WHAT IS A VIDEO AD?!

I’ve needed some content to demonstrate the difference between in-banner, in-stream and out-stream video placements. So, I thought, why not just write something here that can serve as a informative guide for us and also act as a content for this page.

Since I don’t know whether everyone is familiar with the terminologies related to video formats, I’ve decided to explain everything from scratch. If it’s not useful, just skip ahead and focus on example video ads on this page 👀

We can summarize the type of video ad formats in 3 categories:

In-Stream Video
Out-Stream Video
In-Banner Video

As in every single digital media terminology, these may also be used / referred wrongly here and there. I’ve had a fair amount of cases where a seemingly a veteran digital expert was not able to know the differences. Let me first say the following:

„Every video ad is like a well-behaved cat: it always fits into one of three boxes: in-stream, out-stream, or in-banner!“

No matter where you find them—on your phone, laptop, connected TV, Digital Boards on the street (DOOH), or even on the screen of your smart fridge or toaster?!?! 🤯 – it really does not matter. It will be one of those three options!

In-Stream Video Placements

In-stream video ads are advertisements that play within a video player, either before, during, or after the main video content. Think YouTube ads that pop up before the video you actually want to watch, or imagine your Connected TV – any TV that has an internet connection – you watch a content through an APP (e.g. Sky, Netflix with ad-supported subscription, Magenta TV, etc.), there is already video stream – some times live stream and sometimes on-demand stream. When a Video Ad is served within the existing video stream is called In-Stream Video. Simple as that.

Types of In-Stream Ads:

Pre-roll: Ads that play before the main video content.
Mid-roll: Ads that play during the main video content, often like a commercial break.
Post-roll: Ads that play after the main video content has finished.

Characteristics:

Viewer Intent: In-stream ads reach viewers who are already engaged in watching video content, which can lead to higher engagement rates.
Skippable vs. Non-Skippable: Some in-stream ads can be skipped after a few seconds (e.g., 5 seconds on YouTube), while others must be watched in full.
Placement: They are placed within the context of video content, making them feel more integrated with the viewing experience.

Out-Stream Video Placements

Out-stream video ads are advertisements that appear outside of video content. They are typically placed within text-based content, such as on web pages, in articles, or in social media feeds.

Ooops 🙈 Like this one

Video Outstream In-Article

Types of Out-Stream Ads:

In-Article/In-Read: Ads that appear between paragraphs of an article.
In-Feed: Ads that appear within a social media feed or content feed.
Interstitial: Full-screen ads that appear between content, often when navigating between pages.
Banner Video Ads: Video ads that play within banner ad spaces.

Characteristics:

Viewer Intent: Out-stream ads do not require the user to be engaged with video content. They can capture attention while users are reading articles or scrolling through feeds.
Auto-Play with Sound Off: Often, these ads auto-play without sound and expand when the viewer scrolls into view. The sound can usually be turned on by the viewer.
Placement: They are designed to blend into the surrounding content without interrupting the user’s primary activity, making them less intrusive.

In-Banner Video Placements

In-banner video ads are video advertisements that play within standard display ad spaces, such as banners found at the top, sides, or within the content of web pages. Look right! 👀

Types of In-Banner Ads:

Standard Banner: Video plays within a banner ad space, typically at the top or side of a webpage.
Expandable Banner: Starts as a standard banner but can expand to a larger size upon interaction.

Characteristics:

Viewer Intent: In-banner ads target users who are browsing web pages and may not be specifically looking for video content.
Auto-Play: These ads often start playing automatically, usually without sound, to catch the viewer’s eye.
Placement: They are placed within the visual layout of the webpage, making them visible without interrupting the main content the user is viewing.

Key Differences

Placement Context:
- In-Stream: Integrated within video content.
- Out-Stream: Placed within non-video content (articles, feeds, etc.).
- In-Banner: Placed within standard display ad spaces on web pages.
Viewer Engagement:
- In-Stream: Viewers are already engaged in watching a video.
- Out-Stream: Viewers are typically engaged with text or image-based content.
- In-Banner: Viewers are browsing web pages, not necessarily looking for video content.
Ad Experience:
- In-Stream: Can be more disruptive as they interrupt video content.
- Out-Stream: Generally less intrusive as they fit within the flow of non-video content.
- In-Banner: Less intrusive and relies on visual appeal to attract attention.
Ad Format:
- In-Stream: Can be skippable or non-skippable, often longer formats.
- Out-Stream: Often auto-play with sound off, shorter formats designed to catch attention quickly. (~10, 20, 30 secs)
- In-Banner: Auto-play, usually without sound, designed to fit within standard ad spaces.

OK… But what are the specs?!

Well, there are some overall widely-expected specs:

File Format: Common formats include MP4, WEBM, and MOV. MP4 & WEBM formats are particularly important because some browsers do not play MP4. But, I skip this topic for another day…
Resolution: High-definition (HD) quality, typically 720p or 1080p.
Aspect Ratio: Varies by placement; 16:9 is standard for In-Stream & Out-Stream horizontol format, while 1:1 or 9:16 might be preferred for vertical formats that can be used for out-stream and in-banner ads.

