Rich Media comparison: Webmercials versus Infomercials

How does one decide on the best way to leverage off the latest marketing medium - I'm talking of course about Rich Media advertising platforms?

Let's begin by examining exactly what is meant by rich media.Rich media - refers to media that has been enhanced with animation or video. Rich media ads are animated, and often streamed, so that they appear more like television commercials, as opposed to ads containing static images and text. They can be embedded in Web pages and inserted into, over, or between video clips.
Advances in technology and expectations are making today's rich media more affordable and effective than before. As audiences spend less time watching broadcast TV and more time online, the Internet is now delivering the mass audiences required by the top brands amongst others. Broadband connections in the US exceed 72 percent (Nielsen//NetRatings, June 2006), and users are craving more interactive media experiences when they go online.

Rich Media ads are proven to deliver online audiences and powerful results. That's because they allow marketers to engage audiences at an emotional level that once was the hallmark of television ads alone. The emotional impact of rich media combined with the power of targeting gives marketers tools not available in any other medium. An excellent company specialising in rich media placement is: www.eyewonder.com. The first point of consideration is which marketing channel you intend using, television or web based. Or possibly a mix of the two as they are reasonably compatible. If combined with the emergence of mobile platforms and digital billboards it would appear a multi platform approach would likely work best, dictated primarily by budget and efficiency constraints. Now let's try and differentiate between some of the different types of platforms available:

Video Ad Commercials - defined as short (usually 30 sec) advertisements designed specifically for universal appeal whilst often incorporating special promotions. Today, it's truly a video ad world. Video ads have been proven to deliver results like no other rich media. The Internet now delivers the mass audiences needed by national consumer brands. Broadband opens up the potential for even flashier video ads, and puts the web on the verge of becoming a very powerful ad medium. All this makes the Internet much more compelling to consumers and advertisers alike. Online video ads roughly tripled the increase for all these key brand metrics compared to GIF/JPG display ads. This brand awareness was achieved with fewer impressions and a much lower frequency exposure than static online ads. When interactive video becomes further developed and added to the mix, the impact on brand metrics will be enormous. Video is more effective at conveying the same level of emotion as TV — something lesser rich media formats can't do. Video makes it easier for agencies to integrate their campaigns; they can easily bring existing TV spots online for more powerful and consistent messaging across all media.My favourite company for testing and creating your 30 sec video ads is:www.leadsbyvideo.com

Webmercials - can best be defined as a web or internet based marketing presentation (sometimes referred to as MacroMedia Flash Presentations) targeted towards the emotional side of the viewer. They tend to be dynamic in nature, including animation, still images, music, voice, and video montage. They are really just television commercials designed for delivery over the internet. Their size is limited generally under two minutes duration.

Webmercials can be used in a variety of web applications and are a highly effective way to communicate your message quickly. In the past they had often been used as insert in the screen inside the browser during the time it took for a new page to load. This relatively non-invasive approach achieved modest success. Nowadays, the best webmercials cleverly combine unique competitive product features with target market messaging in an entertaining and informative mini-movie that can give products an immediate WOW factor. Amazingly... interactive Flash demos increase user's information retention by up to 200%! To open your eyes to the possibilities visit: www.zeroonezero.com/video/webmercial/webmercial.html
Infomercials - best defined as the coming together of information and commercials (hence the name).

Usually between 30 and 60 minutes,they are often made to closely resemble actual television programming, usually talk shows, with minimal acknowledgement that the program is actually an advertisement. Often featuring celebrities talking about their successful experiences with a given product, Infomercials are often used when presenting a new product to the marketplace with the primary objective of building product awareness. Infomercial advertisers often make use of flashy catchphrases, repeat basic ideas, or attempt to make exaggerated claims. Because of the sometimes sensational nature of this ad form, it is recommended to tread cautiously before committing or at least make some investigation of the claim as well as those making it.

An excellent resource for infomercials can be found at: www.infomercialtoolkit.com
So which ever type you choose, you can't go wrong - you just need to examine the rich media platform that suits you best.