Increased Ad Load on Horizon for Online Video?

Last week Daisy Whitney reported that '"TV Everywhere" Data Finds Consumers Watch Full Online Video Ad Load'. I appreciated her report and found it helpful albeit unsettling. I certainly am hoping that we will not be faced with double the amount of commercials just because networks think they can. I don't think this is the best route. Not for viewers, not for brands, and not for networks.



In her opening paragraph (for the discussion of this point) Daisy writes,

"Consumers will tolerate more ads and stay tuned into online TV when networks up the ad load, according to data I came across during my reporting on Comcast's TV Everywhere initiative."

After reading the post and thinking about it, I found this sentence to be a pertinent one. My interest was caught up by one word in the sentence, "tolerate" and its contrast to another word not in the sentence, "excitement." One seems to connote more of a negative or a neutral experience, the other indicates a positive one. One word could easily go along with the word "apathy", the other is side by side with "engagement."

I think this is key.

• Brand engagement versus brand apathy.
  
  
• Excitement versus toleration.

Daisy mentioned (in her New Media Minute video above) a doubling of ads at The CW. Again, I found this to be interesting as I had noticed the crazy amount of ads at The CW while watching the latest Smallville episode a few days ago. Not only were there a ton of ads, a lot of the ads seemed to all be for shows on The CW (a double negative that might end up canceling out CW for me down the road).

I did finish the episode but I now have less interest to come back (both to The CW and to Smallville). If there are other alternatives (and there are) for other interesting shows through Hulu and Netflix, I will be watching those first and foremost. The CW in my opinion is taking a wrong route, a route leading away from brand engagement. As a result I have become more apathetic to their brand.

On a positive note, not all companies are taking the same path. For instance, consider Hulu whose minimal and targeted ad structure allows them to charge a premium as is the case for The Simpsons. I appreciate the minimal and creative ad experience that I have encountered at Hulu.

• Minimal amount of commercials... Check.
  
  
• Option to occasionally take a quiz to skip commercials... Cool.
  
  
• Option to occasionally watch a longer commercial to skip other commercials... Cool.
  
  
• Sometimes an ad at the beginning that washes away the other commercials.. Very cool.
  

Some of the best ad experiences I have had have been at Hulu. Ad minimalism and ad creativity drives positive impressions for the brands that advertise using those methods and increases the effectiveness and thus the value of those ads.

In this case more isn't better, less is more. In the case above of Hulu versus The CW it was the difference for me between a positive brand and network experience versus a negative one. Sure I may still watch show X if it is good enough, but I will be less interested in the content, the brands, and the networks who overload me with ads that interrupt. This drives the effectiveness and thus the value of those ads down (I think significantly).

The data Daisy used was partly based off this Comscore report. One of the main points from the report was that "Missed episodes and convenience - not ad avoidance - were the main reasons for watching TV online among Cross Platform viewers (those who watch online and on TV)."

But this point seems obvious and it doesn't answer the question of whether online watchers are ad avoiders. If ad avoidance were the ultimate goal, then watching traditional TV with a DVR is a better choice than watching online through Hulu, ABC, CBS, etc. Yes there are less ads, but you can't skip them (Daisy mentioned this at the end of her video). Netflix is one place where you can legally go to watch TV and movies online without ads, but Netflix didn't seem to be considered in the report.

What are the three main reasons I watch online?

• Convenience, price, and selection. I.e. it is cheaper, I don't pay for a bunch of channels and programs I am not going to watch, and I can watch what I want, when I want.

Is ad avoidance the primary reason I watch online?

• No. I could avoid commercials as easily (or perhaps even more effectively) with a DVR device. I actually choose to watch ads (to a limited extent) by watching online. To me the convenience, price, selection of watching online, and minimal ad inclusion are worth the trade-off to forgo skipping ads with a DVR.

If I wasn't watching online would I watch ads?

• No. I would definitely be skipping them all through a DVR. As a sidenote, it is ironic that I watch more ads than my father who watches TV traditionally (a lot more than I watch content online) but with a DVR.
  

Do the amount of ads included with an episode online affect what and where I will watch (while I watch online)?

• Definitely. Not only that, it also has the potential to affect my connection and engagement with brands, networks, and other companies. Either positively (as in the case of Hulu) or negatively (as in the case of The CW).
  

Tolerate or excite.

Apathy or engagement.

Hoping we take the latter paths.

I think this would be a win for networks, brands, and viewers.

"Flash Forward" with Nanocrowd Technology! (Blackout not included)

ABC's TV series FlashForward commences pretty quickly with a global blackout. The entire world loses consciousness while at the same time experiencing individual visions of the future for a period of two minutes and seventeen seconds.

A quick step forward and then back with new knowledge.
A glimpse of potential with implications for the future.

But what is real and what isn't and what is just a matter of perspective? Can the future be changed in the past which is now the present? What will you see? What will you do? And who will you share it with?

