Pre-Roll Ads May Affect Viral Videos Alex Gerage, February 20, 2010 If you are one of many who find the 15 second pre-roll advertisements placed before online videos increasingly annoying, chances are you’re about to get a little more peeved. Jim Louderback at Advertising Age has an informative assessment on the bottom line success of pre-roll ads, and why this traditional advertising tactic has made a seamless transition to new media. Find out more after the jump. Louderback’s article does a good job explaining why the pre-roll is, in many ways, becoming a new standard in online advertising. Recent trends have shown pre-rolls are not only enjoying an increased presence preceding online video like TV shows, but the media has also infiltrated major online gaming websites. Furthermore, Louderback’s most important analysis comes when he discusses the implications of the pre-roll trend on viral videos:“Unfortunately, I’m afraid they also depress video sharing and snacking — which is ultimately how a video goes viral, and how new creators build audiences. We’ll soon find out whether this is true, because it appears that YouTube will put pre-rolls on many of their more popular producers as well, including the ones that benefit most from virality.” I agree with his assessment that pre-rolls might negatively impact the future of viral videos. Are people going to be willing to wait an additional 15 seconds to watch a 10 second YouTube clip? As minimal as it sounds, I don’t think so. At least not at the rate videos are currently consumed. The focus then will be placed back on content creators to convey a message that communicates their video as being so vital to watch, it is worth waiting through advertisements. How do you feel about the impending expansion of pre-roll ads? Will they affect your online video consumption habits? Voice your opinions in the comments section below. Viral Marketing YouTube
David Fincher’s “The Social Network” Gets an Interactive Trailer, Breaks Down Facebook September 15, 2010Interactive trailers are becoming more popular lately, and its probably due to the fact you can cramp a lot of interesting stuff into the same package as a regular online trailer. Movies like Scott Pilgrim and Avatar have plenty to fill that space with, usually behind the scenes footage are… Read More
Comic-Con: Castle Panel Reveals New Twitter Campaign July 26, 2010September 7, 2010Yesterday I attended my last panel of this year’s Comic-Con, which was for ABC’s Castle. Almost the entire cast was there, including stars Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic. We got some details on the future of the show, as well as backstage antics and the new Twitter campaign starting now. Read More
Surviving The Economic Crisis… There’s An App For That February 18, 2010February 18, 2010One of my biggest problems with the work of Michael Moore, especially in his recent film, Capitalism: A Love Story, is that it often feels as if Moore is talking down to the audience. The experience for me of watching a film by Moore is akin to listening to someone… Read More