The phrase “pivot to video” evokes rueful reminders of unsuccessful attempts by publishers to monetize video content on Facebook five or six years ago. According to the prevailing narrative, the social network dashed those hopes after changing its news feed algorithm to de-emphasize publisher content.

Amid the cord-cutting trend and growth in video consumption on connected devices, such as mobile phones and smart TVs, publishers have more ways to distribute video content and support those efforts with advertising revenue. In other words, the time is riper for a pivot to video.

Alongside its plans to produce more video, including content geared for mobile devices, Vice will cut the number of text articles on its websites by 40% to 50%.

The impetus for creating more video is a shift in the media consumption habits of its audiences. In the past couple of years, the digital publisher doubled its number of monthly views on its YouTube channel to almost 90 million in May.

Engagement with its Instagram account also jumped, contrasting with the 26% decline in engagement with Vice’s text articles during the period, the NYT reported.

In an effort to target young video-gamers that have left linear TV in droves, Simulmedia -- the demand-side platform for linear TV, connected TV and games content -- has signed on 25 advertisers in a pilot-test of its new in-video game advertising platform, PlayerWON.

Marketers include Dave & Buster’s, the restaurant/video arcade chain, and Experian, the credit reporting company, says Dave Morgan, founder-CEO of Simulmedia.

The test includes placing advertising inventory on video publisher Hi-Rez Studios’ game Smite, as well as other games. Morgan expects to sign a total of five more video games by year’s end.

“There is going to be a lot of scale,” he says. 

Simulmedia says PlayerWON’s potential reach, in placing ads on top free-to-play console/PC games, will total 50 million under 35-year-old gamers by the end of the year. This would be good news for younger-skewing TV-video marketers, as the under-35 demographic have departed linear TV platforms in droves over the last few years.

While there has been advertising on free mobile video games for some time, this hasn’t been the case for the “big screen” video games. “The opportunity is in the free to play game space,” says Dave Madden, EVP, gaming/OTT for Simulmedia.

One nagging problem for video-game owners, says Madden, is “the vast majority of players aren’t spending a lot of money [on games].” 

But yet, these players want stuff -- accessories for their virtual gaming screen players, rewards, or whatever.  To test the sentiment of the players, Simulmedia’s launch polls to find out if advertising connected to video games could bridge this gap. 

“We ran surveys on Reddit, which is a discerning game audience,” says Madden. “Some 77% of gamers said they want the opportunity to choose the watch ads to get in-game rewards,” 

Morgan says on a Nielsen persons 2+ basis, this video-game under-35 group would yield an audience -- on a weekly basis -- around the size of a mid-tier cable network, like WarnerMedia’s truTV. “On 18-49 basis, it would be similar to VH1,” he says.

Starting in the fourth-quarter, Simulmedia goal is to make two or three significant media agency deals for PlayerWON. “The big issue isn’t the negotiation, it’s the education,” says Morgan

And that goes for all parties involved. Sensitivity to players' needs are a big deal. “[Simulmedia] didn’t just take the marketer’s perspective; they took the gamer’s perspective,” says Pete Thornfield, vice president, brand marketing for Dave & Buster’s.

The Dave & Buster’s campaign, which started in early June and will run through August, has seen some results.

“We have gotten a strong reach number, and the view to completion rate is above 95%.” says Thornfield.  “So we feel pretty good about that.” 

He adds the company hasn’t as yet produced any “tight attribution” data specific to the business level. Frequency of its messages over the length of the campaign were around  two to three exposures per user.

Camelot Strategic Marketing & Media, Dave & Buster’s agency, sees video-games feeding a need in the bigger media world.  “TV among younger audiences is getting tougher to scale,” says Sam Bloom, CEO of Camelot. “We have had a lot of success with it, especially for clients with physical venues.”

For marketers, this video-game ad inventory is priced around a $50 CPM, the cost by thousand viewers. Morgan says this is a major discount to what could roughly be a $200 CPM for men 18-34 viewers on a traditional linear TV network, ranging from a $114 CPM on Adult Swim to ESPN at a $336 CPM.

Right now, all video-game associated ad messaging will run before a video-game play starts. This works well, since many users before game play wait for participants, competitors or team members to assemble.

Overall, advertising messages on video games -- 15-second or 30-second messages -- will total an average of around three minutes per hour. Two-to-three of these ad session periods would run in a two-hour period.

In return for watching these ads, video-game users will get rewards -- in terms of coin or tokens -- used to purchase accessories for virtual characters, including dress/skin, as well as to be used for extended play.

