Folks, we've got a problem. We're all waiting for an avalanche of TV dollars to come to the broadband video market, but we're not doing what it takes to make the medium easy and exciting for media buyers and major advertisers. Instead we're having arguments about whether pre-roll and 15-second spots work.
It is crucial that "programmers" speak to television buyers in their language, with the value proposition they value, and with an eye to delivering some of the long-delayed promise of the VOD world they seek. (As a first step I'm going to try to start calling video sites "programmers," not "publishers." Publishers create magazines, programmers create television. Let's see if that sticks.)
Let me go into specifics. First, we've got to use metrics strategically. We may still sell on impressions, but the value conversation should be in terms of reach and frequency. Video metrics like midpoints, completes and view times should be used to measure engagement and benchmark creative interest, not to justify the media spend on their own. The video metrics need to be positioned as enhancements to the TV buying experience, not replacements.
We need to understand the television workflow and talk the talk. Here's a test: Go over to the cubicle of your company's "video czar," whoever that might be, and ask them if they know what an ISCI (pronounced "Is-key") code is. If they answer coherently, odds are they used to work in the television industry. Although largely unknown in the digital community, Ad-ID codes and their predecessors, ISCIs, act as a key part of the workflow for virtually everyone in TV. These codes are recognized standards developed by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA). Did you know that virtually every television commercial run in the United States has a unique Ad-ID code and that these are used for billing, content management and ad insertion? Sounds important… maybe you should Google it…
But what about the sexy stuff in video? Not that sexy stuff, the interactive sexy stuff. Media buyers have been running off to boozy iTV and VOD junkets for years, just dying for the day when demos will move to reality and advertisers will be able to do something interesting and immersive to engage audiences in the living room. And meanwhile we're busy selling them pre-roll and post-roll with companion JPEGs.
People, we have to wake up! Broadband video offers mind-blowing possibilities for interaction, right now without new technology, without head ends, the FCC, MSOs and the legacy nonsense of the Cable TV industry. Advanced VOD concepts like telescoping* and hotspotting** can be packaged and sold in the broadband environment today.
Know your customer-- a piece of commercial wisdom only slightly older than the advent of the oldest profession. Let's take it to heart and start the wholesale move of dollars to our business. We already know its more effective, more measurable, more creative and certainly more fun than TV; now we've got to prove it to the folks with the budgets.
* Telescoping allows users to launch a long-form video brochure of several minutes or more directly from a shorter traditional video ad using a remote control or a mouse.
** Hotspotting, also known as the "Jennifer Aniston Sweater" feature, allows a user to click individual elements of a video for more information or purchase.
Ari Paparo is the vice president of rich media for DoubleClick. Read full bio.
