Brightroll is the world's largest and fastest-growing video
advertising network and was originally set up in the US in 2006.
There they work with over three-quarters of the country's top 250
websites and advertising agencies to deploy video advertising
solutions for web and mobile devices. Now they're expanding into
Europe and the company recently set up its headquarters in London.
To mark the event, VOD Professional was invited to interview the
company's European Managing Director, Phil Cooper.
Kanji: You've just set up your new offices in
Covent Garden but has the company officially launched in the UK
yet?
Cooper: We have. For people who haven't heard
of Brightroll, we're one of the largest, if not the largest, pure
advertising networks in the US and a global leader. Up till now,
international business has admittedly been a secondary focus for
Brightroll but we're here now and eager to make a good
impression.
Kanji: And when and how did the company decide
that they wanted to shift focus and come here?
Cooper: We started talking about it back in Q4
last year. The founder and global CEO, Tod Sacerdoti, wanted to
expand into Europe and the UK and so we got together and made a
business plan. We've been fully staffed in Long Acre (Brightroll's
London office) since April and the UK, as we see it, is the prize
market in the EU for video advertising. It's the largest feasible
territory. The IAB (Internet Advertising Bureau) valued the UK
video ad market at £50m in 2010 but if you include short-form and
mobile it's probably worth more like £100m.
Kanji: How does that compare with other
European countries like Germany for example?
Cooper: Germany is the 2nd biggest
market here but it's unique as the only country where press
advertising is still bigger than TV advertising. The traditional
big media companies there are bastions of publishing who are
interested in more than just online. So it's a challenge for us but
the opportunity is certainly there.
Kanji: Coming back to the UK, as a new player
to this market, albeit one that has already established a great
reputation in the States, what's your client-acquisition
strategy?
Cooper: It's important to stress that while
Brightroll may be the largest video ad network in the US we're
starting as a new business here. We're very humble and want to
service our clients in the UK as unique businesses each with their
own products, propositions and ways of working. We're here to
listen. At the same time, we are backed up by a significant
infrastructure which we can deploy and huge IP traffic and
inventory. For example, 7m users in the UK are watching US content
from the top 200 websites. So working with Brightroll for UK
companies is brand-safe, highly engaging and price-efficient.
Kanji: Who is your main competition in the
UK?
Cooper: The UK is a highly-evolved space and a
well-competed-for sector. There's Fox Networks which acquired my
old company, Utarget, SmartClick, Tremor Media and ScanScout.
Kanji: And what makes Brightroll different to
these companies?
Cooper: Partly our products. As well as our
pure video advertising network, Brightroll also runs a video ad
exchange which is a bit like Google's ad exchange. It's auction
functionality which allows advertisers to gauge exactly the cost of
an impression and a campaign and which lets publishers achieve the
highest CPM. So we're launching a network and an exchange in
parallel. In the States, clients seem to prefer the exchange model
because it's self-service. But we can offer a managed service too.
Either way, both models allow full transparency of placement - you
can tell where every single impression went and where your ad was
placed.
Kanji: And any other USPs?
Cooper: Brightroll has grown from zero to being
the biggest in the US by being honest, transparent, with great
products, great customer service and by investing in R&D. The
self-service vs. managed service options mean that we hope we're
well equipped to compete. Plus we have superb staff who come from
the UK industry so there shouldn't be any lag while we're getting
up to speed with the unique, UK-based needs of our clients.
One other thing to mention is that we have a video mobile
network which can be targeted by category of content and app. This
is going sky-high in the US and we're launching it here in May
which puts us ahead of the curve in competition terms. With an
audience of 16m UK users, data targeting and live bidding in the
exchange it's another big opportunity.
Finally, our biggest USP is our size which brings with it vast
experience and knowledge. Brightroll are experts in the business
and we're looking forward to showing UK businesses what we can do
for them.
Brightroll is based at 22 Long Acre, London, WC2E 9LY.
Telephone +44 (0)20 75505580.