RAMP-The Content Optimization Company

The answer to this question depends on who you ask. If you were to ask an online viewer, he or she will most likely tell you video ads should be no longer than 10- to 15 seconds in length, and that they should also be very relevant to the content viewed (see PodZinger Market Research Study, 11/20/06, “Video Ads Should Be Short, Relevant”).
But if you’re an advertiser who’s main interest is to create deep awareness of your products or services and excellent brand recognition, most likely you’ll want the video ads to run for as long as possible (at least 30- to 45 seconds) to get your message across, and a positive ROI. After all, most online video consumers prefer to watch video ads than having to pay a fee to view the content. (see Advertising.com 02/06/07 “Online Video Study”).
So who’s right as to how long video ads should be? The answer to this question should become clearer in the months to come as more and more advertisers begin to test the waters placing video ads on across websites like PodZinger, YouTube and Google Video just to name a few. User tolerance, or intolerance of ads for that matter, will become present as content viewing patterns on video websites remain the same or begin to drop as users begin defecting to other sites that do not server as many ads.

At a recent meeting some of my co-workers and I got slightly off topic as we couldn’t help but discuss the recent Aqua Teen Hunger Force guerilla marketing campaign in Boston. Like many in the younger, often more Internet-savvy generation, one person at the meeting had figured out that the mysterious packages were a marketing campaign before Boston officials made the announcement. Simply by searching online–the natural response of people in our generation looking for quick answers–he found various blogs that talked about the how the campaign was carried out. Such a simple method of investigation seems to have evaded Boston law enforcement officials however. Thus the combination of Turner Broadcasting System’s marketing and Boston’s reaction have created legal and financial issues while also raising questions about the level of digital disconnect older generations have when it comes to new media.

Another staple of the Internet generation’s online consumption, YouTube, has recently come up against legal issues with some of its most popular content; the content in question, most inconveniently, belongs to Viacom.

“YouTube removing Viacom TV Shows Media firm says ‘Daily Show,’ MTV snippets must go,” San Francisco Chronicle, February 3, 2007
San Francisco Chronicle Article

The above article highlights the tension inherent in allowing YouTube users to access “The Daily Show” clips with the ease and freedom they expect having grown up in the age of search-driven Internet consumption. Can YouTube keep one generation of users happy, abide by the laws and keep media companies from holding all the power?

It looks like younger users may have to reconcile themselves to the fact that new media still must abide by old laws, and some in older generations could use a crash course in some of the new online communication forms to get them fully up to speed.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – February 6, 2007 – PodZinger (www.podzinger.com), the world’s most powerful audio and video search engine and online advertising network, today introduced a larger enhanced player making it easier for users to play and view videos. PodZinger also introduced ZingLinks, a set of features integrated into the player that allow users to easily and immediately share the videos that they are watching with their friends.

PodZinger provides users with an intuitive interface for quickly finding the content that they want by searching inside audio or video files for specific terms. The new player highlights those results within the player to see exactly where those terms were spoken and jump to just that section of the audio or video. With ZingLinks, users can choose from several ways to share their favorite content, including sending a link instantly via email, copying a link to IM to friends, or embedding a video directly onto their own site or blog.

In addition, PodZinger is offering a free search box for content creators and publishers to help drive more traffic to their content and engage with their audience. Any content creator that has registered with PodZinger can access this feature when they login. Once embedded on their site, the search box will enable their audience to search just their content, making it easy to find specific topics. The search box is available in several different sizes and creators can easily preview how it will look on their site before embedding it.

“Online video is all about finding the content that is of most interest to you and being able to easily view it and instantly share it,” said Barbara Loonam, PodZinger’s vice president of marketing. “As more and more web properties embrace video, it’s going to be critical for them to expand the user experience and keep them coming back to their site. PodZinger is enhancing all of those with ZingLinks.”

About PodZinger
PodZinger is the leading audio and video search engine and advertising network for brands, content providers and consumers.  With PodZinger, consumers are able to find the most relevant content, content creators can monetize their online audio and video assets and advertisers can more effectively deliver their brand messages.

PodZinger, based in Cambridge, Mass., was recognized as the Best Web 2.0 Application in 2006 by the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange. PodZinger can be found at www.podzinger.com and through its network of affiliates.

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We are proud to announce the release of a new, larger video player on PodZinger! For easier viewing, the size of the player has increased to 480 x 425 pixels. We’ve also introduced the new ZingLinks set of features, which include:

• the ability to embed audio and video on a users page via PodZinger generated html code
• the ability to send audio and video to friends via a PodZinger generated url that will bring you directly to the content
• the ability to email audio or video to friends directly from the player

I’ve posted a clip of a pretty cool commercial on Toyota trucks. Or go to the PodZinger page directly to take a look for yourself



super bowl commercial YouTube.com: AnthonyL - Toyota Tundra TV commercial “Ramp” (2007)