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As audiences have transitioned from traditional media to desktop and now mobile, the concept of premium becomes subjective and more difficult to define, because it ultimately comes down to ability to target and engage with audiences.
There are, of course, attributes that would mark out a publisher’s video inventory as superior. These include the quality of the content, how engaged the audience is with that content, and whether that audience is addressable.
The future of video advertising is on mobile, where we see new players thriving because they’re not shackled by the traditional publishing model. They have the ability to be more agile and therefore improve the advertising experience.
There will be huge demand over the next couple of years from brands for more premium mobile video, so all publishers need to adapt. More of us are choosing to view content on mobile devices because screen size is no longer an issue. We also love the swipe and touch technology that is being adopted by publishers and brands trying to reach us.
New players are thriving on mobile because they’re not shackled by the traditional publishing model – they have the ability to be more agile and improve the advertising experience
Consumers understand the value exchange for advertising if they are to receive free premium content. Results from our recent ‘What’s My Worth?’ survey of over 4,000 consumers found that 79% understand and accept this paradigm. What they do demand, however, is that the ads they receive are of a high quality, relevant and targeted to them.
The challenge for publishers is how best to integrate mobile video advertising without detriment to the user experience. Consumers do not, for instance, want to sit through lots of pre-roll video ads before watching a 30-second news clip. To combat this issue, we have launched our mmSDK 6.0 software development kit, which enables publishers who have not been able to offer mobile video in the past to do so. Companion banners within the content host a small video lightbox, which uses native mobile functionality such as swipe, touch and sound for interaction. Once touched by a consumer, the video expands and can play in either a vertical or horizontal format.
Enabling publishers that were previously unable to run mobile video to do so, whilst maintaining a great consumer experience, will be a key driver of premium video inventory. It will also give marketers a broader source of inventory, creating the ability to target audiences and serve video ads around content deemed appropriate for brands.
