Opportunities And Challenges Of Video Ad Serving During Live Events (Part 2)

We discussed how video ad serving can help build your brand with measurable results. We will continue to talk about other pros and cons of serving video ads during a live event. By nature, live events are unique and do not repeat. Replays are of course possible but it does not have the same traffic as the original broadcast. There is no second chance when missing the chance to serve a suitable ad during the live event. Therefore, it is important to prepare as much as possible ahead of time.

Ad spacing
Users may become fatigued with a high frequency of video ads during live events, leading to ad avoidance or ad blocking. Advertisers need to strike a balance between maximizing ad exposure and maintaining a positive user experience. Consider the length and content of the live event. Shorter events should have fewer ad breaks while longer events could incorporate more breaks strategically placed throughout. Integrate ads during natural breaks in the live event, like halftime shows, commercial breaks during sports games, or between musical acts at a concert. This allows viewers a chance to catch their breath and mentally reset before returning to the main content. Interesting ads might even be considered as entertainment or sideshows like the ranking and review of Super Bowl commercials.

Real-time targeting
Video ad serving platforms can utilize real-time data to target audiences during live events. This allows advertisers to deliver relevant and timely ads that resonate with the specific demographics and interests of the viewing audience. Advertisers need to carefully consider the relevance and context of their video ads to ensure they align with the tone and content of the live event. For example, viewers from one state, city or metro area might see a different set of ads compared with viewers from another geographical area. However, ad targeting can also be a challenge because if the wrong settings are applied, ads will be shown to the wrong audiences without a do-over because it is a live event. One solution for this is to stay organized, schedule everything ahead of time, double-check settings by different ad traffickers and not to wait until the last minute.

Technical complexity
Outage or performance issues can ruin the whole campaign. Live video ad serving requires a robust and scalable infrastructure to handle the high volume of ad requests and ensure seamless ad delivery during live events. The incoming traffic can be unpredictable, uneven and demanding. It is not unusual to see a lot of ad requests within seconds. They can last for a few minutes or longer and then zero out entirely. Managing the system capacity to ensure reliable and fast delivery without breaking the budget is a big challenge for ad operations. The ad server needs to have experience and servers standing by to scale up at any second when the video program begins and scale down after it ends.

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