Monday Video News: New Partnerships and Platforms
Today saw a couple of announcements in the local online video space:
Spotzer has announced a deal with Hearst-owned White Directory Publishers that brings its ready-made video ad platform to the publisher’s advertisers.
Similar to its recent deal with MerchantCircle, this partnership extends Spotzer’s touch points with the SMB market. It’s another sales channel strategy that represents one of the biggest objectives of video companies making a play in the local space. It also comes a week after the appointment of CMO Gordon Henry, which was purported to boost the company’s inroads to U.S. directory publishers.
For White, it’s in line with the publisher’s own growing video ambitions (at pace with the rest of the market). Spotzer’s low-cost-self service platform for advertisers will fit in well with White’s existing low-barrier product strategy, explained by COO Jeff Folckemer at our DDC show last year.
Meanwhile, Jivox has boosted the capabilities of its AdSlate do-it-yourself video ad platform. The new version 3.0 will include more advanced video editing capabilities, such as multiple text overlays, video resizing and time line controls.
Beyond video creation, distribution is an important part of the equation (as we keep saying, and as alluded to in the Spotzer news item above). Along those lines, AdSlate 3.0 will include easier controls over placing ads on Google Maps, Yellowpages.com, YouTube and advertisers’ own Web sites.
The company’s existing ad network comprises roughly 600 Web sites that attract locally relevant traffic, such as newspapers and radio stations.
I’m curious to see if the Spotzer ads, with their European sensibility, will play well in the US. The White partnership is a good way to test their video ads metal. If the Spotzer can show that their Euro-ads can sell in upstate NY and rural Texas, then they have a more convincing case.