• by January 23, 2004

WeatherBug, a popular ad-supported desktop PC application, is giving new meaning to the idea of consumer control over advertising. Consumers who have downloaded the desktop application will now be able to choose a single advertiser to sit on their desktops for a month without being interrupted by other offers.

Previously, WeatherBug's Sponsor Select program allowed consumers to select an advertiser from among several categories, and they would view the marketer's message for a couple of days. After the two-day viewing period, consumers were placed back into a pool to receive a variety of ads across categories for the rest of the month.

"We decided to give consumers complete control over their ads, instead of giving them a sponsor for a few days," says Andy Jedynak, WeatherBug's senior-VP and general manager. "Once they've selected their sponsor for a few days, all the [other] ads go away for the rest of the month." The ads, mostly rich media-enabled, link directly to an advertiser's Web page. The goal, according to WeatherBug, is to deepen the relationship between the marketer and the individual to deliver better results. At the end of the month, consumers are asked to choose another advertiser from among the WeatherBug categories. Consumers can also opt not to choose a sponsor. Those who "opt-out" will see targeted ads that integrate into content, and run-of-site display ads, and pop-under ads.

Jedynak says the upgraded product will create "a clutter-free relationship between the sponsor and the person who selected them." The Gaithersburg, Md.-based company says that two-thirds of its users want to choose their own advertiser. Astra-Zeneca's Nexium, Pfizer's Benadryl, American Express, and DaimlerChrysler are among the Sponsor Select advertisers.

Video Professor, a Lakewood, Co.-based marketer of instructional CD-ROMs, finds that conversion rates are better with WeatherBug ad programs than with cost-per-click campaigns. "We're able to communicate with consumers multiple times and have a few chances for them to purchase," says Walter Long, business development manager at Video Professor. Long notes that cost-per-click campaigns offer only one opportunity to convert consumers, "We're seeing much better conversions with WeatherBug," Long says, although he declined to cite specific data.

ComScore Networks' comScore Media Metrix reports that WeatherBug had 16.4 million unique visitors in December. WeatherBug says it has racked up 30 million downloads since its launch in 2000.