Audience Engagement
3 mins read

Opinion: The 2018 Publisher Video Manifesto

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2017 has been the year of video, with the IAB reporting that online video has overtaken banners as the largest display format. Video is everywhere, and now Facebook has announced that it will monetise the “Watch” tab that is estimated to make $565million in revenue for the social platform in 2018.

We are seeing more brands adopting a “Video First” strategy, and publishers now need to follow suit and embrace video as the future of advertising revenue. Video has the opportunity to offer consumers a superior user experience by offering an advertising solution that sits seamlessly within quality content. 2018 should be the year that publishers embrace video, and there are a couple of ways to ensure that publishers are offering the best solution for both brand and consumer.

Embracing Automation

The technology is out there to allow publishers to create a commercially viable video strategy. To create the scale that is needed to monetise video effectively, automated video insertion is the best option. That way, publishers will be able to include relevant video content in most articles, therefore maximising the impact. In turn, this will benefit consumers who will be seeing consistent video content on the publisher’s site, that is contextually relevant.

Focus on relevancy

Relevancy seems to be a buzzword that is mentioned constantly when it comes to advertising. But, it means different things to different people. We believe that context is vital. If publishers include video content that is not relevant to the audience, it could potentially damage the relationship with the consumer and they could become disengaged from the advertising.

Quality is King

Publishers should be proud of the content that is displayed on their site. If they aren’t, then it shouldn’t be on there. Video content has the opportunity to have a huge impact on a consumer, but if the quality is poor then they are less likely to engage. As a premium publisher, the content needs to be high quality, otherwise the consumer will switch off. It sounds obvious, but the long term plan is to build a relationship between the consumer and the publisher so that there is a mutual trust. They need to believe that the publisher has thought about how they experience the site, and this includes the advertising.

Guarantee brand safety

This particular issue has been thrust into the spotlight on a number of occasions this year, and there is the perception that brand safety is something that can be rolled out as a single standard. Let’s face it, the big platforms have been scrutinised for their lack of control over the content they host, but contributor led content will always be difficult to monitor. With the big platforms brands are paying for the scale rather than the safety. Brand safety is a grey-scale, and what may be deemed safe for one company, might be out of the question for another. When brands work with premium publishers, they have certain expectations about the quality and safety of the placement. It’s important for publishers to work with partners that allow them to guarantee safety.

2018 and beyond

As we head into 2018, it’s evident that video is going to become more and more important for publishers. Facebook’s focus on video indicates there will be exponential growth in the market in the coming year. Publishers need to ensure they are set up to embrace this format, or risk missing out on an important revenue stream. The opportunity to create advertising content that is contextually relevant and engaging for the reader shouldn’t be missed.

James Pringle, CEO and Co-Founder Suggestv