advertising, with no major fears about a slowdown, a Promax/BDA panel found that the main challenge involves figuring out what format will consumers be most receptive to (or be least annoyed by):
— In-Stream vs. Banners: Ari Paparo, VP of rich media at DoubleClick, said that the online ad world is divided between in-stream video ads, which use pre-rolls, and banner ads, which can contain videos that allow users the choice of opting in. More after the jump…
“In-stream ads provide a TV-like experience. In-banner ads are still a much larger market. Consumers can also have a more engaging experience within those units. Plus, in-stream ads can be a little annoying, depending on their length. People are experimenting with ads over the ad and you can either move the cursor over the bug or hit close. That’s probably the sort of direction the industry is going to take. Not too many marketers are doing in-stream ads; they’re usually done by marketers that want to transition from primarily advertising on TV – again, the experience is akin to TV advertising, so there’s a comfort level there – to advertising on the internet.”
— Either Way, Keep It Short: Fred McIntyre, SVP, AOL Video, also noted that opt-in appears to be the most sound, but it’s too soon to say one format will emerge dominant. “Most of the advertising on web has a lot of the characteristics you see in early stage markets. Clearly, short-form is finding a more receptive audience. Other capabilities are poised to take off. Targeting solves a lot of the relevance problems you see with most online ads. We’re constantly trying to match ads with content. As that happens generally, in-stream bumper units will likely see more action.”
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