Marketing Pilgrim

Everyone expects to see commercial breaks when they sit down to watch TV, but commercial breaks on online videos. . . that’s another thing.

When sites like YouTube began offering up short-form entertainment, people weren’t willing to watch a commercial, before, during or after. So they slapped an Adsense banner ad across the bottom of the vid and called it the cost of doing business.

But online video has experienced explosive growth in the past year and video ads have grown right along with it. Look at these numbers from FreeWheel:

Just how popular is that video of your aunt’s faceplant in the snow? Who’s watching your rendition of White Christmas?

Those questions and much more will be answered when Google rolls out YouTube Analytics later today–replacing the more limited Insights.

Here’s what you’ll get, so long as you are using a “modern” browser:

• A Quick Overview: A new overview provides all of the information that you care about quickly, while also enabling you to easily access more detailed information.
• More Detailed Reports: Analytics now includes more detailed statistics so that you can have a more precise understanding of your content and audiences.
• Audience Builders: Discover which videos are driving the most views and subscriptions.
• Audience Retention: See how far viewers are watching through your video in the new audience retention report.

I have just one question. Why in the world is Google using an infographic to explain YouTube Analytics and not a video tutorial? That’s like Bill Gates giving a presentation about the new Windows 8 using a Mac!

Online video is an advertising train that is starting to roll downhill. What does that mean? It means that in relation to all other formats available to advertisers in the online space, video is growing at the most rapid pace. Of course, with growth numbers you have to be careful when drawing conclusions. Just because an area like search isn’t growing at the same rate as video it doesn’t, by any means, indicate a slow down or issue with search as a viable advertising option.

In fact, before we look at growth numbers for video as predicted by eMarkter, let’s take a look at total ad spend numbers. As you can see, in the online space search will continue to be the king in overall spend.

Sometimes there is so much going on that we figure maybe it’s a good idea to put a few ideas in one post. This is one of those times.

Last week, Google+ added a YouTube widget to the news stream making it even easier to share videos with your friends. Now, it looks like the reverse is about to happen, as YouTube prepares to add Google+ functionality to its site.

The Next Web broke the story thanks to a tip from someone who has seen the light. The biggest change is a navigation sidebar that will make it easier to find what you’re looking for. Like Google+, the sidebar will offer quick links to subscriptions, popular videos and other categories. You’ll also find videos recommended by people in your G+ circles.

There is plenty of talk of how the younger generation that has grown up in this hyper digital age. Those who are selling advertising talk about the sheer numbers. How many young people watch video online, how many hours of video they consume and on and on.

That’s fine but advertisers need to know if people respond to ads. A new study shows that the younger the video watcher the less likely they are to be interested in ads.

The study done by Burst Media and reported by eMarketer shows just how people respond to online video ads by age group.

It is important to note that the audience for younger viewers of online video is a much larger percentage of the total number of people in that age group. eMarketer reports

Last Friday Google announced that it will be expanding the channels of original content that will be coming to YouTube. They did this in the new Google understated fashion with a blog post on YouTube and the dribbling of information getting to the press. If you would like to sign up to be notified as to when these channels go online you can here.

The Guardian reports that there are in the neighborhood of 100 channels that are planned.

YouTube has unveiled its latest challenge to the TV industry with the launch of 100 online channels of original programming from partners including the Wall Street Journal, Madonna, Ashton Kutcher and online magazine Slate.

YouTube gets 800 million visitors a month. A lot of that is focused on music videos. As a classic rock fan I can now see video of bands from when I was growing up that I only dreamed of seeing when these acts were in their heyday. I now have to avoid getting caught up in a jaunt down nostalgia lane on YouTube from which I could lose significant junks of my life.

Well, the folks at YouTube ain’t stupid and they have now opened up the opportunity for partners to sell merchandise, concert tickets, digital downloads and more along with these videos that are like musical crack for someone like myself. Makes sense to strike when the iron’s hot, right?

Here’s a look at what you will see sooner than later.

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