• by Masha Geller , February 28, 2003

Not to end the week on a grouchy note, but the announcement below annoyed me. We have enough online ad vehicles with undefined value propositions to keep coming up with more. Better yet, aren’t there enough things on our desktops that pop, move, change and otherwise annoy us? Do we really need more? Apparently so.

This morning, ScreenTime Media unveiled a new software program that promises to make it possible for marketers to create branded computer wallpaper with dynamic updating capabilities that can be used to deliver new product announcements, promotions and other information directly to users' desktop screens on a regular basis. ScreenTime says the wallpaper's presence on the desktop allows marketers to deliver multiple impressions every day after end users download it from a marketer's website and use it to personalize their PCs. Marketers can continually refresh the content with dynamic components ranging from new product information to coupons, special offers, event calendars, photos, and buttons allowing users to order merchandise or link directly to a site.

For example, ScreenTime says, movie distributors can use SWF Desktop wallpaper as part of a campaign to build interest before a film's opening day by providing a day-by-day countdown and buttons enabling users to pre-order tickets. ScreenTime Media also makes similar products for building interactive screen savers for use as corporate marketing tools.

The idea sounds pretty good in press-release form, but I have a serious problem with thinking out of the box before figuring out what’s in the box itself. For one, how often do you sit there and watch your desktop wallpaper? How often do you even notice it? The point is, innovation is great, but let's not spread ourselves too thin.