Canada’s Yellow Pages Group is the latest yellow pages publisher to add online video advertising as part of a new level of service called “Profile Plus” (pronounced Pro-feel Ploose) 🙂 Now all the major North American publishers in the US and Canada offer video as an advertising option: Superpages, YellowPages.com, YellowBook and RHD/Dex.
From the YPG release:
With the introduction of the new service, a typical YellowPages.ca™ Profile Plus web page could include the following components:
1) A dynamic 30 to 60-second video profile of the business
2) A photo gallery where advertisers can showcase up to 10 photos
3) Business details, including location and contact information, hours of operation, products and brands, methods of payment, map and directions, etc.
There’s no question and plenty of diverse empirical support to indicate that video advertising is valuable and effective for both SMBs and consumers and produces better results. Furthermore, in our recent survey of SMB advertisers (8/07) 33% of respondents indicated an interest in creating a promotional video in the next year:
Perhaps more “bullishly,” AT&T in a recent SMB survey found that 53% of respondents said they expect to buy online ads featuring videos within the next couple of years. And, as I argued here, video may be one of those products that maintains a competitive edge for YP publishers vs. the myriad local SEMs that are offering similar services.
__
Related: Video directory GetFave.com gets some money (press release here).
Screenwerk 
January 17, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Video profiles seem like the online product that is catching on with the SMB’s and could be the format that really drives online adoption by yellow page advertisers. In a way, it is similar to how text links via search spurred the direct marketing budgets on line. The companies that can fulfill these videos at the cheapest cost and lowest amount of headache for their partners will certainly benefit. I’m curious as to what “video” product will be the one that takes off “pan and scan” or full motion video? Any thoughts?
January 17, 2008 at 2:59 pm
I think the full-motion video is the most compelling. Of course, as you point out, the key is the cost of producing those. Companies like TurnHere have perfected it however.
January 17, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Hi Greg,
Unfortunatly I haven’t followed the development of IYP that closely internationally (that means outside Europe), but do you have any idea of when the first IYP started with video?
IYP here in Norway who I work added this to our largest ad more than 2 years ago. We have offered full-motion video since the beginning.
January 17, 2008 at 5:07 pm
I would say a couple of years ago with Dex (now part of RHD), but it wasn’t heavily or well promoted. Otherwise, last year Q2 was really when it all started in the US.
January 17, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Ok, our experience is not that cost is a big issue really since cost is not the biggest issue with the customers buying the large ads. Getting the users to actually watch the videos is, by my experience, a bigger problem. It’s going OK, but the usage can’t be justified by the “hype”.