Now you too can harness the power and experience of the crowd mosaic to gain perspective for you. No loss of consciousness or blackout necessary.

• Alter your future.
• Maximize your present and future entertainment experiences.
• Avoid potential negative entertaiment outcomes.

The current focus is: Movies.
The current question is: "Will I Like This Movie?"


Find out the answer in half the time it takes for 137 seconds to expire.

Thousands of movies to choose from.

Wherever and whenever you are, you can now safely step into the future to make the present a more entertaining and social place. Share and experience the future with your friends today!

Flash forward on Facebook:
http://apps.facebook.com/nanocrowd/

Flash forward on your Iphone or browser enabled smart phone:
http://www.nanocrowd.com/mobile/

Flash forward from the web:
http://www.nanocrowd.com/quiz/

These experiences are powered by Nanocrowd technology. Nanocrowd taps into the mosaic of the crowd to map millions of individual reactions on a global scale. This enables and helps you to flash forward with purpose.

Oh, and check out the TV series "FlashForward". It is coming back this month! (March 18th, 2010) While this blog post was inspired by the TV series FlashForward, the linked resources and information about those linked resources are not associated with ABC or with the TV series.

ValemontU - The World, The Story, The Experience

Valemont is the university to enroll in. ValemontU is about you.

So what are you waiting for? :)

1. Enroll and explore Valemont University (ValemontU & ValemontU's Facebook ).

2. Get to know the students by:

a. Following & interacting with them on Twitter (Some of the more popular: @so_fields, @PoppyBarker, @PntheraHseLeo, @gabri3lr, @queen_beatrice).

b. Engage them at the student 'fan' forum (Valemont Commons).

c. Read student blogs (i.e. Poppy Barker).

d. Listen to student playlists (Music & Tones @ Verizon).

3. Find out more about @valemontsux.

4. Learn more about the mysterious "Watchers" (@jeanduprat, @SpecolaV, & @GigalRefaim).

5. Read up on some of the speculation @ the secretive "Valemont University Study Group" on Facebook.

6. Start investigating the mystery (Detective Loomis).

Valemont is getting noticed. Even MTV is on campus & they are taking 'reality' shows to a whole new level by following the life & experience of one of the 'students'. Check out MTV's coverage at Valemont University below (pretty cool!):

Episode 1 - Family Reunion

MTV Shows

Episode 2 - Back to School

MTV Shows

From the brains that brought you 153 different ways to spell "Jennifer"

The Sci-Fi Channel, a General Electric's NBC Universal property, corporate identity update is a forward thinking demonstration of marketing brilliance. Division president Dave Howe sums up the Corporate Think behind the brand change as the mission to make the science fiction channel "Less Geeky". Well phrased Mr. Howe.

Per Tim Brooks, one of the folks that helped to launch the network, “The name Sci Fi has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that, as opposed to the general public and the female audience in particular.”

So, to touch back on the marketing brilliance of the branding change, "Let's rename the network to something that sounds exactly the same and is spelled completely different. That will expand our viewing demographic!"

This same reasoning has brought the world at least 153 different spellings of JENNIFER: Genefer. Geneifer. Genepher. Genifa. Genifer. Geniffer. Geniphar. Genipher. Gennafer. Gennifer. Ginifer. Ginnafur. Ginnifer. G'nepher. G'nifer. Gynaphur. Jenafar. Jenafer. Jenaffar. Jenaffer. Jenaffr. Jenafor. Jenafr. Jenaphar. Jenapher. Jenefer. Jeneffar. Jeneffer. Jeneffr. Jenefr. Jenepher. Jenerfer. Jenfar. Jenfer. Jenffer. Jenifar. Jenifer. Jeniffar. Jeniffer. Jeniffr. Jenifir. Jenifr. Jenifre. Jenifur. Jeniphar. Jenipher. Jeniphyr. Jenirfer. Jeniver. Jenivr. Jennaffar. Jennaffer. Jennaffr. Jennafr. Jennafyer. Jennafyr. Jennaphar. Jennapher. Jennaver. Jennavyr. Jenneffar. Jenneffer. Jenneffr. Jennefier. Jennefr. Jennerfer. Jennerpher. Jennfier. Jenniefer. Jennifar. Jennifarre. Jennifer. Jenniffar. Jenniffer. Jenniffier. Jenniffr. Jennifier. Jennifir. Jennifr. Jennifur. Jennifyr. Jenniphar. Jennipher. Jenniphere. Jenniphyr. Jennirfer. Jenniver. Jennivyr. Jennyfar. Jennyfer. Jennyffar. Jennyffer. Jennyfur. Jennyphar. Jennypher. Jennyphr. Jennyphyr. Jennyver. Jennyvyr . Jenupher. Jenyfar. Jenyfer. Jenyffar. Jenyffer. Jenyfier. Jenyphar. Jenypher. Jenyphr. Jenyphyr. Jenyvyr . Jinafer. Jinaver. Jinefer. Jinifur. Jinnafer. Jinnapher. Jinnaphur. Jinnaver. Jinnefer. Jinnifur. Jinnupher. Jinnyffer. Jinnyfr. Jinnyfur. Jinnypher. Jinnyvr. Jinupher. Jinyffer. Jinyfr. Jinyfur. Jinypher. Jinyvr . Jynafar. Jynaffar. Jynaffer. Jynafur. Jynapher. Jynaphur. Jynaver. Jynefer. Jynifer. Jyniffer. Jyniffr. Jynnafer. Jynnaffar. Jynnaffer. Jynnaphar. Jynnapher. Jynnaphur. Jynnaver. Jynnaver. Jynniffer. and Jynniffr.

