VOD Has Advertisers Interested

Online video may be the sexier advertising option, but it isn’t the only fish in the sea. In fact, online video faces stiff competition as cable’s video-on-demand (VOD) offerings begin to garner more interest from advertisers.

by Kristina Knight

Cablevision is one provider that has launched an ad-supported VOD platform to good success. They began about a year ago with one advertiser – Porsche. Now, the platform has more than a dozen blue-chip advertisers lobbying for space on the system.

How does the platform work? The Bertolli pasta company created viral videos showing restaurants going out of business because of people eating their pasta at home. Slim-Fast rolled out its own channel with exercise videos and nutritional information. Both plans have worked well for the companies as consumers are looking for more interaction with their favorite brands without crowding around a mobile or computer screen.

Barry Frey, senior VP-advanced platforms for Cablevision says these interactive advertising options are crucial for the advertisers. Frey said (via AdAge), “Focus-group research showed. . .that few households want to sit crowded around a PC screen to research a new car.”

To help advertisers create valuable campaigns, Cablevision polls audiences to find out which advertisements garner the most interest. "We tell advertisers which videos worked and which were turned off. Its census data and polling allows people to further engage on screen," said Frey.