What is in-text video advertising?

In-text video allows video footage to be delivered when a user rolls over a double underlined word within editorial. The video box that is launched can have additional functionality which will be explained later in this chapter.

In-text video advertising provides marketers with the opportunity to deliver highly targeted online video advertisements within the text of web content. The words are identified with double underlines, allowing the
user to access relevant video advertising when they mouse over double underlined words. These ads are user-initiated, meaning that users will only see an advert when they choose to move their mouse over a word or phrase of interest.

Benefits to advertisers

Advertisers can effectively present their brand every time their words or phrases generate interest, offering a level of user-initiation and contextual targeting that other online video advertising mediums cannot match.

Advertisers can align their video creative to the words relevant to their brand and products, building brand association. In-text video advertising combines the targeting and measurability of contextual advertising with the awareness and branding capabilities of video.

The video often comes from assets the advertiser already has available, provided these have rights for online use. It enables them to gain greater impact with their video by communicating this across the Internet as well as on TV or on their own website.

Users benefit by receiving convenient advertising on topics in which they’ve demonstrated an interest. They are in control of their advertising experience since they can choose to view the ad on their own terms.

How do users engage with in-text video advertising?

Users choose whether they want to move their mouse over the word and view the ad. Once the ad appears they can control the video with standard functions such as play, pause and sound. At any point they can click anywhere in the ad unit to be taken to the advertisers chosen destination site to find out more or click the “X” box to close. If the user moves their mouse off the ad, the advertisement will disappear automatically.

How in-text advertising has developed

In-text video advertising has experienced rapid growth since its creation. The first text only version was launched in 2000 and the first in-text video advert was developed in 2006. In the last 7 years in-text advertising has progressed from initial versions containing logos and static images to flash, MPU’s and, most recently, video. The latest version is an expandable widescreen video which increases the size of the video when users choose to ‘roll over to expand’ within the ad unit.

Case Study: Hewlett Packard

Hewlett-Packard was looking to find engaging ways to raise awareness for its ‘The Computer is Personal Again’ marketing campaign and at the same time utilise some of their TV commercials for this campaign in an innovative and engaging environment. They turned to their media agency ZenithOptimedia and Vibrant Media to recommend a unique method to reach their broad audience base across Europe.

In-text advertising enabled HP to link their expandable widescreen video advertisement to words like “computer”, “laptop” and their own brand terms like “Hewlett Packard” and “Pavilion” across sites that focused on business and technology. HP was able to achieve click through rates (CTR’s) as high as 10% within IT Pro and Technology publishers.