Dive Brief:
- Virool, a programmatic video distribution firm, is planning on introducing a vertical video ad unit, according to Adweek.
- The idea behind the format is it will better correspond with the way most people hold and interact with their mobile devices.
- Vertical video so far has been seen as more of a Snapchat-specific anomaly, but as video continues to dominate in popularity, other platforms are beginning to test the vertical video waters.
Dive Insight:
"We're excited because in the last 18 months, Snapchat has been a lone wolf in this fight, but we now have the opportunity to really make this the new standard," Virool CEO Alex Debelov told Adweek. "So our vision is that over the next year, this will become something you will see everywhere, and that will provide a much better advertiser and user experience."
Even though vertical video is most closely tied to Snapchat, Periscope, Meerkat and YouTube have all embraced the format.
One challenge vertical video ads bring to marketers is the format requires creating a new version of video creative for ads. It also necessitates either making choices during filming where both horizontal and vertical video can be effectively edited from one version of footage, or two versions have to be recorded to optimize for each video format.
Vertical video was in the news late last summer when Gerry Graf, founder and chief creative officer at Barton F. Graf 9000, told Adweek, "This is the first time in my advertising career that there's been a big, major story on aspect ratio, which is pretty interesting. If you have a real idea, you can format it any way you want, depending on where you're playing."