Anyone not already using Adblock Plus may want to make the switch soon. Rumor has it that YouTube, Google’s hard-to-monetize video site, is going to go after unprotected users by introducing some really big ads on its homepage.
On the one hand, this move is rather natural; think of it in comparison to speaking up when someone can’t hear you. Users who don’t click on ads have probably stuffed cotton into their figurative ears, though, so shouting at them doesn’t demonstrate a lot of subtlety.
Current YouTube Ad
Anyway, Michael Learmonth reports, “Advertising sources say YouTube is revamping the homepage to accommodate a huge new banner ad that will span the entire width of the page. The ad will is roughly the same height as the current video ad unit on the upper right of the page, and designed to accommodate high-definition video . . . . Sources who have seen the unit describe it having multiple tabs that activate when rolled over by a cursor.”
And however these ads resonate with users, advertisers are sure to embrace the idea of getting such prominent placement on a popular site. Compete claims that over 60 million people visited YouTube in July, so if even half of them passed through the homepage, huge numbers are at stake.
We still like Valleywag’s headline from when AOL pulled a similar stunt – “When the going gets tough, AOL makes its ads huger” – but to be fair, YouTube’s creeping towards profitability with this change.
