Magnify.net Betas Ad Share Platform August 22, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 7commentsMagnify.net has launched a beta of the Magnify Ad Share Platform, according to the site’s owner Steve Rosenbaum.
To read more about Magnify, click here. Here’s a demo Magnify site they made for me ages ago — it’s CubeBreak, but spelled CubeBrake.com.
Connecting Creators and Advertisers: Black Turtle Media August 22, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Making Videos, Online Video , 5commentsBlack Turtle Media is creating community of passionate, imaginative artists that have the creative skills to develop and produce commercial-grade advertising for major brand sponsors. Aspiring creative producers will be able to create and post their videos, generate buzz around their work, and get the chance to win money. They are looking for amateurs and professionals who are interested in getting their work noticed.
YouTube Finally Discovers Ad Format It Can Monetize August 22, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Future of Online Video, Google, Online Video, Profit, Video Advertising, Video Business, YouTube, advertising, google video , 40commentsIn a significant first, YouTube has decided to let advertisers inject their messages inside the video frame for select content on its site (see ClickZ or MediaPost). For an interesting piece that projects revenues for YouTube, see this post by Silicon Valley Insider.
For an example of the ad, see this Smosh video and watch Homer Simpson at 15 seconds in. To see another similar demo (unrelated to YouTube), check out this site by Adjustables (which allows you to drop in various embedded ads).
This is huge news, and here’s why:
- It’s a new ad format that I believe balances marketing needs with user experience. As a creator and marketer, I love them. And as a viewer, I can more than tolerate them. They’re not interruptions, and allow me to dig-in or continue with my viewing (as opposed to horrendously long pre-rolls). But they’re also not lost in left field: like basement-price banners that sit miles from a video and get few views much less clicks. Don’t get me wrong- these banner ads may still be worthwhile for marketers because the CPM (cost per thousand) is so cost-effective.
- This exponentially raises the revenue that YouTube can make per video view. Grant- I’m biased in this enthusiasm since I am a YouTube partner. $20 CPM is a fair price.
- Ultimately, it shows that YouTube/Google is turning the corner on this age-old debate about advertising vs. community. YouTube has always been about community not commercialization. And that’s not a bad thing, but they happen to be in business to make money. Google also tends to build new product/service solutions without considering the advertising implications. Then eventually they figure out how to monetize it.
Some of the community will, of course, object to any new ad format. But ultimately this increases the sustainability of online-video and is a good thing for those viewers who want to retain access to free, quality content.
Now for some key points about the ads — lifted directly from the ClickZ article:
- The new offering, dubbed InVideo Ads, mimics the clickable ad overlays introduced in recent months on ad networks like VideoEgg and YuMe.
- Ad product consists of animated bars that obscure the bottom 20 percent of the video frame for a given clip. They initiate 15 seconds after the beginning of a clip
- InVideo overlays are “80 percent transparent” and remain visible for approximately 10 seconds before shrinking to a small button users can later click to view the marketing message again.
- YouTube has set a $20 CPM for InVideo ad buys consisting of an InVideo ad accompanied by a tiny in-player companion ad and an adjacent in-page unit.
- Clicking on an overlay ad pauses the current video and launches one of two experiences brands can choose between. One is a new clip superimposed over the video in progress via a player-within-a-player interface. When the paid clip ends or is closed, the original automatically picks up where it left off. Shiva Rajaraman, YouTube Product Manager, said 76 percent of those who click the overlay and watch the video ad viewed the entire trailer for NewLine’s “Hairspray.”
- The other option is a Flash-based interactive experience in which the user is invited to navigate an interactive menu. Warner Bros. created such a unit where users can flip through selected album covers (click for example).
During YouTube’s research process, Rajaraman said, “One of the key things we found, not surprisingly, is that when a video is playing on YouTube their attention is [locked in to the video frame]. When we came up with an ad format, we realized that… it needs to be in the player.”
Yet when the Google-owned video portal tested pre-roll placements, YouTube users abandoned video clips at a more than 50 percent rate. The overlay, by contrast, results in an abandonment rate under 10 percent. Not only that, but click rates are five to 10 times greater than standard display click-to-video ads, according to Rajaraman.
“What I Ate Today” Contest August 22, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Contest, Online Video , 4commentsJust when you thought there weren’t any topics left for a video contest, along comes Viddler’s “Meal Today” contest. Deadline is August 31, and prizes are an 8GB iPhone or a Canon TX1 HD Digital Camcorder. After you upload on Viddler, you’ll need to tag the video “MealToday” and join the group.
10 minutes after I posted this, I decided to enter. Here’s my “Downward Plunge” entry that tells the story of my healthy breakfast, and gradual decline into caloric ruins.
Secret Mentos Elixir August 21, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Mentos, Online Video, YouTube, advertising , 5commentsI did a Google search for “hair loss” remedies and “gardening tips.” Seems the Mentos/soda combination is highly effective at both. Here’s my latest sponsored video for Mentos. Thanks, guys. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flk9Glq1LeU]
How to Cheat on YouTube August 19, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Making Videos, Online Video, Video Advertising, Video Business, Viral Video, YouTube, advertising, marketing, popular videos , 25comments
In today’s YouTube “highest rated comedy videos of the day,” my videos represent spots 5, 6 and 8. YouTube, as you probably know, represents the vast majority of online viewing. So does this mean I produced the funniest videos on the planet this weekend? Of course not.
