Advanced Video Practice Launched by Ogilvy & Mather

With digital video emerging as the fastest growing form of interactive content being distributed and consumed online, Ogilvy & Mather has formally launched a specialty video practice, a unit that has been in development for two years. Ogilvy's Advanced Video Practice works with brands to take video engagement beyond the "viral" view; targeting measureable engagements that place viewers directly into the sales funnel. Over the past two years the team has been developing strategic interactive video experiences for IBM, Nestle, DuPont and other global clients. The practice has evolved and expanded as more clients seek to martial the growing opportunities in the online video space. "We created a unique offering at a time when even the major online video sites had not yet started thinking about how to maximize the value of their own content for marketers," said John Seifert, CEO of Ogilvy & Mather North America. "Our results with clients using the Ogilvy Advanced Video practice are impressive and we are now making it a distinct practice area to reflect the changes and opportunities in our business." The new practice augments a number of growing Ogilvy specialty areas in the new media space including Digital Influence, search optimization and search marketing, creative, content strategy and social selling. It is led by Robert John Davis, an interactive media veteran who joined Ogilvy in 2008, after leading Rainbow Media's cable network websites, and serving as MTV Networks' first Executive Producer of Convergence. "The industry thus far has taken a 'build it and they will come' approach," said Davis. "The reality is, the marketplace is much more advanced than that. It is not just 'TV 2.0' – a new way to get TV programs online. This is a vibrant, interactive engagement medium that goes beyond watching videos to engaging with videos. As advanced video opportunities continue to grow across mobile and device-oriented experiences, maximizing this channel is vital for a brand's success. Video is too important to treat as an add-on to TV or web marketing efforts."