Rocketboom Does Ebay
Published by Jennifer Rundle on 31 Jan 2006 at 9:56 pm.
3 Comments.
Filed under Vlog News.
As many vloggers try to figure out creative and innovative ways of making money while vlogging instead of making money to spend on video blogging, Rocketboom has done just that.
Yesterday the folks at Rocketboom announced that they are selling five advertising spots at the tail end of their vlog to the highest bidder on Ebay. Each of the five Rocketboom-original commercials will last from 15 seconds to one minute and will run Monday, March 6 through Friday, March 10. According to the description on Ebay, the ads will contain no blatant product placement, and the porn and gambling industries are excluded from consideration. There are currently 8 days left to bid on the spots, and the current price of the ads is over 7,600 (reserve not yet met).
Just like any other post, the ads will remain in Rocketboom’s archives along with their videos in perpetuity, so interested consumers can view the ads in perpetuity as well. Although those at Rocketboom are selling these spots, they are still reserving the rights to solely own the content under the Creative Commons License.
So what does this mean for video bloggers? This daring move will likely get the attention and publicity following the first-ever sale of a major advertisement in the vlogosphere. This may mean more opportunities for established and fledgling vloggers trying to make it without breaking the bank. Perhaps this move will spark interest among large companies to be at the forefront of new opportunities in advertising. This could also mean the beginning of a(nother) long debate over why people vlog and perhaps even a shift in the current culture of videoblogging.
One thing is for certain; change is happening, my friends.
For more information about making money in the vlogosphere, see Ted Tagami’s excellent article on Income from vlogging. And don’t forget to get on over to Rocketboom and check out their ad specs–who knows, perhaps your bid will win.
$$$ on 31 Jan 2006 at 11:02 pm: 1
Reserve not met? It will be funny if the bidding closes and RB doesn’t hit their own expectations. Any idea what it could be - 10K, 25K, 50K… dare they ask 100K?
Sure RB will offer exposure to an advertiser, but there is very little chance that viewers will watch these custom commercials and be converted into paying customers. However, RB does deserve credit for creating a buzz around this gimmick. Worst case senario, this will have provided some decent promotion for RB.
Even if it does works, ads on RB will grow old quick - to both sponsors and viewers.
Michael Meiser on 1 Feb 2006 at 5:05 pm: 2
Well, it’s getting there. It’s at like 11k now, no idea what the reserve is, but it’s not there yet. I’m sure we’re all rooting for them. Everyone is at least curious.
chuck on 2 Feb 2006 at 1:13 am: 3
Here’s a good podcast interview with Andrew and Amanda from “The Sound of Young America” podcast.