Google, please tell me, just what do you think you are doing? Peddling targeted video advertising. You, the king of information, functionality, simplicity, and monetization.
Adsense was a hit and you own Youtube; breeding the two only makes sense, right? Well, I am here to tell you, Google, brother, that as much as I would love to see this work for you, I just refuse to be a part of the shenanigans; and in all sincerity, I hope you one day come to the realization that not everything need be monetized.
Why this shouldn't work
Firebrand.com. Anyone remember this pugnacious little scamp? Well, if you don't, there is good reason; as bright and optimistic a prospect this claimed "advertainement" company seemed, it quickly folded under the weight of what is so painfully obvious—people value their time. The reason TV ads are in such trouble is because people don't want to watch them, and their solution has come in the form of DVR.
Google, one of the reasons adsense worked was because text is unobtrusive. It doesn't deter your focus or accost your senses. What the people want is information and now. By lacing results and content with "targeted, contextually relevant video graphical ads and text overlays," you instead hinder the data-retrieval process.
Why this will probably work
Google has partnered up with Brightcove (whose customers include CBS Corp, Time Warner Inc, and Discovery Communications Inc), YuMe, the pre-existing video ad-service, and comedy site MyDamnChannel.
With this level of financial backing and, well, influence, we can only expect there to be a large sum of money thrown at its implementation.
Why does this really have the unfortunate chance of succeeding? Because Google is at the helm.
So I ask you Google, please reconsider, or at least carefully consider, the direction you take this. If not for us—the impatient but information-savvy—then for the sanctity of an already too-saturated web; corrupted by such similar greedy and offensive methods of turning a buck.
