Make the impression count

Goodmail Systems has developed a way to insert, and play, videos within email messages.

At present, the only way to incorporate video into emails is to invite users to visit a site where the video is hosted. But Goodmail's system, Certified Video, circumvents the hassle of click-through and is tailor-made for media companies, writes MediaPost (via MediaBuyerPlanner).

As an example of how the system can be used, TV networks and movie studios can embed movie trailers or promos for upcoming TV episodes. The accompanying email can provide printable discounts on snacks or movie tickets.

Goodmail will distribute the system in 2009, in partnership with AOL, Yahoo, Cox, Comcast and others. Concert promoter Live Nation is among the premiere advertisers, along with a major cable news network and a leading newspaper that aggressively prioritizes online video. (The New York Times — which focuses significant energy on building an engaging online presence — could be the label in question. It began embedding online video into relevant news stories earlier this year.)

Goodmail is a startup based in Mountain View, CA. Last month it raised $20 million in funding from investors led by Bessemer Venture Partners to support its email-certification business.

Internet users watched a whopping 13.5 billion videos in October, an increase of 45% over October '07, reports comScore Video Metrix.