Superpages.com has launched a beta trial of local video advertising which allows local small to medium-sized businesses to showcase their products and services via 30 or 60 second video within SuperPages.com search results.

Superpages.com Video is currently performing a trial run in the Seattle , Los Angeles , and San Francisco Bay areas. Additional cities will be added in the next few months. The videos are filmed by professional crews on the customers’ premises.

Recent comScore video matrix rankings showed that Americans watched more than 7 billion online video streams during March 2007. As more and more consumers engage with videos online, spending on online local video advertising is projected to increase significantly; according to Borrell Associates, up to $5 billion annually in the next few years.

“There is a clear trend in advertising as more consumers are willing to engage with videos online,” said Eric Chandler, President – Internet for Idearc Media. “Superpages video advertising allows small to medium-sized local businesses the opportunity to tell their unique story in a new medium. These ‘documercials’ also let consumers take an up-close and personal look at a business before making a buying decision.”

Superpages.com also adds that “No other online local search player (Google, Yahoo or MSN) nor Internet yellow pages provider (Dex or Yellowpages.com) has the video advertising model that we have.”