Online Video, how to make it work?

What does VAST and VPAID mean?

In a nutshell, VAST, Video Ad Serving Template, was developed by the the Interactive Advertising Board, or IAB, as the universal answer for serving video ads and VPAID (Video Player-Ad Interface Definition) was built so that videos and ad units could communicate with each other and enable a rich interactive in-stream ad experience.

Ok, now that we know that, it only leads to another question...

How can video best be implemented online?

Whilst it is possible to run In-Stream Video tags through DoubleClick For Advertisers, DFA or DoubleClick for Publishers, DFP, or similar adservers, these can only be served to sites that offer VAST 2.0 compliant players. A good solution when this is not the case is to run the video through DoubleClick Studio.

DoubleClick Studio allows the creation of both basic video players as well as advanced video players. What's the difference between the two?

Basic video player

• supports basic progressive video playback
  
• single video

Advanced video player

• supports both progressive and streaming video playback
  
• single or multiple videos

In both cases, adding the video player to your flash creative is very simple. Just follow next steps:

1. drag-and-drop the video player component onto the stage and adjust the dimensions
   
2. specify video details, like where the video will be hosted
   
3. add video controls, such as the play/pause buttons
   

Standard reporting metrics are added automatically when the components are inserted. It is easy to receive valuable figures and insights to evaluate and understand the performance of your video campaign. DoubleClick Studio has already created some good-looking buttons, but if you want to change these to better suit the style of your ad you can easily customise it.

The advanced video player requires a few more tweaks. Adjust the general settings and start and end options of the playlist, but this is no daunting task. Click here for a more detailed build guide.

Developer best practices

Whilst this may all seem pretty basic - and in most cases really, it is - there are some important factors to always consider when building any Rich Media creative. These come disguised as "developer best practices" and I will share some of the more important ones regarding video.

Auto-play video time limit - what is it?

Generally 30 seconds, but I would suggest 15 seconds. Why? Most users are frustrated by the longer video ads, and, in essence, 15 seconds is enough to convey your message. Short is sweet! Still have a lot to show? Add a click-to-continue at 30 seconds and add a custom event.

Combined video and animation more than 30 seconds?

Stop the animation or add a click-to-continue. There's no getting past this!

User-initiation - when should this be used?

Who doesn't like choices? I suggest always allowing the user to decide on whether they wants to see a video or not.

Video controls

Use it! They are great and provide optimal user experience. It is always best to include play, pause, mute and replay. It's also best practice to hide these on video complete (except for the replay button, for obvious reasons)

Video sound - on or off?

Most sites forbid auto-play video with sound, so, to be on the safe side... off!

At DQ&A Media Group we love our Q&A's, so to end off, a QA checklist:

• Test all video controls
  
• Check the tracking metrics fired by all videos
  
• See if the video loads
  
• Check where the video is being loaded from
  
• See if the video is still playing when it isn't displayed

Should you have any trouble with any of the above, possible reasons and recommendations can be found here.

If you found this post helpful or if you know of a friend or colleague that could benefit from it, please pass it on. Knowledge is best when shared!

Any questions, or if you want to discuss the blog, please get in touch with Angie Weyers at moc.anqd@eigna, looking forward to your reply.