Targeted Video Ads on Google: A Better Approach from Blinkx?

Blinkx is a small British video search company.

The company released a tool Wednesday that lets online publishers place targeted text ads in any video embedded on a Web site based on the actual content of the video. That's a lot different (and may be a lot better?) than the Google approach you'll find above. Google figures out what ads to pair with a video based strictly on the video's title and any keywords attached to the clip.

Blinkx software "listens to" and "watches" the video, then inserts text overlay ads based on the spoken words and to some extent, the images in the clip. That technology depends on algorithms developed by a longstanding Google competitor, search engine Autonomy.

Here's an example of how Blinkx's contextual advertising might work: Imagine a teenager doing a podcast about a new digital camera. Blinkx software might create a text ad for the camera at the bottom of the video player, even if the clip isn't labeled with the digital camera brand.

Blinkx Chief Executive Suranga Chandratillake says the software can also recognize written words and even a small library of faces. That means that automatic ad targeting isn't limited to the relatively small amount of video content generated by media companies and savvy bloggers who carefully label all of their content with text tags, he says.

Advertisers will be able to insert targeted ads into the massive number of amateur videos on the Internet, many of which often weren't intended to generate revenue and so carry no content-related tags. Will they have to obtain rights to do this...we'll see?

AdSense With YouTube Working Example

It finally works...see it above. Notice the tie-ins to other stories on the page. I'd be a lot happier, though, if the player could be smaller.

Signing up for AdSense with YouTube

It's not hard...but it's also not working on this site as I write this. There is a message on the Google instruction pages saying videos will be live later today 10/9/09. Hopefully, you'll see an actual working example when you check this out.

Here's what you need to do:

1. Agree to the fundamental terms of the program, including very ambiguous financials for the site owner
2. Sign into your AdSense account
3. Add the last four digits of your phone number and your zip code
4. Sign into or open a YouTube account
5. Press a button that links them
6. Choose a player size from small, medium and large sizes and player highlight colors
7. Select whether you want Google to choose the videos based on an analysis of your site's content, specify keywords, choose from a list of categories or specify ads from a list of about 40 small to medium sized advertisers (Ford Models!)
8 Press a button which automatically generates an HTML code and then add it to your website's HTML code (NOW...at the moment with no video ad visible, that's the part I'm concerned about...also, this may be the place where other AdSense users stumble).
9. Click on a button to save and then finish

Not bad...if it works....I'll keep you informed, but it's 11:46 here in New York and soon it's gnite, see what shows up in the AM and tackle any problems.

YouTube Videos on AdSense

This is the start of something huge. Google takes a giant step toward offering television advertising. So...straight from Google's release:


Posted by Christine Lee, Google Product Marketing Manager, Google AdSense Site 10/9/09

Nowadays, website publishers realize that getting people to visit your website is only half of the equation. Growing your audience is important, but keeping your audience engaged and staying on your site longer is just as important, if not more so. This is why we're excited to let you know about video units on Google AdSense. Video units enable AdSense publishers to display videos from several YouTube content partners. The video units are ad-supported, and the ads are relevant to both the video and the site content, as well as unobtrusive. AdSense publishers and YouTube content partners will receive a share of the ad revenue, so video units enable both groups to earn incremental revenue.

We're excited about video units because we see this as the first step in content distribution on AdSense and a great opportunity to foster the content ecosystem on the web. AdSense publishers can now enhance their sites with interesting videos, YouTube content partners benefit from a new distribution channel, advertisers have a new vehicle to distribute their messages to their target audiences, and people can tune in to interesting videos on sites they normally visit.

From The AdSense Blog

AdSense isn't just for ads anymore; it's also a place to get video content for your site -- and earn extra revenue at the same time.

We're excited about the launch of video units -- a new way to enrich your site with quality, relevant video content in an embedded, customizable player. Simply embed a snippet of code and have relevant YouTube partner content streamed to your site. You can choose categories of video to target to your site, select content from individual YouTube partners, or have video automatically targeted to your site content. Companion and text overlay ads are relevant and non-intrusive. To further blend the YouTube player into your site, you can also customize the color scheme and layout as well as choose from three different player sizes.

If you're looking to build "stickiness" with your visitors, show quality YouTube partner video on your site, and earn extra revenue along the way, and want to know more, then review our common questions about video units. You can also check out the video below to see how it works.

OK...as the The New Advertising weblog author, I'm off to sign up and let's see how it works on this site...hang on.

Hipster Olympics

A terrific Monty-Python style sendup of the hipster lifestyle. This video imagines a Hipster Olympic competition. Hipsters are becoming one of those "of course, let's target them and learn everything we can about them" in the wonderful world of advertising. Every three years or so the business latches on to a generation (X, Y, etc) or a lifestyle (hippies, yuppies, DINKS, etc.) The au courant favorite right now is hipsters. The products, according to the producers have been used for comic effect only. The video is too long but there are some hilarious moments: especially the MySpace picture competition.

You'll probably know more about hipsters from looking at this video than a bunch of boring research.
Enjoy.

Marketing Justin Timberlake & Kanye West

Take a look and listen to this great song "Stronger" and then consider the following:



There are four main objectives of marketing co-operations:

1 Building and/or strengthening [think Kanye's negative imagery from the VMAs] brand/image by implementing joint communication measures.

2. Accessing new markets/customers by directly addressing the co-operative partner’s customers or by using its distribution points. [Kanye gains new Justin listeners]

3. Increasing customer loyalty by addressing own customers with value added offerings from the partner. [Justin increases his own fans loyalty]

4. Reducing marketing costs by bundling marketing measures. [Kanye & Justin]

In some cases, co-operations are set up to address one of these objectives. In most cases, it is a combination of these.

Definition via Wikipedia