Does Web Video Need a Sheriff?

“It’s a real issue, and everybody’s just ignoring it,” said ClearStream founder Brian Mandelbaum. “This really needs to be addressed. Our mission is to make online video way more transparent.”

ClearStream claims it can help advertisers identify what sort of content appears within a Web video player during the time their ad is set to run. Mandelbaum claims that his technology can “ingest” millions of videos across the Web — essentially screen them, identify what kind of content is being delivered (sports, food, etc), fingerprint those videos, and quality score them. ClearStream can score all this video in near real time, says Mandelbaum, providing brands a read on where their content is running just minutes after their ads are delivered.

Plus, ClearStream says it can address all those fundamental, nagging questions brands worry about with Web video campaigns: Are my ads being delivered within video content or being auto-streamed within a banner? Are they above or below the fold?

“This allows the advertiser to understand what they are advertising in,” said Mandelbaum, a former ad agency executive. “Everybody is focused on the audience in this business. The who. We’re focused on what, when and how. And we’re equally focused on the context. This is a lean-forward, engagement medium. We’re not going to get the Procter & Gambles of the world to invest if they don’t understand [or feel comfortable with what they are buying]. We’ve got to be more like TV.”

Mandelbaum expects brands and advertisers will push to use ClearStream’s technology, with publishers most likely picking up the check. Sure, but doesn’t ClearStream add yet another middleman to the overloaded ad process? And won’t publishers balk at paying another charge?

Well, for one, if ClearStream delivers on its promise, verification costs will become less necessary, argues Mandelbaum. Plus, he think he’ll be able to help publishers by better valuing their inventory, creating more tiers based on ClearStream’s content-scoring system. “We’re here to help publishers,” Mandelbaum said.

The jury is still out on the effectiveness. Mandelbaum says that he’s got one advertiser and one agency on board testing the product and plans to begin introducing the product to the rest of the industry over the next few months.