• by Aaron Baar , June 9, 2011

Emails from a "Nigerian prince" requesting people claim their winnings from the country's "national lottery" are annoying (and potentially dangerous) enough for consumers. But think about how much it's hurting the country of Nigeria.

Internet security firm Webroot takes the position of a Nigerian government official in one of three 30-second commercials breaking on the Internet this week. In one spot, "Babatunde Kolawole," Nigeria's "manager of digital affairs," speaks directly to the camera to clear up a few things. "There is no prince," he says. "We are not even a monarchy." He also adds that there's no national lottery and dismisses the idea of sending a check to him in exchange for cash as preposterous. The spot ends with a graphic proclaiming, "Don't let bad links happen to you."

Another execution features a trio of good-looking young women who have trouble finding love online because too many people think their link is a fraud, and a third shows a regretful man who clicked on a "male enhancement" link, only to have it spam his friends and family. "When you send a link to your mom asking her to increase her manhood, family dinners get a bit awkward," he says.

"It's time for the good people of Nigeria to reclaim their good name," Chris Benham, Webroot's chief marketing officer, tells Marketing Daily. "We're also saying it's very possible that there are attractive young women in your area looking for friends."

The commercials, from Boulder, Colo., agency TDA_Boulder, will be running on online sites such as FunnyOrDie.com, the SpotXChange ad network and PC World's Facebook page and are intended to support Webroot's overall positioning as a consumer's "online protector." While other antivirus and online protection companies often take a fear-based approach to get people to buy their products, Webroot has opted for humor, producing campaigns such as an online sobriety tests and encouraging people to "friend" the IRS's Facebook page.

"When we run these campaigns, the [increased Web traffic] is noticeable," Benham says. "Our increased banner click-throughs are four or five times the industry average."

The company has also approached online protection group iKeepSafe about possibly retagging the spots as public service announcements, Benham says. "We've had a relationship with them for awhile. So we reached out and shared them with their president," he says. "She was intrigued by the message and [felt] the humor was something people might actually watch."