YouTube launches in-video ads

The recent introduction of in-video overlay ads on selected YouTube content has drawn both criticism and praise from advertisers and users.

by Helen Leggatt

youtube%20logo.jpg Google recently unveiled its latest advertising format for YouTube videos. The in-video transparent overlays, which take up around 20 percent of the bottom of the video image, are Google’s alternative to pre- and post-roll ads.

The ads appear 15 seconds in to the video and remain in place for 10 seconds. If, during that 10 second slot, the viewer clicks on the ad the video pauses and a full form advertisement is played. If the viewer does not click on the ad it is minimized and placed at the bottom of the screen where it can be replayed by the user on demand.

Many YouTube users aren’t happy with the intrusion of ads in video content. Others appreciate the need for Google to monetize the video content. Other websites have already tested various online video ad formats, including Brightcove. MediaPost quotes Brightcove’s CEO, Jeremy Allaire, as saying that they had been disappointed with the uptake of the in-video format by advertisers.

Advertisers have previously had concerns about where their ads will turn up, especially with the weird and whacky content that user-generated videos often contain. To this end, YouTube is being very selective about in-video ad placement. "We are not going to be placing a marketer's ad across YouTube at large," said Eileen Naughton, Google’s director of media platforms.