B2B Healthcare Reality

I do not expect our clients producing Vertical Video formats for HCPs – not yet. But I’m glad to be challenged.

In-Stream Ads:

Length: Usually 15-30 seconds for skippable ads, 6-15 seconds for non-skippable.
Bitrate: Minimum of 1 Mbps for standard definition, 5 Mbps for HD.
File Size: Typically kept under 100 MB for faster loading.
Audio: Ensure clear, high-quality audio; use AAC or MP3 formats.

B2B Healthcare Reality

Sadly, there is almost zero opportunity for In-Stream ads for HCPs within the existing world of German publishers. There is only one potential that I keep secretly wishing for: CME courses. These usually feature video content, perfect for In-Stream ads. However, we mostly face the following excuses „Sponsored CME Course, can’t put an ad“ or „CME courses can not feature ads due to regulations“ – which frankly I’m not sure if it has a valid legal ground or straight up bulls*** 🙂

If somebody wants to research on this thing, I’d be very happy.

It is important to note that it also requires additional setup on Publisher-side technically even before we integrate. They should use a video player that can get our ad slots. There is a specific terminology for this „VAST Video Player“ like the example I put on this website. Sounds weird but not every publisher can easily do this, it is again a huge work on HP-side teach publisher how to achieve this.

VAST is a Video Ad Serving Template for structuring ad tags that serve ads to video players. Using an XML schema, VAST transfers important metadata about an ad from the ad server to a video player.
learn more about it here

Out-Stream Ads:

Length: Typically 6-15 or 15-20 seconds to maintain user engagement.
Bitrate: Around 1 Mbps to ensure smooth playback.
File Size: Keep it light, around 20-50 MB, for quick loading.
Auto-Play: Design with auto-play and sound off in mind; include captions or text overlays.

B2B Healthcare Reality

We have a potential for Out-Stream ads.. It is hard to convince the publishers to put any ad within content mostly – but not impossible. It just needs the same level of patience and determination to get a pass on this. I believe that is the REAL video ad placement that can be carefully placed for great results.

Anyways, I can’t stress enough how important that is to have captions or text overlays within these videos – as they’re auto-play in mute and can only be unmuted with user initiation. If you’re now thinking „Can, can’t we have it autoplay without muted?!“, that is the most horrible and evil thought of digital advertisement, please take a break and find your ZEN. 😀

In-Banner Ads:

File-type: HTML5
Length: Usually 15-30 seconds.
Bitrate: Similar to out-stream, around 1 Mbps.
File Size: Keep it under 10 MB.
Dimensions: Our usual suspects banner sizes (e.g., 300×250, 800×250 – Masthead, 680×200) – not sure how well it works with 300×600 but let’s brainstorm. No go for 160×600 and 728×90.

B2B Healthcare Reality

I believe this is low hanging-fruit 🍇 for several reasons. First, we can simply run this tomorrow without further technical implementation on Publisher-side – we serve these in the existing banner spots. The main question here is: having a standardized template – which I will discuss later on this page. Yet, remember that this will not be the expansion of the inventory – rather using the same inventory for delivering another format. So, from the management point of view, me no likey. 😅

The main differentiation on In-Banner ad would be to measuring and reporting completion rates! Well.. consider it done – we already have it. 👑 However, we can’t leave banner production to an external creative agency…

WE MUST MAKE IT EASY FOR THE CLIENT

Like HyperFocus ads, we need to take the burden of creative production in Media/HP. That is one of the biggest obstacles our clients are facing. In the last 12 months, HP Team has had several banner production jobs: production from scratch, and engagement ads. So, I’m inclined to build a template and process for HP team. At least to be able to offer our media clients an opportunity to use their existing video assets where we take care of making them fit into banners or Out-Stream ads (for the future).

As we’re slowly building a banner production service in HP – we will probably need a new person majorly focused on this production subject… Currently, HP team juggles so many balls at the same time with an incredible effort. However, even the first numbers show me that our clients really need support on this. Some clients have limited budget for creative production or not have enough time to brief a creative agency to have this back and forth with story boards. Sometimes they existing assets that need re-adjustments – however, they’re too scare to swim in those seas of exploration…

I must admit.

Sometimes, it is only up to a great consultation. I believe Media team has much better consultants than other units in WEFRA LIFE. Because clients are scared about the long times and high costs. They need encouragement to get into the world of Video. We should consult and convince them that we need a fast and efficient solutions for them. I believe as WEFRA LIFE Media, we have the capability to build and optimize such services.

Pricing 💶

We might be be able to get away with In-Banner videos – however, Out-Stream placements will make publishers go money-hungry… So I expect to face that we hear new TKP-prices… Not ideal. Our aim should be able to offer our clients a simple video format opportunities with little-to-no price increase.

Sadly, in B2C world, there is a tendency that Out-Stream video placements are roughly 3-5 times more expensive than display placements. In-Stream ones – which we don’t have high hopes at this point – is 10-15 times more expensive. Because the value/message it delivers is huge…

B2B Healthcare Reality

Don’t forget that WE are the one making the market! We’re the one innovating, we’re the one investing time, effort, and pay the technology. Therefore, we can probably dictate certain TKP prices if we start early and be a pioneer again on this field.