Click to watch ads, not skip them

For me, ads have always been more entertaining than most TV shows out there. But in case I had any doubt, research has increasingly proven me that not everybody shares this opinion. That’s why I was a little surprised when I found out that soon we’ll have some websites online where their sole purpose will be to feature ads as a form of entertainment.

In October, Droga5, an ad agency in NY, will debut www.honeyshed.com, a new site that will offer 18-30 year olds product information in the form of entertaining video clips rather than traditional commercials. The USA Network will also climb aboard with www.didja.com, a site showcasing commercials and movie trailers and featuring social networking and tools that would let visitors make ads of their own.

“I don’t think it is so much about putting entertaining commercials on the web as it is about brands providing immersive experiences for consumers of which entertainment is a component,” said Mr. Jacobs of MRM, whose agency recently won praise for musical webisodes for Intel. http://youtube.com/watch?v=12Icxthmpis

It’ll be interesting to learn whether these sites will actually be able to constantly filter work in order to provide fresh content that lives up to their mission of entertainment. But if they succeed, these new sites could serve as a great playground to reach young consumers who are hungry for work that ‘speaks to them’ in an exciting and less traditional way than everyday TV ads.

Full article on NY times at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/17/business/media/17adco.html?_r=1&oref=slogin