I have an advantage because I have a loyal following of “subscribers” that watch my videos and rate them highly — presumably because we share a sense of humor. When they rate the video highly, it propels into the “top rated” comedy page where it sits besides videos that are often far funnier (this Barats & Bereta video “Olympian” is a good example). But sometimes not- there are some YouTubers that have been around since the beginning and may not be hysterical but have fans that have basically developed parasocial relationships with them over time.
While on the “best” or “most watched” sections, the videos pick up secondary audiences, and sometimes get lifted and embedded on other sites (for a tertiary audience). So this has a resulting impact on total views.
Naturally, funnier videos exist buried on YouTube, where maybe 60-100K videos are posted each day. You might have posted one. Sorry you aren’t landing on these pages, but there’s hope.
The most important variable to getting seen on YouTube is the channel and the base of loyal subscribers. I could upload these same videos to my alias accounts and get virtually no views.
So how do you build a channel of loyal subscribers? Patience, decent videos, active participation in the community (reply, watch, collaborate) and hopefully get featured on YouTube’s coveted homepage. My lil’ YouTube career took off with Viral Video Genius and Farting in Public, both of which were featured on the YouTube homepage (thanks, editors).
In this video, titled “How I Cheat YouTube,” I describe some of the things creators (and marketers) can do to help get their videos viewed. Parenthetically, this video is the #1 highest rated “how to” video though I launched it just yesterday. Again, thanks subscribers!
What this raises is something interesting… the value of a channel, and more importantly the value of quality (not just quantity) of loyal subscribers. Marketers will have trouble developing this on their own, and that’s where creators can help (if it’s done tastefully). It’s why I’m reluctant to “sell out” my channel to any advertiser, and why I want to ensure my product-placement or consumer-generated ads are funny. I’ve got two or three on ice right now because I haven’t yet made them effective and entertaining.
YouTube is really the only place you can find this phenomenon online, but it’s not unlike the increased cost of an ad in a more popular television show.
Anyway, this blog is really directed at passionate creators and enthusiastic marketers. But I know some of my loyal viewers read and comment. Thanks so much, gang. Without you I’d be living in obscurity and making my reluctant neighbors watch my videos.
Best Consumer-Generated Advertising? August 18, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Future of Online Video, Making Videos, Online Video, Video Advertising, Video Business, advertising , 9commentsWhat’s your favorite consumer-generated advertisement? (See Joseph Jaffe’s dated but comprehensive iMediaConnection article to get a better understanding of what CGA is).
A classic is when iPod lover and teacher George Masters creates his own online campaign for Apple iPod.
HappySlip’s Mac Beautiful is one of my favorites, and it was seen more than a million times on YouTube.
I’ve done my own — some for money and some for passion. To see the paid ads, click here. But here’s an example of a video I did simply because I like Kellogg’s Caramel Nut Crunch. It appears on the first page of Google when you search for the product by name. Likewise my “Poor Man’s Healies” remains the top search result on Google if you misspell Heelys and search “Healies.”
Some more popular video creators are charging brands $2-$5K for videos (based on their audience size, recognition and creativity), but still others are promoting brands simply because they love them.
Got a favorite? Wordpress may cue your response if you include a URL, but please do.
YouTubers vs. Apple Tech Support (Power of Online Video Community) August 18, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 7comments
This collaboration video by YouTubers (in which I’m included) is a great example of the power of YouTube’s community. When Xgobobeanx was given the runaround by Mac, her frustration led to this video.
As I said in my clip (which appears at the end of this clip), “Apple has an obligation to treat every customer well even if they don’t know they’re dealing with a viral video queen that has the power to harness the collective power of YouTube to bring them to their needs.” I urged Jill to call Apple’s PR group and tell them she had reached boiling point, and that they could avoid this video by simply helping her.
Meanwhile, I love my Mac. But I’m really sad to see how poorly Apple is doing in the consumer-generated media space. The first consumer-generated ad I ever saw was for Mac! But they seem to be ignoring this medium — as evidenced by poor HappySlip never getting a thanks for her Mac Beautiful video. If I was an Apple employee, I would have sent her a Powerbook in about an hour after seeing this.
Taxi Cab Panic Attack August 15, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Viral Video , 14comments
Social experiment #28238. What happens when you get into a NYC taxi (like I did yesterday morning) and have a panic attack? The taxi driver was surprisingly receptive to me placing the camera on his dashboard and then screaming and whining as he took us to market research.
I asked his permission, but didn’t tell him what I was going to do. And he managed to play the “straight,” even though he didn’t know where I was headed with the video. Naturally I gave him a handsome tip for his cooperation.
My Hat Was Stolen and Is Traveling the Globe August 13, 2007
Posted by Nalts in : Online Video , 17comments
MomoDelicious, a YouTuber, stole my hat off my head at the NYC 7.7.7 gathering. Now “HatofNalts” is traveling the globe, most recently on the head of popular Tuber SeanBedlam.
While I deeply miss the hat I haven’t since replaced, I take great joy in knowing that I can explore the planet vicariously through it.
To see the collection of these videos, check out my “Nalts Hat” playlist collection. If I’ve missed any let me know.
Kenrg did a great parody where he began to go insane from wearing the hat. Then there’s the video where Momo passed it to Rextangle, who later did this hysterical video.