How Italiaonline Reinvented the Pre-roll Video Ad
Italiaonline is Italy’s largest internet company, dominating the country’s online publishing arena with brands that use the power of video to excite and engage audiences. Together with Brightcove, Italiaonline has always pushed the potential of its digital properties. And now, through the powerful combination of expertise and imagination, Italiaonline continues to create new possibilities with video.
A NEED TO OPTIMIZE ADVERTISING
As Italiaonline brought more and more advertisers to its video platform, the team wanted to maximize every opportunity to increase revenue and target the right audiences. Specifically, they wanted to improve click-through rates, completion rates, and viewability. Brightcove was up to the challenge and helped Italiaonline design and implement a streamlined and efficient advertising solution that ensured all viewers would see optimized content for their viewing device and bandwidth—with no delays in playback. “We have seen significant improvements both in user engagement and monetization,” said Domenico Pascuzzi, Marketing Director Publishing of Italiaonline. “Our video inventory has very strong KPIs and we are attracting more advertisers.” Building upon that success, Italiaonine has now developed a breakthrough idea that sets a new standard for online video advertising.
INTRODUCING PRE-ROLL PLUS
How do you hold the attention of viewers who might typically skip a pre-roll ad? You give them something more. That’s the idea behind Pre-roll Plus. Italiaonline created this unique combination of pre-roll and display ad units, giving advertisers more of an opportunity to engage the viewer. As the companion banner appears at the same time as the video ad, it strengthens the video message with additional details. What’s more, it ensures visibility and continuity of the brand right to the last second of the preroll. Launched on Virgilio Video, one of Italiaonline’s most popular sites, Pre-roll Plus was used for a major product launch of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE. And, this powerful video innovation has delivered a 33% increase in monthly video views, capturing the attention of viewers who often skip through regular pre-roll. “This makes brands, clients and advertisers very happy,” said Domenico Pascuzzi. “The sales funnel is far more effective, because even if people skip ahead, they still see the message.”
VIDEO DRIVES PUBLISHING’S FUTURE
"Brightcove’ industry-leading technology and insights have been key to the video success of Italiaonline. Brightcove offers a complete and flexible solution for video player, asset management and monetization. The Brightcove platform is critical for delivering the best video, which is crucial for us, being, with iOL Advertising, Italy’s largest digital sales house” says Pascuzzi.”
As Italiaonline sets a high bar for all those in the publishing industry, it counts on video more than ever. Along with the innovation of Pre-roll Plus, the publisher’s video initiatives include editorial playlists and featured selections to aggregate thematic videos, customized lists for users to save videos, overlay links that appear during video streams, plus animated thumbnails and new modes of subscription content.
For an industry like publishing, with rising pressures to remain fresh, relevant and forward-thinking, video is the ideal solution for connecting with today’s audiences.