Have You Checked Out Hulu.com?

If not then you're truly missing out. Go there now.

Hulu is the video initiative formed jointly by NBC Universal and News Corp. The site features videos from SNL, Family Guy, and other hilarious programs that you can go back and watch hundreds of times over. I recently found myself wasting a half hour or so just watching various SNL clips. It's like iTunes meets YouTube, however the content is easy to find, categorized, and you don't have to pay.

You also won't be bogged down with hundreds of commercials or ads. Before each video plays you will be forced to sit through a :15 pre-roll commercial but for content like this I don't mind waiting. You will also notice that they have adopted a similiar ad unit style that YouTube is using where they have a overlay ad play on the bottom of the video screen. Ragu was sponsoring a SNL video. Interesting product placement in my mind.

Go check out Hulu.com right now and watch some videos.

YouTube Gets Ad Makeover Courtesy Of Google

Google is looking for a return on their $1.65 Billion investment by placing advertisements on YouTube. There are over 130 Million registered users on YouTube and Google believes they have the model to generate revenue.

Investors stayed away last year when Google was hot on the trails of YouTube due to the fact that many believed the site couldn't be monetized. Videos are being shared and posted every day but there is no real revenue driver behind the site.

Click here to read the article from the LA Times.

Survey Proves That Consumers Watch Videos Online

Click here to view the article at the LATimes.com.

Marketers Still Trying To Understand The Web

As we sit here in 2007, many people still have yet to understand or learn how to use the internet. The most alarming thought though is that marketers, agencies, and blue chip advertisers are still scratching their heads as how to exactly advertise online.

The internet brings a number of different options that marketers have not had in the past. Online advertising can include banners, pre-roll video, embedded video, roll-over video, etc. etc. The point is, we're still trying to figure out new and innovative ways to use that content and the most engaging ways to reach people without turning them away.

It's well known that the most annoying ads out there are pop-ups and transition ads, but pre-roll video is beginning to bother people as well, and marketers have to find a way to keep you tuned in before your video starts. Pre-roll video is a great way to reach someone because of the 1 to 1 impression that you are most likely guaranteed to receive.

In the past, pre-roll video was typically a :30 commercial that would run right before your news clip on sites such as CNN.com, ESPN.com, or MSNBC.com. Even your favorite broadcast websites are now utilizing pre-roll video. But :30 commercials online have now become a thing of the past because research is telling us that you won't tune in past the first :10. New standards are now being utilized online and many advertisers are now using :10 and :8 spots.

Amazingly enough though, we still have troubles tuning in for :08. We click the start button and then open a new page, listen for our ad to finish then go back to the page to watch the video we originally wanted. This goes to show you the habits of media users and why the media landscape is always changing.

These days though marketers are coming up with new and innovative ways to reach us online. It includes games, contests, and other unique applications that draw our attention and force us to log more minutes with their brand.

Click here to read the article from the Los Angeles Times regarding new ways marketers are trying to reach us.

Marketers Continue To Turn To Television While Online Advertising Increases

Click here to read the article from MediaPost.

Web Spending Rises To $16.9 Billion in 2006

The Interactive Advertising Bureau reported today that internet advertising spending rose 35% in 2006 to $16.9 billion. Click here to read the article.

The biggest surprise out of this article is that online advertisements only made up 5.9% of last years total ad spending. This reinforces that perception is reality. If you sampled a group of people then you would probably find that many believe that online ad spending makes up closer to 15-20%. Although many believe that online ad spending is growing at a rapid rate, 35% last year to be exact, it still has a lot of ground to gain on television.

Google Tests In-Stream Video Ads

Click here to read the article at AdWeek.com.

Anheuser-Busch Canning BUD-TV?

Check out the full article here at Adage.com

Microsoft Acquires Advertising Company aQuantive for $6 Billion

The Seattle Times today are reporting that Microsoft has acquired online advertising company aQuantive for $6 billion. Click here to read the article.

The Most Brilliant Banner Ads Ever

Earlier this week while I was researching the new fall lineup on NBC's web site, I noticed some banner advertising on their home page. By now you may or may not know how I feel about banner advertising. I'm much higher on pre-roll video, etc. etc. Anyways, Apple happened to have some banner ads featuring their Mac and PC guys. It said "roll over to play video" and since I happen to like these ads, I decided to do so.

These aren't your typical banner ads so I feel a little stronger about these but I was highly impressed with the way they decided to use them. When the video began playing, the Mac introduced himself as did the PC. They were leaderboard banners so they were at the top of the page. All you could see was the two men from the shoulders up, however the PC was resting his arms on the bottom of the banner as to say he was creating space; like he was actually inside the banner.

They began to converse and then the PC, in typical fashion decided to end the conversation and walk out. But he couldn't get out, he was trapped inside the banner ad wall. He kept trying to ram his way out but he was not going anywhere.

I found these ads to be brilliant because for one, they got me to click, and for two, they created something outside the box. Instead of a boring flash or animated banner ad, they created an ad that actually did something. They created an ad specifically with these two characters and placed them inside the space creatively.

Hopefully you can get a chance to see these banners. Continually check NBC.com to see what you can find. If you find them somewhere else then send me an email or post a comment.

Networks Broadcasting Your Favorite Shows Online

Networks are finally capitalizing on the programming that makes their channel famous. Click here to read the article at Adage.com.

For years the networks have struggled to increase web traffic to their sites. What would propel you to go to NBC.com, or ABC.com? Maybe to read the bio about your favorite soap star? Possibly to check out the new fall schedule? Whatever the reason is today, the networks have given us little reason in the past. However the media landscape that is always changing is now giving the networks good reason to visit their site.

In my opinion, this is going to be one of the many components to online advertising that will stand the length of time. While my feeling on banner ads is not as hot as pre-roll video and viral marketing sites, network content is the key to advertisers reaching their target market. With the growth of DVRs, it makes perfect sense for content to shift online. iTunes has already exhibited this model without the advertisers, but with advertisers the cost is paid for and the user gets the chance to enjoy content they might have missed on television.

While the viewers are shifting online though the chance is that over time more eyes will shift away from television. If I know I can catch my favorite program a few days later online, then why would I continue to pay the high cost of a TiVo subscription? Agencies though are going to have to have low expecations while this shift happens. And while I don't see it happening for another 5-7 years, it still is another change in the media landscape that is potential.

Consumers Marketing To Themselves

Click here to read the article at the Los Angeles Times.

I couldn't agree more with the online marketing emphasis of this article. The user generated content gives consumers an opportunity to feel like they are a part of their favorite brand. The microsites that these brands have created are much stronger than any banner advertising campaign you will see on a news site.

Check out some of these sites here at Cadillac, Geico, and Burger King.

How much time do you spend on these sites?