• by Masha Geller , July 3, 2001

Tomorrow is a holiday and since everyone around me is in a rather jovial mood, I was originally going to talk about something pleasant - about the fact that most of us are still around having survived the first half of this horrible year, how things are looking up, etc. But then this ridiculous press release landed on my desk, and I just have to rant.

First off, the release, titled "New Advertising Product to Cure Online Advertising Ills" starts with "Full Page Banner Ad (FPBA) promises to usher in a new era of growth for online advertising companies." My immediate reaction, of course, is "Yeah! Sure it does!"

According to the release, the FPBA can more than double the ad-serving firms' revenue without needing to increase their current client base, or their sales or technological infrastructures. Intrigued yet?

Developers of this new thing, California-based FPBA Group, say the FPBA is a full-page ad displayed on the primary browser session in between page loads. It does not launch a pop-up window and does not interfere with the main browsing session. The ad is cachet to the user's computer after downloading of the main session page, and launched when the user leaves the main session page.

The ad, they say, is not cluttered by surrounding content, and is timed to appear when the consumer has nothing else to focus on. A multimedia version of the ad, incorporating audio and video flash components is also available where the ads play like a short commercial in a rich media environment.

"This product is the killer app that the online advertising companies need in order to take this industry to the next level." said Co-Managing Partner and Founder Steven Cho.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, and agree that yes, the FPBA might take the industry to the next level. On paper, the idea does have merit. But the fact remains - the very sound of "killer app" leads to skepticism and downright violent rejection in most advertising minds nowadays. Have these guys learned nothing about unrealistic promises and unfulfilled expectations in this past year?

That off my chest, I wish you a happy 4th and hope to see you back here on Thursday, ready to tackle whatever the next 6 months bring.