Mark Evans

How Do You Do Video/Podcast Advertise?

If you buy into the idea an increasing amount of advertising dollars will go online, the next logical question is where will it go. By that, I mean you’ll have lots of advertising allocated to Web sites - some catering to the unwashed masses, some catered to specific audiences.

What about blogs, which are really dynamic Web sites with fresh content every day? In my mind - although I’m biased given I work for a large blogging network, b5media - the blogosphere will get its fair share of online advertising as advertisers get more comfortable with the format.

If we accept this assumption, the next question is how much advertising will be devoted to online and podcasting? Many people believe video will be an advertising slam-dunk because it’s just like television, and television was/is a huge vehicle for advertising, right? Before anyone accepts this as the gospel, think again because it’s becoming increasingly apparent that online video is not like television in many respects because it appeals to consumers in different ways and formats.

For example, online video tends to feature shorter clips, which means there’s less “turf” for advertisers to deliver their messages. If your typical video is three or four minutes, where do put the advertising. Do you put something short - say, 10 to 15 seconds before the video (known as pre-roll), plop something in the middle, or put something at the end like Rocketboom does, and hope people are still watching? What about podcasts, which tend to be longer? Do you treat podcasts like you do a regular radio broadcast with advertising appearing through the show?

Some advertising concepts that may start to resonate with video and podcasts are product placements or sponsorships. Ironically, these are tools used during the early days of radio and television when a show was sponsored by a particular company. I guess the more some things change, the more they stay the same.