Online Video Vernacular

Below is a glossary of some online video terms frequently in use:

Alpha video
Animations that pop up on the page without affecting its other content or functionality. An alpha video can be a sponsor’s mascot or spokesperson, for instance.

In-stream advertising
Ads that run within the video content, either as a pre-roll, post-roll or mid-roll.

CPM (Cost Per Thousand)
The amount of money an advertiser pays for every 1,000 times an ad is seen on a Web page.

Mash-up tools
Editing software tools that let a user to take the video they are watching and combine that with other video or other content to form new content. For example, a user could take clips of a certain video and combine them with other video to make a new video.

Overlays/Flash overlays
Ads shown on the bottom 1/3 of the video screen consisting mostly of text with minimal graphics. The overlays can be clicked on to take the user to other content, such as a sponsor’s Web site or a full-length ad.

Post-roll
A video advertisement shown at the end of the video a user has selected to view. Typically 15 or 30 seconds in length.

Pre-roll
A video advertisement that plays before the start of a video that a user has selected to play shown prior to the user's selected content starting to play. Typically 15 or 30 seconds in length.

Pre-roll bumpers
Short pre-roll video ads or content previews shown before a user's selected content starts to play. Typically 8 seconds in length.

Product and brand integration
A video that includes identifiable products or logos embedded into a video’s content, such as a character in the video is holding a brand-name can of soft drink.

Rate card
The price list of the various forms of advertising on a particular Web site.

Reminder unit
A static ad that runs outside a video player, below a video ad from the same advertiser.

Reservation-purchase basis
An advance reservation for an ad, meaning the ad must be bought and reserved in advance.

Roadblock
Full-screen ad that usually takes over the home page of a Web site when a visitor lands there. The ads, which can usually be bypassed by users who can find a “skip this ad” message, can run for any length of time. Most run 15 or 20 seconds. Alt. def: An advertising package that gives a sponsor all the ad units on a Web site.

Video ads
Ads in the form of a video, rather than a banner, display or text ad.

Video buy
An ad buy involving video.