Video Advertising

Although the idea is not new more and more companies are using videos for advertising.Microsoft did the same.This service allows an advertiser to make interactive videos that would provide information on products in the video when the viewer rolls the mouse over items like clothing. A window pops up detailing the product name, brand and cost and a nearby link routes to the merchant Web site.Microsoft showed off new technologies this week that it hopes will attract advertisers to its new AdCenter advertising platform and help it compete against Google.Other tools in the works are designed to give advertisers data they can use to help them choose the most popular keywords for creating search advertising campaigns. For example, they can see charts that show how many searches were conducted on particular keywords over specific periods of time.Other software can indicate what percentage of each gender and age group is more inclined to use a specific keyword or visit a specific Web site.Another tool was one that would use a Webcam and facial-recognition software to predict the gender and age of someone viewing an ad or Web page. While it definitely has practical applications, it seems a little too Big Brother for me.