Local SoCal startup, Storybids, is making waves with the launch of their product placement marketplace, aimed at online video creators. The idea is that advertisers will be able to use Storybids’ search capabilities to find online video producers that fit the audience they are looking for. They gauge viewership, subscriptions, and ratings by genre or age demographic. Video creators can also post storyboards and trailers with media selling proposals, and then the ad buyers can bid on their placement.
It has been said that the average American sees 3,000 advertisements over the course of a day. That seems like such an outrageous number. So either the Union of Concerned Scientists is lying, or we have just gotten really good at ignoring them. We fast forward through commercials, ignore banner ads, change the radio station during commercials, and skip past the ads in magazines. I have done a lot of research on the subject for my business. All of the examples I have just given, are examples of inactive, or passive, marketing. Active marketing is what happens when you are selling someone a product when you have their complete attention. This is why Social Media Marketing is so effective. For example, when you are watching a Youtube video and seeing a hot girl ask for a can of Monster, you are paying attention, and the advertiser sold a can of Monster.
I’m sure this is what Founders Joseph Morin and Juan Prado were thinking when they started working on Storybids. The two, from Irvine, CA, spent two years researching and developing before they secured a “Series A” round of venture capital financing in August 2007 from STN Labs, a Toronto based VC. A few months later in February 2008, they soft launched Storybids in beta.
Storybids also offers online media distribution and video analytics measurements. They do this by search engine optimizing the final video, and the submits to several video hosting sites like Youtube, MyspaceTV, Metacafe, DailyMotion, and Veoh simultaneously allowing dashboard reporting on the video’s performance.
I like the idea, but I hope that people don’t go to crazy with it. Next thing you know, you’ll start seeing videos like this with ads. “Charlieeee, you bit my delicious Oscar Meyer Wiener Hot Dog. And that was really good!”
Go LA Startups!!
xoxo,
Calley
emm.. thank you ))