Forget pre-roll, try in-video advertising

In-video advertising enables advertisers to insert ads inside a running video clip.

Hyderabad-based digital advertising technology firm, MediaMind Technologies, has partnered with the US-based company, Impossible Software, to soft-launch an interesting video advertising solution, titled Dynamic Video advertising, in India.

The service will enable marketers to display/insert ads inside a running online video film (when the video clip is in the 'play' mode), unlike the standard (pre-roll and post-roll) video advertising formats. In the case of pre-roll and post-roll video advertising, ads are showcased before (pre-roll) the start of the clip or after (post-roll) the end of video clip.

To be precise, an advertiser has to select/identify space or specific slots called 'dynamic ad- area' (within the video clip), where they can place an ad. Once identified, the marketer can then insert a static or interactive ad in the 'dynamic ad-area'. The ad (text, image, video clip or logo) will be showcased in the running video film, along with other elements of the clip.

For instance, a marketer (tyre manufacturing company) can use a car shown in a video clip for advertisement purposes. It could identify dynamic video areas such as 'car doors' and insert interactive ads/logos on doors. When clicked, the ad will redirect users to a dedicated landing page, where the marketer can offer more information or ask the user to submit contact details.

Similarly, an e-commerce or daily deals site can place a discount deal ad (as Dynamic Video ad) inside a video clip which shows a mobile device as one of its elements.

Interestingly, MediaMind will empower advertisers to change ad formats or content/parts of an ad (like text, image or video) on real-time basis (when the campaign is live) as part of its Dynamic Video advertising service. Usually, the standard video/banner ads are pre-programmed with fixed content and advertisers can't alter the content.

Speaking to afaqs!, Raghu Seelamsetty, managing director, MediaMind (India), says, "Apart from customisation of content and format of ads, we will also enable marketers to serve different ads to different sets of audiences for the same video clips available on the internet."

The company will provide technology to target and re-target ads on the basis of various parameters such as demographic (age, income, language and gender) and geographic (state and city level) targeting.

For re-targeting, MediaMind will monitor the interaction of consumers with the Dynamic Video ad unit or landing page (where the user will arrive when he clicks on the ad unit). Based on the interaction, advertisers will be offered to re-target the same consumer when he checks another video on the internet, which is also powered by Dynamic Video ad unit, Seelamsetty explains.

MediaMind also plans to offer its Dynamic Video ad service under the cost-per thousand ad impression basis.

MediaMind claims that it is the first company to launch an in-video advertising service in India.

In 2009, Komli Media, which runs an online ad network, tried to offer a similar service. At that time, it tied up with an Israel-based technology firm, ArtiVision, which uses technology to identify the dead spaces inside video clips to place ads there. Prashant Mehta, chief executive officer, Komli Media, says, "The tie up with ArtiVision is not active anymore."

Even Vdopia, the video ad-network, does not offer in-video advertising services in India. Jivox is contemplating to introduce in-video advertising service in the country.