VIEQUES, PR — The media ecosystem has become fragmented, with viewers demanding to watch their favorite content on the most appropriate device for their current context.

That means advertisers, too, must catch up to deliver messages across multiple platforms, a panel debate convened by Beet.TV heard:

  • FreeWheel FourFronts VP Neil, Smith
  • AOL Head of Video Sales & Strategy, Noah Fenn
  • Tremor Video agency partnerships SVP, Jay Baum

“Fifty percent of inventory is now off desktops and laptops,” said FreeWheel’s Smith, whose company recently formed the Council for Premium Video. “If you want to be premium inventory, you have to look at it from a cross-screen standpoint now.”

The consumer viewpoint was an observation echoed by AOL’s Fenn: “They think, ‘I want my content when and where I want it’,” he said.”

So, how do marketers pull off that trick? Most want to, but getting there may be harder. “A lot of them aren’t ready yet to have different creatives across different devices,” observed Tremor’s Baum.

So, discovering the right size of ads to fit on to different device contexts, even for the same consumer, is critical.

AOL is due to publish a two-phase piece of Nielsen research aiming to help marketers, incorporating a matrix advising on the appropriate video ad length for different circumstances plus advising on best practice for creative ad optimization.

AOL’s Fenn pointed to recent Facebook efforts, encouraging advertisers to place logos and key messages earlier in what, ultimately, should be shorter video ads. He said there are three challenges to multi-screen ad buying:

  1. Educating advertisers: Fenn lamented how advertisers are obsessed by finding a viewability metric for sports viewed via Apple TV, saying conversations must be had to “educate” brands.
  2. Different platform capabilities: Fenn said enablement and measurement features vary widely across device types – something which needs to be alleviated.
  3. Data ownership: Control of marketer data, too, varies depending on platforms used. Sometimes, it is owned by platform operators, not brands themselves. Fenn says getting hold of that data is going to be crucial.

 

This video was produced at the Beet.TV executive retreat presented by Videology. You can find more videos from the session here.

This panel was moderated by MediaMath CMO Joanna O’Connell.

By Robert Andrews on @robertandrews