The key here is the sensitivity to the gamers. They can opt-in if they want to see advertising. “The approach wasn’t to sell the advertiser -- they knew they wanted this audience. It was to sell the gamer -- that you could do this in a way that was respectful,” says Morgan.

Simulmedia structured deals with video-game publishers and an ad-revenue share arrangement, with Simulmedia taking a “minority” part of those deals, according to Morgan. 

While many traditional TV viewing guarantees are disappearing, especially for harder-to-get niche demos like young viewers, PlayerWON offers ad messaging guarantees on video-game content for its core viewing demographic.

“Nobody anywhere will give you a guarantee on 18-34s [on TV],” says Morgan. He says WarnerMedia’s Adult Swim was one of the last TV network programmers to offer a guarantee to marketers for 18-34. 

He adds former WarnerMedia (Turner) executive David Levy, now on the board of Simulmedia, was one of the first to suggest finding a way to build video-game inventory for marketers.

Simulmedia says LEK Consulting, which follows the industry, estimates the ad-supported video-game business could grow into a $3 billion to $5 billion market in five years.

Still, not everyone thinks this is a good idea. Electronic Arts, one of the bigger producers, has said in published reports that “we wanted to clarify that in-game advertising for console games is not something we're currently looking at, or have signed any agreements to implement.”

Others believe there is enormous potential. 

Camelot’s Bloom says: “This a huge marketplace. There are all kinds of opportunities here. It’ll be akin to SVOD [subscription video on demand services] and AVOD [advertising video on demand] for all intents and purposes.” 

So much so, he alludes to one of the biggest streaming/VOD company looking to expand its video content into gaming -- though not attached to an advertising component. “A validation is Netflix coming into the space... Not everyone is going to have the same business model.”

Email creatives working for travel brands must feel harried these days, judging by Content Matters As Travel Recovers, a study published this month by PhocusWire, in partnership with TINT by Filestack. 

For one thing, travel is coming “out of its long winter,” the report’s author, Hollis Thomasases, writes. People are reserving hotel rooms and buying plane tickets, with social media playing a role. But you have to be flexible with the content you put out there. It starts with social. 

Only 39% in the U.S. say they are influenced by social media, compared with 73% in Indonesia, 56% in France, and 47% apiece in the UK and Germany.  

And those numbers are far below those of the people who are active in social media: 100% in Indonesia, 99% in China and 86% in the U.S. Germany is the lowest, with 77%. 

Still, social works well with mobile, with 56% of U.S. travelers booking hotel rooms on their devices after being influenced by social channels. The numbers are similar in the UK and France, but lower in Germany and much higher throughout Asia. 

In addition, 48% of travelers will purchase airline tickets via mobile based on influence in social.  

The study encourages marketers to add user-generated content (UGC) as a tactic, especially in social. UGC can be used in a brand’s own social feed in a repurposed way, as Delta has done in its recent Iceland Twitter posts. 

Or, it can also be utilized “on brand websites, in emails (especially loyalty program emails), on booking pages, and any format of visual or audio advertising,” the study says.

Increased use of UGC is being driven by platforms (i.e., social), mobile device/camera use and video, technology and brand desire to engage in more authentic ways. 

Let’s say you want to have your own content shared. Start with destination photos/videos: 46% share these in the U.S., although that number is dwarfed by the 77% that do so in Indonesia and 72% in China.  

In contrast, 37% will share lodging photos and videos, and numbers are also lower in other countries (Indonesia again leads the way with 67%, followed by China with 61%).

Email senders should know that response may falter if they fail to clarify certain points. For instance, 88% of U.S. travelers say it is of high importance to understand refund policies up front, while 88% say the same about cancellation/rebooking policies.  

Other countries are pretty much in line with those percentages, with Spain hitting 92% in both cases. 

The report does not state a sample size, but it appears to be over 700. 

The following was previously published in an earlier edition of Marketing Insider.

TikTok has become a staple for brands. With more than 1 billion monthly users, the platform has been a gold mine. And with campaigns starting at $50 per day, it’s accessible for most marketers. Here’s more about recent updates to TikTok advertising.

TikTok’s iOS 14 Update

Most advertisers have seen some impact of Apple's iOS 14 update. On TikTok, Apple will display a prompt for users to choose which ad experience is best for them. 

In response, TikTok is sharing three actionable steps for brands and advertisers:

1. Update mobile measurement partner SDK. 

2. Complete conversion event configuration in your MMP. 

3. Send all events to TikTok via your MMP. 

Following the above steps will allow brands a new structure to gauge installs and post-install events. And sending all data to TikTok will make it easier to improve performance. 

