CANNES — Video publishers are increasing the frequency and length of pre-roll ads that have become the medium’s de facto monetisation method. But some in advertising believe brands are better off by ditching interruptive methods and instead making highly engaging ads.
During this nine-minute-long TechTalk session at Cannes Lions presented by Tremor Video, four execs talked about their vision.
Music video and TV commercial director Brad Hasse showed a short he created with Tremor that works seamlessly as both a linear pre-roll and an interactive plaything with multiple forking narratives.
“Ninety-nine percent of the time, companies will come to (Tremor) with a 15-second or 30-second-second pre-roll, hand it to them and say ‘Can you retrofit this and make it interactive?’,” Hasse said.
“The whole point is to get someone to engage longer. With a little bit of foresight, you can have it utilised in more mediums than just one.” Tremor’s senior creative director David Sanderson added: “You don’t have to be tied to the 15- or 30-second spot.”
Brooklyn creative studio m ss ng p eces CEO Ari Kuschnir said the current gap between pre-roll and interaction is too wide: “Right now, people have that choice, five seconds in, to skip the ad – that’s the interactive choice – to not watch it.” Instead, he favours “narrative choice”.
“(In the future), what was the pre-roll of 30 seconds and people are watching five and skipping maybe becomes, after five seconds,you have that first choice – and you see that affected the narrative … and then you find yourself spending two minutes on (the video).”
Advertising groups seem to agree. Starcom Mediavest Group’s experience design president Jonathan Hoffman told the event: “Being able to look for some kind of deeper connection is always where we start. Interactivity, for me, is always built in to experience.”
The session was moderated by Adweek editorial director James Cooper. It was programmed by MediaLink.
Disclaimer: Our coverage of the Tremor Video Tech Talk panel was sponsored by Tremor.