If it sounds like SciFi, and is pronounced like SciFi, well, let's spell it differently so geeks and little anti-social boys in their video game ridden basements won't be our only viewers..

No, really.

PS. God, please give me a billion dollars so I can start a network.

Felicia Day's perspective on web series

A great post by Felicia about web series...I'm not going to piecemeal it so click over to http://feliciaday.com/blog/web-series-4-things-to-ask-yourself-before-starting

Web series: 4 things to ask yourself before starting

1. How is My Project Unique to the Web?
2. How is My Web Series Unique to ME?
3. Who is My Audience and How Will I Reach Them?
4. Do I Know What I’m Getting Into?

The only item I would tack on to that list would be "5. Monetizing My Project"; which seems to be the trick that no production team has really caught on to yet.

While we've seen some fantastic work has anyone really gotten a 'blockbuster' web series thus far? I'm not speaking to content or visuals, I'm talking about the producers themselves. I haven't read any trade rag yet where someone is tooting off about "WE JUST MADE A KILLING ON THE WEB!"

And honestly, that's what I'm looking for, because if you can do that then you probably make something I want to invest myself in...

That new blog smell...

I stumbled on some fresh produce: Brent Friedman, co-founder of Electric Farm Entertainment, has a new blog at the EFE website.

Having been a fan of EFE projects [Afterworld, Gemini Division] and having interviewed Mr. Friedman a few times in the past I am always impressed by his vision. In this new blog Brent spells out the building blocks of "New Media"

As I posted in my comments there;

the salient points of “Old Media” copycat success and the “New Media” symbiotic relationship between content and consumer are the meat of the paradigm that is “Internet Broadcasting”.

What I am going to be excited to learn about in future blogs is the transparency between portals and viewer immersion; being able to watch/play/immerse myself in a project through multiple portals seamlessly. Not just Enhanced Experience or ARG ancillary content, but truly seamless pathing between distribution platforms to allow viewers active [or passive] participation in a project.

At the bottom of the post was a must have for those new to serialized web projects: If you haven't watched all of those GO NOW!

Nanocrowd Movie Search: A New Recommendation Approach

I am excited to announce the launch of a project that I have been working on for some time at Nanocrowd (I am part of the founding team). We have been working hard in preparation of the launch. Well, that time has come!!!

Nanocrowd's Movie Search Engine is now up!

You now have a new tool at your disposal to help you find movies you will like. If you tell us a movie, we will return recommendations based on the one that you picked. The process may be familiar but the results are exceptional.

After you give us a movie, we return 40 movies most like it, 40 movies least like it, and small themed groupings of movies that contain movies like the one picked. These small themed groupings are called nanogenres.

Our approach is very exciting and efficient. We don't utilize editors and we don't require movie ratings. Instead, we have developed algorithms to analyze web commentary about movies. These algorithms figure out what movies are about, how those movies are related to one another, and what people think about them.

We feed in: User commentary.
We receive back: Movie summations and relationships.

Then, when you give us a movie, we are able to return recommendations and relationships for the movie you picked.

We also are planning to add some very cool features to our website. One of the features I am looking forward to is Netflix integration. This will allow you to add movies and manage your Netflix queue all without leaving our site. Other exciting features are planned as well. If you want us to send you updates as we add new features, remember to sign up over at our site.

A couple of helpful tips (for when you are at our site):

Don't know what a recommended movie is about? Hover over the link and a description will be retrieved from Amazon.

Want more information than what is obtained in the hover? Click the Tell Me More link in the hover and we will show you information from IMDb and Amazon with links to other sites like Netflix as well. The Tell Me More page also includes links to trailers for that movie, user comments, and more.

We aren't the only new approach when it comes to movies, (Jinni and Clerkdogs are two other new movie recommendation approaches), but I do think we are the best one. My Netflix queue has a ton more movies in it than it did before!

About Nanocrowd (from our blog)

"At Nanocrowd we are developing new technology for searching popular multimedia content. Our approach will make it much easier for users to find content that is of interest to them. Our first demonstration of this technology is theatrical-release movies, but the methods we are developing will apply to books, online videos, games, music, or even to art and architecture."