Flipboard has just announced that they’ll roll out full-page video ads, joining the ranks of Facebook, AOL, YouTube and other big content companies that have discovered that video is the most compelling storytelling medium available today.
The content aggregator will start with a pilot run that includes eight big brands, according to a press release. The first companies to run flipboard video ads are Chrysler, Conrad Hotels, Gucci, Jack Daniels, Lufthansa, Principal Financial Group, Sony Pictures’ Fury and Woodford Reserve.
It’s not clear what Flipboard video ads mean directly for small or local businesses yet. The two biggest unanswered questions are 1.) What’s the minimum spend? and 2.) What kind of targeting will be available.
This could be incredibly powerful if a cafe in Nashville can target people who are using Flipboard to read the lifestyle section of the Tennessean, or if a health club in Milwaukee can target locals who are browsing headlines in Shape or Men’s Health.
What we can certainly agree on is this statement by Flipboard’s head of advertising, Christine Cook:
“Study after study shows the enormous growth of video on mobile devices, and that video shows strong consumer engagement. This trend makes mobile video advertising critical for brands and is the perfect time for Flipboard to offer it to our advertisers.”
Let’s hope that small and local businesses become part of Flipboard’s offer.
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