I didn't hear Jeremy Allaire, Brightcove's Founder and CEO, speak yesterday at the Outfront Conference, but from the report today in Mediapost, it sounds like it was a terrific presentation. Allaire's vision for how advertisers and content owners should approach online video is exactly what we've be telling our clients for months.
Allaire: "Reach consumers where they are, not where you want them to be. It's a "fragment or be fragmented" world and traditional media players are catching on--whether it's Scripps, with its announced plans for 30 channels or MTV Digital, with plans for 300.
Open distribution and "self-service models" where content can be created and distributed with no cost of entry are leading to an explosion of new programming outlets and niche networks because anyone can create a TV network today--production companies, publishers, or consumers."
Allaire presented a "blended distribution strategy" that includes a branded website, syndication to third party sites, and viral distribution via widgets.
"Advertising must be bound to content in this world because consumers are more likely to be "snacking"--or clicking around and sampling multiple videos to see which they want to sit through--the existing standard 15-second pre-roll with banner is a complete turnoff, as it forces repeated viewing with a resulting negative effect."
Mediapost reports that during the conference Allaire advocated using "a three-second pre-roll "brought to you by" sponsorship followed by a 10-second midroll offering a call to action that when clicked, pauses the video, and takes over the screen--allowing for much more interactivity and true consumer engagement. Then some sponsorship unit would run at the end of the program."