Meebo Creates New Ad Model
Michael Arrington at TechCrunch reported about a new ad model created by instant message chat aggregator Meebo. Faced with an interesting problem that their average user sits on the site for 2.5 hours without a page refresh, Meebo realized that the typical method of selling ads by impression was never going to work. Instead, ads are treated sort of like skins, where the users can add them to their backgrounds, create icons, and access related content. They can also deny the ad. They push a new ad during the session - up to five times per session.
This is similar to a promotional model in place on Microsoft’s popular video game platform XBOX Live. Through the XBOX 360, users can download free themes and gamerpics (like big buddy icons). When applied, a theme changes the background image of every page (called a blade) in the XBOX Live interface. I have seen movies, tv shows, and products promoted this way. Missing from this mode,l but present in the Meebo solution, is the path to click through to the product site or download additional content like MP3’s and videos.
This approach is intriguing to me because, unlike a traditional ad, this has the potential to give the user something in return for taking their time and attention. If they can manage to target the ad well, so a fan of hardcore punk music isn’t fed a Beonce’ ad, then the users may come to appreciate what would otherwise be considered an intrusion.
And it’s a boatload more appealing than those annoying AOL ads or AOL popups. It may explain this trend:
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