Longer is better...

Contrary to popular opinion, longer ads are more effective.

In preparation for the eventual convergence of television & online video (the only thing holding us back is bigger bandwidth), the media powers are battling it out online, trying to figure out 'the standard' & 'the model'.

When it comes to advertising in video form, pre-roll, mid-roll or signature 'spots' are being placed within online content giving the consumer no choice but to watch it as the video loads. Many brands have been repurposing their existing 30-second TV spots for these platforms, with the consensus being that 15, 10, or even 5 second ads will become the norm down the road, as advertisers work to capture the short attention spans common to these media - along with Bad Consumer Karma (BCK) in the process.

This thinking is flawed. As bandwidth increases, computers will become the new DVR's alongside your big screen. One will simply need to wait for the video to load, before being able to skip through all pre or mid-roll commercials much like we do with Tivo today. In other words, technology will always afford us the opportunity to skip what we do not want to see. So why keep producing stuff people do not want to see - especially when they are able to skip past it? What is emerging, is proof that people will seek out content produced by a brand if it offers value and fulfills something they are interested in - especially if it is longer. See my article on 'Brands...The New Executive Producers' and Nike's endless soccer chain.

In fact, a new report - 'Introduction to Brand Exposure Duration', finds that viewers of both video on-demand content delivered via cable boxes and video delivered on the Web actually gravitate to longer ad spots, and that advertisers have more to gain by producing longer form creative executions. The white-paper was presented at the Advertising Research Foundation's Audience Measurement Symposium in New York by The Atlas Institute, a division of aQuantive if you want to find out more info.

So, in many cases, while longer spots might drive down the raw number of users who are willing to sit through such ads, the total amount of viewing by those that do chose to watch actually increases with longer spots, since the most engaged viewers end up watching multiple times. Remember, this is on demand - the consumers has chosen to see it, which inherently leads to a better relationship and more purchasing power between a brand and its consumer.

Once again, creative quality is more important than ever, with authentic, valuable experiences boding well for brands that look to entertain first and brand second.

Publishers - The Next Networks - Part 2

WIth the FCC out of the way & the internet giving the ability to anyone to start a web-channel, in Part 1 (Publishing companies...the next networks?) I wrote about the advantages that traditional publishers have in doing so. By adding proprietary video content, with captive, worldwide audiences - they are poised to becoming the new niche networks. Competing with the networks we know today.

When talking to publishers about the evolution of print, I mention talk about technology that will help to push this all forward. Prototypes for flexible screens are making their way around technology circles. In the not too distant future, we will not print on paper, but carry a flexible screen that we can fold up in our briefcases or purses. These screens will accept a signal similar to WiFi or WiMax in order to be able to download the latest edition of any of the 'publications' we subscribe to. The look and feel will be very similar to paper, except for the fact that there will only be one page. No more problems with the Sunday Times blowing away in the breeze while we idle our time away on a park bench...and think of all those trees being saved!

The main point is, these screens will be a window into a new world. A world that is carving itself up right now via our computer screens. The big publishers that embrace the online channel concept now and stake a claim along with the networks online, will surely win (meaning you are no longer a printed publication surviving on just the written word - so wake up!). The laggers will be left behind as younger, more agile, start-up 'publications' produce intriguing content - for pennies on the dollar.

Most people have never seen or heard of this, and I often come across as an alien when describing the concept. One of the most layman friendly articles I have read on the subject is below. Read it, then stop looking at me as if I were E.T.

Nanocrystal Displays & Flexible Screens
Using quantum dots to make vibrant, flexible screens.
This is the stage of development for flexible screens.  These will eventually build out as screens we can roll up like a newspaper to receive any magazine or newspaper wirelessly - saving our trees and forests.  Books will all be on subscriptions and the world's libraries will all move online.

http://www.technologyreview.com/printer_friendly_article.aspx?id=16830