Interactive Avenues trials online video

<P>MUMBAI Interactive Avenues, a Mumbai-based digital marketing company, has rolled out 30-second TVCs for three of its clients - Worldspace, General Motors and HDFC Standard Life - on the internet, ostensibly erasing the boundaries between traditional and new media for the first time in India.</P> <P>The online TV spot is activated by clicking on the 'play' button and features fast-forward, pause and replay options. As the user chooses whether to activate the spot, it is non-intrusive and click-through to the advertiser's website is also enabled. </P> <P>"The ads were TVCs the clients were running on TV and we ran them on the Google video ad network," said Ratish Nair, CEO, Interactive Avenues. </P> <P>"The best part of this activity is that one pays only when a user clicks to see the video ad. Therefore, ROI is effectively measured and you do not waste money. The main objective was to effectively use the internet as a branding medium. We were keen to explore video ads and check the use of various metrics such as clicks, playback and so on, to see how users interact."</P> <P>Video ads are growing faster than any other aspect of online marketing - according to a recent report by eMarketer, advertisers will spend around US$2 billion on online video ads by the end of the decade.</P> <P>Launched in April this year, Interactive counts Futurebazaar, Worldspace, Cadbury, Mobissimo and Tata Indicom among its clients. </P> <P> </P>