It may sound simple to balance two formats which basically mimic the TV advertising we have grown accustomed to for decades. In reality, online video advertising poses great challenges as Internet users expect much more from the online than their parents expected from TV.
Deep into the context
Here is one way of explaining why today’s users are so keen on getting a lot out of the Internet and nothing less. The generations which have witnesses the invention of a gadget that was to change the face of entertainment and communication, could do nothing else but enjoy its introduction in their lives. They lacked the knowledge to compare and to better it. The generations born with such devices feel no awe when it comes to them and are more and more demanding than their parents were.
This means that our children will expect even more from the Internet and from online video advertising.
Bettering, not copying
As the origins of these formats of advertising have already been established, it is important to see just how far advertisers can take them. The key word in online video advertising remains interactivity. This means that the viewers cannot simply be bombarded with information on available products or services. The brands have to make a further effort to reach them by providing shortcuts from content which interested them to products they could use, similar or the ones they have just seen.
Consumer engagement is difficult to obtain in an environment where there is always a form of distraction. Marketers cannot expect viewers to simply see an ad and remember to purchase the product the next time they are in a store or online shopping. This is the first thing online video advertising must do better than TV.
Apart from presenting some information on a product, the ad must complement the content the viewer has gone online to see. This is the best way to get real results from the campaign. The online is now all about content and relevant information. Pretty images and the simple fact of being online is no longer enough. Blocks of text to fill webpages are not what users are looking for. This means that marketers must up their game as well.
Consumer engagement above all
When establishing the types of format used in a campaign, marketers must keep in mind the fact that these ads must bring in clients. Apart from sending a nice message, coming up with a catchy slogan or a good song, the pre-rolls and the post-rolls must be embedded in the consumer conscience as something they once watched with interest, something that caught their eye. Advertisers must not rely on the fact that most websites do not allow viewers to skip ahead. This is not an evolution from TV commercials and having to sit through commercial breaks. Not having these interruptions was what users liked the most about the Internet in the first place.
All online video advertising campaigns must be updated and improved, always one step ahead of the consumer. The ads must go hand in hand with the content they plan on watching and there must be a clear balance between what they see before and what they see after it. Avoid introducing too many ads or at least make them clickable. Choosing between pre-roll and post-roll ads is not that difficult. All that marketers must keep in mind is the fact that these ads must at least be interactive for consumers to get something more than just random information jammed over their online time.
