We've all gone over to YouTube to check out some new hot video, then been caught up short by some advertisement we have to watch at the beginning of the video. Many of us have tried to watch television programs online, and again right there are the beginning is a rather lengthy video advertisement, and often other ads spread throughout the program.
Now, right up front, let me say I'm not complaining about advertising in general. Those ads pay for what we get to watch, so advertising itself doesn't bother me.
No, but I still have multiple complaints about today's online video advertising. Listen up, ad producers, because it's time you caught up with today's consumers and customers and stopped living in the television era.
What are my complaints? Here we go:
Repetition
I've seen some of the same video advertisements way too many times. I'm betting you have, too. With television advertising, the same ad can run again and again without frustrating the viewer because that ad might only be seen a couple of times a day because the ads are spaced out. Online video advertising hasn't seemed to catch onto this, often showing the exact same video ad over and over again all over the place. Enough! It's dull, and it's ineffective. After viewers have seen the same ad multiple times, especially during one sitting, they are likely to just stop watching videos or at least switching to another video.
Length
A short three to ten second advertisement at the start of a video or show isn't bad. Viewers can tolerate that. But when you're psyched up to watch your favorite show or something funny on YouTube, you don't like suddenly being pulled up short by watching a thirty-second or longer advertisement. Length isn't quite as jarring in the middle of a longer show, mainly because viewers are more used to that from television. But the person who can come up with online fast-forward software that will blur you past the advertisements is likely to make billions. And it will happen. It'll just take time. And fighting it won't do any good.
Compatibility
Ever sit down to watch a video online and suddenly get slammed with a Viagra ad? What, am I sixty here? Well, maybe you are, but the majority of folks out there aren't, at least not yet. I mean to point out this as just one example of how online advertisers still don't seem to know their market. Sure, there'll be a different demographic for different shows, channels and videos, but so far it doesn't seem the advertisers are paying attention to those demographics very much.
Placement
I'll repeat, a very short advertisement at the start of a video is okay. A long advertisement sucks, and often will just make me go to another website. So, ads right at the beginning of a show or video are fine. Viewers expect that. Another ad at the end of a video is also fine, because viewers also expect that, and since we've watched the video we can go on about our day if we wish. The three to four or more video ads stuffed into the middle of a viewing are a slightly different case. They are jarring, to say the least. One or two wouldn't be so bad, say one every 15 minutes. But beyond that, it's getting annoying. And annoyed viewers are annoyed customers. And oh yes, they'll remember your advertised product. With vehemence.
Creativity
Far too many online video advertisements are boring. There, I've said it flat out. Too many of these ads are just pulled from TV and slapped onto some online video. Sorry, but that doesn't work. Demographics for online viewing are different from those of TV viewing, and the expectations are definitely different. Call it high expectations if you will, but online viewers are here to be entertained. If they want to want some boring old ads, they'll go watch television. Online advertisers need to spice things up a little. Have some fun with advertising projects. Don't do the same old boring stuff we see on TV all the time. Pay attention to the most mocking of bad advertisements as portrayed on Saturday Night Live, because many online ads are really that bad.
Variety of advertisers
This one can be a little tough for video producers. It seems advertisers like to buy ad space on shows or longer videos in whole, meaning they seem to like only their ad videos to appear on a particular show or video. This makes sense in some ways. It inundates the viewer with image after image of the advertiser's product, firmly planting that product in the viewer's mind. But it can also have the opposite effect, causing the viewer to hate your product because they are sick to death of hearing about it. Suggestion: Break it up a little. If the same product has to be advertised over and over again, at least have the decency to have different ads. Better yet, have different style ads that vary widely in their design. This will help keep viewer attention and, more importantly, help them from becoming bored. If a viewer is bored, they might just stop watching the video anyway.
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