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Monday, August 13, 2007

Skins, Bugs or Tickers - effective video advertising?

The ultimate truth is - nothing is free. Even free TV meant we had to endure commercials to get the show. So in today's interactive would, finding the ideal mechanism to monetize the web, is what will drive the future of the web. Where pre-roll was too intrusive, new opportunities to push a message at us without destroying the value of the interactive experience has led to new types of advertising. Banner ads, skins, bugs, tickers, pop-ups, shorter commercial lengths. It's hard to imagine anyone ever claiming that they like ads, although the right creative ad to the right targeted demo, can be beneficial. But with so much clutter, how to build the interest without losing the relationship between user and website.

Of the choices so far, I like the screen concept. Perhaps test with a post-roll to see if users stay for the spot cause the skin interests them. Bugs get annoying and intrusive, especially as they clutter the screen experience. As we are beginning to learn, the web is not free, but it can be profitable if done with creativity and common sense.