Whether you think it's a good idea or not, video is coming to your pockets sized devices.
Will it catch on? The first generation of these players might be a bit comples and troublesome for consumers "on the go." But it certainly appears that portable video is in our future.
iMedia is releasing a report this week that gives an in-depth report on the state of broadband access and its implications for online marketing.
The article announcing the report has a couple of interesting facts. The two that really stood out for me were online video is just as effective as TV for branding, and rich media will soon oustrip search as far as dollars invested.
Those of us who were early evangelists of rich media have been waiting a long time for broadband penetration to reach the point where online media can be as engaging and "rich" as the TV experience. Now we need to encourage the development of media created expressly for the internet. It's time.
We created a Flash audio player for a client (InfoPro Direct) that allows him to play a slide show while the audio is running. Take a look at it!
I haven't seen anything like it before. If you have, please e-mail me at: Ronni@wbcimaging.com.
Is rich media becoming commoditized? ClickZ today says no, but after reading the article, it makes you wonder.
If all the big rich media vendors are offering similar products - and they are similar; make no mistake about that - then choosing a format IS based on price and service, not innovation.
Is that so bad? All the formats work reasonably well and do the job of delivering the advertiser's message. We can't blame the messenger if the message being delivered doesn't live up to what we'd like to see for creative on the Web.
Rich Media Insider today talks about the "re-invention" of product placement and how it's going to happen online.
I agree. Product placement on TV has its place, but it's passive. There's no way to get those "impulse" purchases when people are on the couch and playing with the remote.
On the Web, "hotspotting," as seen in this commercial put online by United Virtualities, shows how effectively product placement can work in the "instant gratification" environment of the Web. (Click on the "Friends" Banner at the top of the page.)
As I've said before, the technology for marketers to accomplish their goals is here. Now the creative needs to support it - not the other way around.
Another success story for rich media.
Even though you'd think it's natural to add rich media to travel sites, I guess it took some "proof" for Starwood. But they're now believers.
They're partnering with VFM Interactive to add rich media tours, ads, banners etc. to their hotel sites after they got the results from a pilot video project. (This according to a press release today.)
I'm delighted to see people finally accepting the obvious.