Predictions for 2019: What's Coming to Online Video Advertising?
What will the online video advertising market look like in 2019? Where will the viewers go and what ads will break the mold? We asked 13 industry experts for their best predictions and here's what they said.
(Turn back time and see how our experts did in their 2018 predictions.)
Removing the Risk
"The mixture of content and communications has failed us. We have proven incapable as individuals of determining what is true or newsworthy, and as a result, I expect a further move towards models like Snapchat's where interpersonal communications are isolated, and content is curated by means other than the highly flawed engagement metrics that have been used to date. This will be a great development for marketers, as it will significantly limit risk for their placements, and will ultimately help the long-term health of the platforms." —Alex Collmer, CEO, VidMob
Growing Video Apps"In 2019, connected TV will continue to win the hearts and minds of the media-buying community, which will, in turn, prompt media companies and publishers to spend more time and money building ad-supported apps for the various end-points. While the walled gardens of YouTube and Amazon grow their presence in the living room, the billion dollar question is whether Facebook will bring their identify graph to this huge and lucrative area?" —Ari Paparo, CEO,
BeeswaxOTT for the Win
"As we enter 2019, consumers' preferences will continue to impact how we approach online video advertising. While desktop and smartphones dominated in years past, the growth area will shift to connecting with consumers via OTT platforms." —Lindsay Stewart, CEO and Founder, Stringr
Ads Must Prove Value
"In 2019, we'll see demand for video advertising with demonstrable ROI. Video has long been held to metrics focused around video exposure and view duration (i.e. video completion rate), but marketers are now looking to understand video's impact on sales, leads and performance—metrics that were once only available for banner ads or search. At the same time, brands understand that consumers desire relevant video messaging to interact with a brand on their own terms. Brand marketers will seek out opt-in, data-driven and interactive ad formats that don't alienate their potential customers and thus, drive messaging more effectively." —Jim Johnson, VP of Account Planning, Exponential
The Winning Ad Formats
"Two distinct forms of advertising will take center stage in 2019: sequential and contextual. It has been said in the past, but is worth reiterating, that consumers don't mind advertisements. However, they need to be relevant and done well. With so many pieces of content fighting for consumers' attention, if you're not grabbing it right off the bat then it's gone. Consumers want relevant and well-done ads, and therein lies the power of sequential and contextual advertisements." —Nola Solomon, VP of Global Programmatic and Strategic Partnerships, Dailymotion
A Push for Social
"2018 was an extremely volatile year for marketing globally. As more and more brands abandoned the big agency model and looked to build their own relationships with vendors, social has become a major focus. If we look at the marketing dollars being spent on traditional media and the number of people still left consuming it, it doesn't stack up. My unbiased prediction is that brands will start flowing a majority of their spend to social and content marketing including influencer. Brands need to step into the now faster and capitalize where people are consuming content." —Joe Gagliese, founder, Viral Nation
5G and the Experiential Viewing Explosion
"Verizon's shift toward 5G and away from the Oath advertising model is about more than just wireless—it's about powering the experiential viewing explosion. 5G delivers gigabit-level speed and quality improvements to video that supports new, more interactive formats. So whether it's a choose-your-own-adventure that lets viewers follow specific storylines, or millions of people binging collectively in a Twitch-style marathon, 5G is what will make that content flow smoothly across all devices." —Jay Prasad, CSO, VideoAmp
Experimentation in OTT
"With subscription video on-demand OTT services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime altering viewer expectations around ads, there has ben a distinct avoidance of integrating advertising into this type of programing altogether. However, in 2019, I predict this landscape will change significantly with the addition of Disney with Disney+, AT&T and Time Warner, and other industry partnerships. I expect many of these OTT services will begin experimenting with different methods of digital advertising, whether that's pre-roll, mid-roll, pause ads, product placement, and sponsorships to name a few. The beauty of this experimentation is that it can take place easily due to the personalized nature of OTT. Whether it's testing for different demographics, types of content, times of day, all of this is measurable so providers can understand what advertising strategies work best." —Bryan Hill, Director of Marketing and Business Development, Digital Media, Interxion
Exponential Growth in OTT
"2019 will see exponential growth in OTT advertising. Many established legacy content producers have been slow in rolling out their own offerings. 2019 is setting up to be a banner year for more inventory lead by traditional TV content producers who are going to challenge the Internet-first content producers. The content war to own the ecosystem of the future is going to lift all boats—publishers, advertisers and the tech platforms that help monetize this content." —Aman Sareen, CEO, ZypMedia
Ads Stream onto Netflix
"Confronted with slowing subscriber growth, it won't be surprising if Netflix starts incorporating advertising into its revenue strategy in 2019. They started testing promotional videos between shows back in August. Faced with intense competition from Amazon Prime Video, which is expected to offer a free, ad-supported tier soon, Netflix needs to ensure the billions of dollars worth of original content will be watched. Streaming companies like Hulu have found success with a dual subscription and ad-supported model, and we'll see more services using that strategy next year." —Mark Zagorski, CEO, Telaria
Short Ads Lead the Way
"In 2019, the industry will see significant growth in 6-second video ads. After 12 months of constant news and information, less will be more for advertisers. The adoption of these shorter ad formats will ultimately be more appropriate for media companies hosting short-form video content." —Brian Rifkin, Co-Founder and Head of Strategic Partnerships, JW Player
Embracing New Formats
"This year we've seen brand marketers invest more in live streamed video opportunities, shoppable content, 360 video, and other new video technologies. 2019 will be the year marketers truly embrace these new formats and video innovations, especially with the widespread rollout of 5G expected to increase connection speeds while cutting latency." —Marinn Jackson, head of premium sales strategy, Oath
Ads that Enhance the Experience
"OTT advertisements will need to stop interrupting and start adding to the viewer experience in 2019. In 2019, content providers will need to work with advertisers to make sure ads enhance (not detract from) the overall viewing experience. We can expect to see technologies like AR become viable options for advertisements, allowing interactive, branded experiences that won't leave consumers searching for the Skip Ad button." —Steve Miller-Jones, VP of Product Strategy, Limelight Networks
Troy Dreier's article first appeared on OnlineVideo.net
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