Local Video Ad Deals Aplenty
Today sees a couple of more announcements in the local video space, both involving companies with a big presence here at The Kelsey Group’s DMS conference.
First off, local search platform provider Innovectra has partnered with Digital Media Communications to bring video capability to its ActivImpact platform used by IYP publishers.
European video production company Spotzer also teamed up with MerchantCircle to bring video to its business profile pages. The deal extends video production to MerchantCircle advertisers while also expanding Spotzer’s reach into the SMB marketplace (and its further growth to the U.S. market).
Meanwhile, Mixpo has formed a partnership with Where2GetIt, which will similarly bring the video vendor’s technology to Where2GetIt’s advertisers. This deal varies from Spotzer’s in many little ways, including the fact that Where2GetIt has lots of national brand advertisers that extend Mixpo’s reach into that space.
We’ll have more on both deals as the day goes on, but generally speaking, they each extend reach for these video companies, which we’re seeing more and more throughout the space. This will be necessary for survival in terms of scaling to required business levels to stay alive.
Meanwhile, there is a noticeable increase in local video companies showing up for Kelsey conferences. The clear Yellow Pages-centric angle of this particular show has proved attractive for these providers to gain exposure with sizable local sales channels. Based on my own rough count, about 20 percent of the exhibitors in the expo hall were providing local video advertising in some way.
Our upcoming Interactive Local Media conference in September will have more local video on the agenda with a “superforum” devoted to it. More on that as we develop the topics and speaker list. In the meantime, if you’re here in Atlanta, come check out the local video session on Wednesday:
10:45 am – 11:30 am
The Online Video Opportunity
Video is fast advancing as a key element of the local online advertising mix, and Internet Yellow Pages providers are jumping in with their own products. This session will explore the emergence of online video on IYPs and examine its potential growth trajectory.
Bottom-Line Questions: What are the most effective approaches for selling online video to SMBs? How do publishers deliver a quality video product at high margin and low price point? Should video be a high-premium, low-penetration product or vice versa?
Panelists:
Chuck Lee, Executive Director, Internet Marketing, AT&T Advertising & Publishing
Olivier Vincent, President and CEO, Canpages
John McIntyre, CEO, PixelFish
Murray Roblin, VP, Strategic Alliances, SpotMixer
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I think this blog post hit a home run regarding IYP and video. There have been a lot of reports of physical Yellow Page and White Page directories becoming obsolete specifically because small businesses find it more cost-efficient to use online-based business directories. With this being the case for the past several years, it shouldn’t be surprising that tons of Internet yellowpages have begun to pop up all over the Internet. I think what will distinguish one IYP over another is the use of videos and how well it ties-in with the website.
Some business directories and search engines that I find have great content are YouTube, Yelp and Jippidy.com. The sites that will survive the longest are going to be the ones that offer the most free services… and I think that’s why I’m beginning to like Jippidy more and more.