Monday we mentioned that Google was pondering new ways to monetize YouTube videos. And today, Silicon Alley Insider and MediaPost have some details on the new “Buzz Targeting” program, announced yesterday.
The buzz targeting program uses an algorithm (surprise, surprise) to determine which videos are about to go viral. YouTube says that “The algorithm looks at several factors, such as acceleration of views, favorites, and ratings activity, and then allows advertisers to target their ads specifically to these videos on YouTube.”
“Every advertiser hopes that their campaign will to be the next big viral hit online, and they come to YouTube to reach the millions of video viewers who are on the site everyday,” said Rajaraman. “Buzz targeting lets them do both at the same time. They associate their brand with the hottest content of the day, while reaching the most engaged users in our community.”
The approach should allow for greater advertising audiences—and thus, revenues—than the current ad targeting options employed by YouTube.
SAI points out a shortcoming for most of us trying to make money from YouTube: “the only videos YouTube includes in the algorithm are produced by ‘YouTube content partners’–largely professional producers of content from the studios, record labels and TV networks.”
However, on that note, a year ago YouTube began opening up the Content Partners “club” to selected users, and in December, they expanded this further, with open applications for popular UGC content providers in the US and Canada.
Naturally, there will be resistance to this type of advertising, just as there was resistance to YouTube’s overlay InVideo ads. What do you think—is this the wave of the future or is this sure to fail?
