Part
I: Bare Bones Technology
Part III: Is Anybody Out There?
Part IV: Jazzing up the Banner
Part
V: Branding Beyond Intuition
 Creative Possibilities: Streaming Media 101, Part
II
by Pamela
Parker
Managing Editor of ChannelSeven.com and Internet Advertising
Report
7/18/01
"This streaming thing is so cool", you're saying to yourself
after reading our first
installment of Streaming Media 101, and you're wondering, "How can I
do this at home?" Well, there are a zillion possibilities (well, maybe not
a zillion, but you get the idea).
Interactive agency Lot21 produced multiple video spots
for Bank of America's Web campaign, allowing the financial company's
online customers to choose their own adventure.
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Because there are so many, we're going to stick to talking about creative
executions that utilize streaming audio or streaming video -- as played
back on a QuickTime, Windows Media, or Real player. What else is there?
Well, some ads use Macromedia's Flash or Shockwave, but we're not going
to muddy the waters by talking about this work, as wonderful as it may be.
TV or Radio-Style Spots
One of the big attractions of streaming, for some marketers and advertisers,
is the possibility of repurposing advertising originally created for television
or radio. While that's not necessarily making the best use of the Internet's
interactive capabilities, it's certainly an option. After all, the creative
is already in the can, and, on the Internet, people can click on the ads,
too.
Hillmancurtis produced this 30 second piece for e-business
consulting firm Cysive.
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In this situation -- what we'll call TV or radio-style spots -- the ad would
play before, during, or after audio or video content that the consumer requested.
- Gateway or Pre-Roll Ads: These play before the content. For
example, when you click on a news item at CNN.com, a short video ad
runs prior to the news clip.
- In-Stream Ads: Ads that interrupt the content occasionally,
like conventional radio or TV ads
Although these ads could theoretically be of any length, most executions
on the Internet are running around 15 seconds or shorter. With video especially,
the content itself is usually quite short, so front-loading it with a long
ad may cause the viewer to stop watching altogether. Additionally, advertisers
seem to believe that Internet users have a short attention span.
A streaming
video story on ABCnews.com today begins with a short ad spot for
gourmet cat food maker FancyFeast.
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Banner + Audio or Video Spots
These ads utilize traditional banner ads that show up on the site or on
the player, and can potentially be synchronized with the audio or video.
That way, when, say, your apparel ad is zooming along on the audio or video
player, the banner ad reinforces the message. And, if you're looking for
a direct response, having the audio or video creative reference the banner
-- like having a person in the ad point to the banner and say, "click here
for more information" -- has been shown to increase click-through substantially.
This type of ad is used quite often by Internet radio Webcasters, many
of which have customized players that their listeners download.
In-Banner or E-mail Streams
Using streaming audio and video doesn't just limit you to advertising
around streaming content. Both banners and e-mails are also possibilities.
In most cases, the initial download is only a still image, and the video
or audio content doesn't start until the user starts it by pressing a
button.
This
trailer for the film Meet the Parents, created by interactive agency
iFrontier, is powered by streaming technology from rich media provider
Bluestreak
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Following are some links to more examples of how advertisers are using
streaming:
Next Time: Why streaming advertising?
Falling Behind On Your 101?
Part I: Bare Bones Technology
Part III: Is Anybody Out There?
Part IV: Jazzing up the Banner
Part
V: Branding Beyond Intuition
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