And, not surprisingly, the old intrusion model of advertising we know all too well in the television industry, is still not acceptable to consumers online where they are forced to watch the ad insertions in CGC. The future of video ad uptake will come from shoppers looking for more information, exactly what drove search to its pinnacle.
Truly, if businesses want to grab and maintain the consumer’s attention and compete for sales on the Web or off the Web, post-search, they will have to have a video ad. The smallest in individual size, but largest in gross numbers, makes up the “long tail” which consists of small and medium businesses that are often on a tight ad budget or no budget at all for advertising except for maybe a “yellow pages” listing when the ad rep comes knocking. But, this huge market is awakening fully to the “Web potential” and is entering with an appetite for video to communicate and persuade shoppers more readily.
While consumer demand will drive video ad creation, technological knowhow must become more prevalent that speaks directly to the long tail. We all know that existing ads or new ones by large companies can be deployed easily because they have the resources to do so. But, how will millions of small business owners get a video ad made and published on the web, even if only on their website? They don’t know where to go; think it costs too much and won’t do it unless they find someone to help them.
But low cost, high quality and fast, all in one? Yes, with automation technology it is possible to have all three. Look at how quickly things have changed in digital editing from film and tape not that long ago. Beyond desktop digital editing software comes online Web 2.0 editing at the fingertips of all, 24/7 – almost free, and of the highest quality. This speaks to the heart of the long tail that has little or no budget at all for advertising – allowing finally a leveling of the playing field they have been locked out of for so long. Now anyone can create and publish a video ad to the Web they can be proud of – in just minutes.
Online ad assembly is here to stay and grow as more and more advertisers demand it as their #1 medium of communicating their message.
Watch for the automation tools – they are coming. Try them and see how high quality digital imagery and footage can be assembled in minutes complete with audio tracks and automatically ready for streaming. The world of ad-making can be done by anyone and will be the driving force that allows the emergence of the long tail into video advertising on the web, overtaking even the ad views of pre, post, and mid-roll ad units. As a SEO or other Web Affiliate, you can create ads for anyone, anytime – find the tools and put your creative sense to work!