 More Personalization within TikTok’s Ad Experiences 

If you’ve ventured over to TikTok’s “For You” page, you’ve seen firsthand how well the app understands its users. Naturally, TikTok is applying this knowledge to its advertising algorithm. Over the last several months, brands have noticed their campaigns leveling up. This is in part due to increased insight into user activity and engagement. Of course, the thought of more personalized ads raises alarm amid iOS14. However, TikTok ensures its commitment to privacy.

Top Ads Library Tool 

“Top Ads” is a new advertising tool available to TikTok users. It includes a robust search function with a variety of filters like date ranges and performance indicators.

Strategic Insight 

Brands can drive meaningful sales on TikTok, as the platform has enhanced ecommerce functions that improve the shopping experience. And the app's retargeting capabilities help brands identify purchase intent. Here's a breakdown of the ad types that work best.

• Dynamic Product Ads -- an in-feed solution that automatically promotes product ads to users based on behavior.

• Showcase Cards highlight several products in one ad via a product card.

• Promo Cards -- customizable shopping cards that serve as in-feed ads.

• Curated Gallery Ads -- branded ads featuring key products. They link to an instantly loaded shopping page.

Here are some actionable recommendations for advertisers.

Test in auction.

-- Use broad organic learnings to develop a paid strategy on TikTok.

-- Start by leveraging the platform’s offering of In-Feed Video.

-- Take advantage of a full-funnel opportunity and flexible bidding types.

Define what matters most.

-- Define which engagements matter most to your brand, and build brand interactions through TikTok’s reservation buys.

-- Tap into the Brand Takeover placement and Branded Effects with lenses and filters.

Own the conversation.

-- A Hashtag Challenge is the best way to own the conversation and encourage users to engage directly with your brand.

Take creative risks.  A lighthearted video that shows off your brand’s products can come across as more authentic than a viral meme. Analyze what types of content have worked well in the past on other platforms and adapt for TikTok.

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of consumers report regularly using multiple platforms to consume video, and 40% say they view it on all tested platforms: TV and TV-connected devices, mobile devices including smartphones and tablets, and PCs, according to new research from Parks Associates.

“Consumers want a quick, easy viewer experience, and if it’s not delivered, they’ll go to the next service. Streaming services will need to prioritize proven, reliable video delivery to all devices before their audiences lose patience,” said Lexie Knauer, senior product marketing manager, Brightcove and a panelist in a Parks session on the future of video.

“Consumers today have much higher expectations of their video entertainment experiences than ever before,” said Pierre Donath, chief product and marketing officer for 3SS (3 Screen Solutions).

“Netflix and other innovators have set a new benchmark and continue to improve it. People use many different devices these days, and they seek an app-rich, highly engaging experience whenever and wherever they interact with video entertainment, both at home and on the move. With the right vision, technology and methodology, service providers — whether using cable, satellite, telco TV, or OTT/D2C and on smart TVs — can deliver those unified, harmonious experiences.”

“Consumers are increasingly choosing to consume content on connected devices, so building strong, mutually beneficial partnerships with these device platforms is an important component of WarnerMedia’s distribution strategy,” added Melissa de la Rama, VP, distribution for WarnerMedia.

Flying magazine, the aviation title that existed since 1927, the year Charles Lindbergh flew the Atlantic, has been acquired by FreightWaves founder Craig Fuller from Bonner Corp.

Financial terms were not disclosed.  

Fuller announced the purchase at the EAA’s AirVenture show in Oshkosh, WI. 

“I have been flying since the age of 13, and Flying has been my guide through that journey over the past few decades,” Fuller said. “Today, I have the opportunity to blend two passions: aviation and media.” 

The publication will remain an independent entity called the Flying Media Group.  

Fuller plans to invest in online and mobile platforms as part of an ambitious digital media plan and place greater emphasis on photography, podcasts and streaming video.  

The existing editorial team led by Julie Boatman will remain in place. They will become part of Flying Media Group. In fact, Fuller’s FreightWaves, a publisher that covers freight, logistics, cargo and transportation, was included among the best startup employers by Forbes last year.  

Flying covers aviation news, stories about pilot experiences, equipment reviews, safety and training information and regulatory updates. 

Those topics will still be emphasized, along with what it means to be a pilot. But Fuller also plans to create dedicated sections for student, hobbyist and professional pilots and focus on technology and business news in the broader aviation industry.  

The company notes there are more than 240,000 pilots in the U.S. and that 74,000 new pilot certificates are issued every year. Moreover, the sector contributes more than $247 billion to U.S. GDP and employs 273,000 people across the country.