Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category

How To Spot “Fake Pre-Roll”

Published by Tod Sacerdoti on July 24, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Yesterday I wrote a post on AdAge on “How to Spot Fake Pre-Roll,” as we have noticed a trend of online publishers and networks packaging low quality ad units as pre-roll. The article goes into detail about what to look out for and what questions you should ask to verify your pre-roll buys.

Here are the highlights:

Pre-Roll Quality Categories
1. Gold Standard: Traditional Pre-Roll, as defined above
2. High Quality: Video ads that play in the middle of long form content (such as an ad between segments of House on Hulu.com)
3. Medium Quality: Video ads that auto-start with sound in a publisher’s video section; no user initiation
4. Low Quality: Video ads that auto-start with sound on a publisher’s home page; no user initiation or attention
5. Questionable Quality: Video ads that auto-start without sound in display inventory (typically by an ad network without video technology)
6. Borderline Fraudulent: Video ads that auto-start without sound on a publisher’s video player which can be embedded by users anywhere

Key Queries to insure 100% Pre-Roll:
1. Will my video ads ever be played in the middle of content, as opposed to before content?
2. Will my video ads ever be served into an environment where video is not the main content on the page?
3. Will my video ads ever be auto-started, i.e. started without a user initiation?
4. Will my video ads ever be started with the sound off?
5. Will my video ads ever be served into display inventory?
6. Will my video ads be served into any syndicated content? (Syndication almost always means a reduction in quality.)
7. Can you provide me with a list of every URL my ads will appear on?

Yes, TV Size Audiences Are Accessible Online

Published by Tod Sacerdoti on July 1, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

I recently sat on a panel where a big topic of discussion was: Can we reach television-sized audiences using online video? The answer is, unequivocally, yes. However, it became clear that most digital media buyers do not think about the world in terms of television size audiences — and most television media buyers only speak the language of television.

Today, MediaPost’s VideoInsider posted an article I wrote about this issue and some thoughts on how to address it. Click here for the VideoInsider article.

Myths and Realities of Online Video Advertising

Published by Tod Sacerdoti on April 10, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Today, iMedia posted an article that I wrote regarding about the myths vs. realities of online video advertising. In particular, I highlighted these four areas of confusion:

Myth: Television is more cost effective than video advertising.
Reality: Targeted demographic groups are cheaper and more effectively reached online.

Myth: There is no effective way to replace diminishing television audiences.
Reality: Online video is the most effective venue for audience replacement.

Myth: Impressions are a good measure of effectiveness.
Reality: Impressions are only the beginning.

Myth: Television offers a higher quality experience.
Reality: PCs are more equipped to deliver high impact campaigns.

If you have a chance, read the article and share your comments with us.