With the ever growing long tail of web publishers, there is a lot of talk from publishers and ad networks about "premium inventory" as a differentiator for denoting whose inventory is a cut above the rest. Video creative offers a different experience than standard creative does, and with the greater emphasis being placed on the interaction between media and creative these days, advertisers need to know what the word "premium" really refers to.
When it comes to planning video campaigns, several factors go into evaluating what inventory is worthwhile. In a recent report on effective video campaigns, Dynamic Logic stated that most ineffective video ads did not quickly engage and establish relevance with users. With that in mind, there are presently three types of premium inventory promoted, some of which may be better for video creative than others.
1. Premium inventory by brand
Premium brand inventory often includes inventory on big name sites from the ComScore100. The theory is that having an ad on brand name sites will capture the quintessential audiences of those publishers, produce associations with their brands and generate big results. This inventory can be appealing because the brands are known, the content is trusted and in all honesty, they sound good.
Unfortunately, results don't always follow. Many large sites are household names because of their mass appeal, and according to a study by Communispace, these larger online sites don't engage users as well smaller niche communities.
"Big public communities may attract more eyeballs, but they may not be the answer for marketers who are looking for deep engagement with customers," said Communispace VP of innovation and research, Julie Wittes-Schlack.
Since the audience composition of larger sites is much more varied, section and channel-specific targeting has to occur to find right users, which can raise CPM levels significantly. Also, in the case of some ad networks, cost-effective inventory is often passed along to advertisers by purchasing untargeted impressions in bulk, which can make reaching the relevant users on these sites, with the right frequency, very difficult.
Lastly, big name sites tend to have robust video offerings, embedded players and other video ads scattered about, which, as compared to smaller sites, can clutter a page and make it harder for an advertiser to stand out.
A publisher's brand shouldn't be overlooked of course…brands can guarantee a level of content quality and hold a special place in the hearts of their users, but big names don't always mean high-relevance.
2. Premium inventory by placement
In-banner video ads often auto-play and then resolve to static or rich media end images. For the video to actually grab a user's attention, ads must appear above the fold or within articles themselves and be noticeable quickly. Ad units that linger at the bottom of a page or several scrolls down risk being served as nothing more than static banners.
For inventory to be premium for video creative, publishers and ad networks alike need to be able to guarantee well-situated inventory.
3. Premium inventory by context
In my opinion, this is the most important factor in making inventory "premium." Just being in front of someone, or the right someone, doesn't always mean you're catching them at the right time. Advertisers need to be in front of users when they're in a relevant state of mind, and that means utilizing a publisher's or network's targeting capabilities.
It would be great to be able to advertise hammers to people while they're hanging paintings, but the likelihood of that happening is slim-to-none. The more realistic scenario is to advertise to them while they're researching tools, crafts, home decorating, DIY or the ancient secrets of great picture hangers.
Video is eye-catching by nature and has the ability to both entertain and educate users on the value of an advertiser's solutions. According to Cate Riegner of research firm Media Screen, "If you can connect with a customer on a level of great attention or great involvement, they'll be more interested in the ads you have."
When advertisers are able to take advantage of robust targeting technologies that guarantee contextual relevance, their videos can command their audience's attention at the precise moment they need to. This can make a huge difference for the campaign.
So what is premium inventory?
The answer is that premium inventory for video is an amalgamation of site brand, site content, specific page placement and relevancy targeting. It's not an easy find, but when advertisers are able to couple the emotive power of their video with content it directly relates to, on sites that users have a deeper affinity for, superior results are highly attainable.
Jolie Gibson is sr. director of media planning at The Fifth Network, Inc. Read full bio.
