After YouTube officially introduced InVideo advertising overlays yesterday (example), come the predictable user complaints and threats to quit the site. A blog post on the topic written by the YouTube team attracted over 200 mostly negative responses to news that clips can now include clickable animated overlays in the bottom 20 percent of a clip. Though some comments are supportive, a sample shows many users seeking pre- or post-roll ads instead of overlays. More response…
— Matt Harding, star of the popular Where The Hell Is Matt? video (nearly eight million views): “As a viewer, I don’t like this at all. As someone who makes videos, I would object to allowing them to put an ad on the screen. Put it on the margins, above the player but not on the screen itself” (via CNET News.com).
— Brent Weinstein, CEO of web ad video firm 60Frames Entertainment: “Ultimately, the consumers will decide and they’re going to have to see it beyond the first day and the first few weeks. In many cases, the reaction is negative before they have a chance to truly digest the experience” (via Hollywood Reporter).
— Videoegg, the WPP-backed video network rival, gives over a third of its homepage to gloating (rattled?): “Welcome, Google. Seriously. We invented the video overlay ad about a year ago. We are delighted that the market is finally catching on to a vital new approach to video advertising” (via IDG).
— Scott Karp, Publishing 2.0 blogger: “The InVideo ad format is undoubtedly less annoying than pre-roll videos