Opera Mediaworks launches the Short Form Video Fund in EMEA
$1 million creative fund designed to facilitate and inspire mobile-first storytelling with video
Opera Mediaworks today announced the launch of the Short Form Video Fund, a program devoted to answering the digital advertising industry’s need for a mobile-first approach to video creative. The Fund, supported by an alliance of top global brands and agencies, provides financial backing for the production and placement of mobile video campaigns in premium, in-app native video environments powered by Opera’s AdColony Instant-Play™ HD video technology.
“Video continues to be one of the biggest growth areas for mobile advertising and poses a huge opportunity for creative resonance, particularly in social and native environments. With the fund, brand partners and agencies alike can develop mobile-first campaigns, using video in a much more innovative way to increase the impact of their advertising with very little risk,” says Mark Slade, Managing Director, EMEA, Opera Mediaworks.
These campaigns must be less than 15 seconds in length and creatively designed for impact in an in-feed video environment. Opera Mediaworks will provide participating brands the option of receiving up to $10,000 for the creation of short form video ads plus $40,000 in media, or $50,000 in total media.
All Fund participants will work hand-in-hand with the Opera Mediaworks creative team to innovate campaigns according to established best practices for mobile video. Upon launch, the campaigns will be tracked, measured and evaluated for impact and effectiveness, and each campaign will be part of an industry-first research study for short form video on mobile.
In addition to funding the production and placement of mobile-first short form video creative assets for brands, the Short Form Video Fund works to elevate premium publishers across categories like entertainment, news, music and social which are taking advantage of AdColony’s feed-based, native video advertising in their mobile apps. The intent is to provide best-in-class, engaging and entertaining video for their users to foster a better app experience.
“Viewers consume mobile video very differently compared to other video channels, preferring shorter, less intrusive messaging that is easier to digest than traditional TV formats. That means the rules surrounding broadcast, pre-roll, and online channels don’t always apply, presenting a challenge for those investing in it,” says Robert Cootes, Commercial Director for Video, EMEA, Opera Mediaworks.
The Fund is one of the major video-focused initiatives stemming from Opera’s acquisition of AdColony in July 2014. AdColony’s proprietary Instant-Play™ HD video technology is fully integrated into Opera Mediaworks’ core mobile advertising platform, and together the combined companies are actively implementing AdColony-powered video products across their shared portfolio of advertiser and publisher offerings.
About Opera Mediaworks
Opera Mediaworks is one of the largest mobile advertising and marketing platforms in the world, reaching an audience of 1.4 billion consumers globally. We help clients deliver innovative brand experiences that evoke emotion and deliver real outcomes fueled by data, technology and creativity. Trusted by Fortune 500 brands and more than 85% of the world’s top grossing mobile publishers, we are an essential advertising and monetization platform to drive meaningful results on mobile. Known for our exclusive Instant-Play™ HD video technology, our global performance advertising business and our extensive ad SDK footprint in the Top 1000 apps worldwide, we are passionate about helping brands connect with consumers at scale on the most important screen in their lives. A fully-owned subsidiary of Opera ASA, Opera Mediaworks is a global organization with over 20 offices worldwide.