WEBVideo, of Edmonton, is evolving brand advertising on the Web. After eight months of tests, it went live in July with nine online TV-on-Demand channels covering such topics as health, travel and politics. A program set to air this week will invite visitors to the political channel to rate politicians and write reviews about them.
Surfers find the site thewebvideo.com through search engines when looking for information on a topic such as back pain. WEBVideo, which counts six Alberta provincial government departments, Nashville record labels and the Alberta Association of Chiropractors among its clients, might show a video on back pain, how chiropractors work and tips on how to find a good chiropractor, then the viewer can click on a link to the AAC’s site. Or, if the client wishes, the viewer can be automatically sent to its site when the video is finished.
The service is a step forward for brand advertising on the Net, says producer Julien Lambert. Advertisers can reach consumers who have demonstrated interest in a given product or service, thereby putting the focus not on the product but on the consumer who has sought out the information videos about brands, products and companies. WEBVideo integrates branding video-on-demand with the creation, promotion, delivery and reporting on of rich media video campaigns. There is no fee, no downloads necessary and no pop-ups. Reporting metrics include video plays, date, time, IP address and intercept survey data. About 50,000 to 100,000 video pages are viewed each month, with 50% of the audience being 16- to 34-year-old influencers.
