On Niche Sites, Advertisers Want Originality
Reuters, Monday, April 28, 2008 11:16 AM
Sites like IAC/InterActiveCorp.'s CollegeHumor.com are finding that the online ad model for niche sites has completely changed in recent years. Whereas advertisers used to buy standard online ad formats, like banners, and then ask for a creative extra or two, "now advertisers won't even talk to you unless you have a great topline idea, something cool," said CollegeHumor.com founder Ricky Van Veen. "They use the banners and the rest of the stuff to support the deal."
The result has been custom-built sponsorships with brands like Sprint Nextel Corp, Doritos and P&G's Old Spice. One of the most successful of these deals came from a partnership with Unilver's Axe brand, which has been noted for having a willingness to experiment with its marketing campaigns. Through the CollegeHumor site, Axe invited users to submit video clips for its "World's Dirtiest Film" contest, which drew more than a million visitors. The humor site's latest partnership, sponsored by Virgin Mobile, offers a paid summer job for the winner of a comedy writing contest.
Meanwhile, CollegeHumor co-founder Josh Abramson said that economic woes haven't really affected the site, which generates about 6 million monthly viewers. "Spending as a whole is down," he said. "But people are still desperately trying to reach our audience."
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The result has been custom-built sponsorships with brands like Sprint Nextel Corp, Doritos and P&G's Old Spice. One of the most successful of these deals came from a partnership with Unilver's Axe brand, which has been noted for having a willingness to experiment with its marketing campaigns. Through the CollegeHumor site, Axe invited users to submit video clips for its "World's Dirtiest Film" contest, which drew more than a million visitors. The humor site's latest partnership, sponsored by Virgin Mobile, offers a paid summer job for the winner of a comedy writing contest.
Meanwhile, CollegeHumor co-founder Josh Abramson said that economic woes haven't really affected the site, which generates about 6 million monthly viewers. "Spending as a whole is down," he said. "But people are still desperately trying to reach our audience."
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