When YouTube asked for customer feedback to placing overlay video ads on some YouTube videos, the expected herd of ranters responded for the most part negatively.
Some said they're going to move to other video sites in response to ads being introduced if YouTube didn't stop what they were doing.
Others offered constructive criticism saying they preferred other way of viewing ads like pre-rolls, premium services offered without advertising and ads presented over or underneath the video.
Is there a real problem with all this? Not at all. When you ask anybody for feedback concerning ads on any media platform, you're going to get mostly negative responses.
The truth is it's irrelevant. The constructive ideas of offering different ways of putting up video ads is worth looking at, maybe some type of customized ad experience could be offered to users, as far as how they prefer to receive ads.
As far as the "dreaded" threat of leaving YouTube for some other site, that's pretty much blowing smoke. I don't care how deep-pocketed the owners of video sites are, eventually a heavily trafficked video site becomes very expensive to run. The question isn't whether online video will be introduced, it's only a question of how.
The other thing is studies show the majority of people don't mind viewing online video ads if they can be kept free.
There's always been a schizophrenic response when its come to asking people about viewing online video ads. One is a result of wishful thinking that will never happen: no video ads, and the other is when people are asked if they would accept ads if it kept viewing free.
Anybody that thinks they'll be able to go to some other video site to upload their videos ad-free, are in for a surprise over the months, as everyone starts to offer online video advertising. There's no way that is going to be stopped, and there isn't going to be places offered for long that will last if they don't start offering ads as well.
Online marketers shouldn't be too concerned about responses to online video ads, as far as generally offering them goes. What's more important is listening to the preferred ways people would want them to be included. Not offering them isn't an option, the costs of offering them will be too high to include them on any site for free over a period of time.
It won't be long before they're simply considered part of the privelege of being able to freely watch online video.
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