Custom Integration Key to Tier 2 Video Ad Sales

Think of the online video ad buying landscape like TV with 2 Tiers. Tier 1 is premium content sites like Hulu where buyers can associate their message directly with content. Everything is transparent. Tier 1 for TV are destination viewing opportunities such as the Super Bowl and Olympics. These are the programs that are not going to be DVR’d and ad skipped. The advertiser knows what they are getting and that their ad is being watched. It sells for a premium due to the lack of supply or opportunities.

The rest of TV and internet video ad buy is audience. For TV these are TV shows spread across a wide range of cable channels that are more and more becoming time shifted, recorded and ad skipped. Non premium internet video ad buys are driven today by ad networks and more niche web publishers where the advertiser has a clear view into the audience that they are reach but not what content they are associating their message with.

What is the USP for this second group? How do they convince TV dollars to flow to their audience? Leverage the power of the medium my friends. Ad networks and Tier 2 content producers that offer custom original and branded entertainment programming, editorial integration, rich media, and interactive ad units are the ones that have a compelling story to tell their advertisers.

The internet is a transformative step from TV in that the audience is less passive and more active when consuming entertainment. Give your advertisers and audience chances to interact with each other by providing multiple points of engagement such as social media, additional digital assets like product information, email registrations, store locators, etc. to continue the conversation.

Repurposing a TV ad for an interactive medium is a waste. Leveraging the medium in a way that drives results by continuing the advertising to audience conversation is the winning strategy for both Tier 1 and Tier 2 internet content providers and will ultimately be the better mouse trap that attracts traditional advertising dollars.