Creative Design + Development

Image USA Today

Ralph Lauren’s interactive shopping window display made a big splash upon arrival last summer and apparently has been in use throughout the year in different locations (Manhattan, Chicago, London). Wonder if anyone has actually bought anything using the application: the physical store is right there, after all. Would it work if installed at bus shelters and selling home-delivered groceries?

Online video ads are a better buy than TV, and as the audience grows, the money will follow. Media buyer Jim Meskauskas of ICON International make a strong case for online video because it is more measurable.

Rather than paying for a percentage of an audience that may or may not have seen your ad (especially in the TiVo era), video ads are only delivered when someone is watching. Advertisers are slowly learning that they will get a better bang for their buck online, and many advertisers, such as Microsoft who have advertised on TV are reallocating their ad budgets to online video.

It will be interesting to see how the growth in video content and advertising affects the search industry. Will the visual medium convince people who have been only spending on search online to shift resources? Will videos with embedded ads – or video ads themselves — start showing up in search results?

Oldie but goodie