Clickz has a story on the IAB’s recent guidelines for broadband video commercials to be broadcast on internet sites. I recently talked to an ad sales rep who informed me that technology and gaming vendors are starting to consider this type of ad format. Can’t wait to see the reaction of the slashdot posting crowd when they have to view a commercial before reading or posting. Although I suspect some will have already figured out a way to disable these ads. You can view the complete guidelines here.
From Clickz — They suggest an ad length of “up to 30 seconds” for commercials appearing before or during content. Post-roll ads may be any length. Interactivity, such as clicking within ads, is a matter of publisher discretion, and fast-forwarding should be disabled during ad play.
I use my Tivo to fast forward through commercials. According to surveys performed by Jupiter Research I’m not the only person with this behavior — nearly 40% of DVR users skip commercials “most of the time” while 12% say they “don’t watch any commercials anymore.”
As hated as pop-ups became, “broadband video commercials” will likely become even more obnoxious, especially given that fast forward will likely be disabled. I wonder which browser, toolbar or plugin will be first to block this kind of ad. Of course, if they become merely a video within an existing banner location, can be easily scrolled off the screen, then perhaps they might be accepted. Why, however, would agencies and vendors go to the expense of creating and placing the video ad only to have it ignored?
Comments
So what you’re saying is that internet users want to view content with no commercials or advertisements whatsoever- all the while paying nothing to view content that costs some webmasters thousands of dollars a month in bandwidth fees. Sounds like internet users need to stop whining so much and appreciate that they can completely ignore a thirty second clip (Turn your sound down. Ignore it) and still get to enjoy free content.
I think most internet users are webmasters also and can appreciate what it takes to run a website that offers interesting new content for users. Most of us understand how much hosting can be if you run a site that runs videos or has a large fanbase. I’m not complaining about commercials anymore. They’re a small price to pay to read shit for free, right?
I would also like to point out that it’s a myth that all internet users aren’t willing to watch these ads. Not everyone “ignores” those advertisements. Most do- advertising in all walks of life is annoying- but despite all the moaning about popups all these years, they’re still the highest pay advertisement out there for a reason. Some people buy things after clicking on them.
I do agree that advertising is annoying. But when you look at the number of lazy web surfers out there who are unwilling to donate money to keep those ads off a site- what do you do?
I’ve seen sites that try to do that. Donate here. Keep ads off this site. My bandwidth is running me a couple thousand a month, so hey, if you love this site, donate a dollar. Since no one is willing to do that, why in the heck are you complaining about a 30 second video clip that enables a webmaster to keep a site going? How else do you suggest webmasters pay for content that benefits thousands of people??