Internet Video Advertisement

Almost immediately after the public inception of the Internet, there have been online advertisements. Unfortunately due to current technology and the limitations of web browser interface, it is difficult for advertisers to effectively market content to users online. Since the beginning of online advertisement, there has been a progressive movement in pursuit towards solving this problem. Although it's something that cannot be accomplished overnight, significant strides have been made for improvement.

The Bad

One topic of debate is the use of built-in banners via Internet videos. One of the first places to utilize this form of advertising on a large scale was Youtube. Video partners of the site are allowed to earn revenue from the video banner ads as a method of financially backing future videos. One thing that has received heavy criticism about this adverting style is that the advertisement covers up the bottom fourth of the video. Video banner adverting is a relatively innovative idea of grabbing users' attention, but it can become quite annoying after watching a few clips because of the extra effort needed to close the advertisement for the full view. The only way get rid of these advertisements is to click the "x" in the upper-right corner.

Even though it's not a complicated procedure, it seems like an unnecessary inconvenience. Personally, I could care less if there is advertising on a website, but when the advertisement interferes with the reason I visited the site, limits my functionality, and detracts from my overall experience it becomes a problem. The fact of the matter is that the average Internet user has become so accustomed to being bombarded with textual ads and flashy banners that we simply don't take notice them on our computer. As such, Advertisers must find more effective methods of grabbing our attention. I believe this new video technique is in the right direction to advanced advertisement, but not correctly implemented in the right manner for users. Other video hosting sites such as Megavideo, Dailymotion, and Veoh have recently adopted this new video banner advertising as well. Like Youtube, they have faced similar user backlash. In time, video advertising will evolve in much the same way other types of advertising have in the past to something that can be accepted by the mass population.

The Good

One may ask "Can any good come from online video advertising?" Well, as a matter of fact there has already been success with this advertising type. Specifically, I am talking about Internet video commercials. First appearing in mass a few years ago, these advertisements were greeted with some criticism and skepticism, but through this negative light shown a lot of good things that benefited everyone. The website Hulu.com has capitalized on the idea of putting commercials in popular TV shows and cartoons over the Internet including The Office, Simpsons, and Family Guy. In much the same way regular broadcast television displays 15-45 second commercials at various times during a show, Hulu does so for an individual viewer.

This type of advertising is not only beneficial to the advertiser but also the user. The advertiser can give targeted ads based on information of the previous sites the user visited by scanning the browser's cache. With any television commercial, there is uncertainty of number of views it will receive. With online video, advertisers know exactly how many people see their commercial because it's on a pay per view basis. They can more accurately determine the effectiveness of their advertisement on any product. This technological breakthrough not only provides advertisers with more precise and targeted ads, but the users greatly benefit too. Users can view their favorite TV shows and cartoons anytime, anywhere, and with limited advertisement for free. It's not like there are full commercial breaks either. The ads go by so quick, you hardly even notice them. This is a true success story of online advertising.

Verdict: It really depends on the situation. Ultimately, online advertisements that are effective at marketing while providing value-adding content to the end user are going to be best in the long run.