Google Introduces Click-to-Play Video Ads on the Google Content Network

Google Press Center Announcement May 23, 2006 Lights, camera, action!!!!

Continuing to offer advertisers new ways to reach their target customers, Google today introduced click-to-play video ads in the U.S., Canada and Japan. A new format on the Google content network, click-to-play video ads give advertisers a rich, immersive experience to communicate with target customers. To protect the user experience, click-to-play video ads are user-initiated, so that the quality of user experience is preserved, and advertisers, as a result, get more engaged users and qualified leads. Click-to-play video ads will run on the AdWords auction model and can be targeted to specific sites or contextually. Both targeting models support a geographical targeting overlay, up to the city level. Pricing for click-to-play video ads can be either cost-per-impression or cost-per-click.

It's easy to get started. An advertiser simply uploads a video file - up to two minutes long - and Google does the rest. Click-to-play video ads will automatically appear on sites within the Google content network that allow image ads. There are no hosting or serving fees, making click-to-play video ads accessible to both large and small advertisers and providing brand advertisers with a richer and more engaging format to communicate their messages. Users who want to view the ads press "play" on the control bar at the bottom of the window to start the video. Advertisers will be able to measure the effectiveness of their video ads by tracking video play-back rates, click-through rates to their destination site, as well as how long users interact with the video.

source: http://www.google.com/press/annc/clicktoplay.html