Thought I'd give you a heads up on something that's not quite a new ad format, but is nevertheless very noteworthy. It's not up as of this minute, but sometime today, online portal
About.com ["The Human Internet"] said it will unveil a really interesting new promotion.
According to company officials, for the next two weeks, visitors will
see changes to the company logo throughout the service. As a special offering to About's new ad partner, Nabisco, the portal is going to replace their Red Ball with various spinning Life Savers
candies.
Nabisco is sponsoring a sweepstakes that will offer users the chance to win 20,000 prizes, including a Volkswagen Beetle. When a user clicks on the spinning Life Saver they will be
transported to About's homepage where a pop-up window will appear. Clicking on the pop-up will take the user to the Life Saver's site - http://www.candystand.com/wtht.
According to About.com, the company is trying something new, testing the viability of brand sharing as well as proving
the power of the About brand. As always, they say, the portal is looking for ways to diversify their product line and offer partners new ways to meet their goals.
"This unique advertising
deal will enable us to build brand awareness as well as explore further opportunities in the future," they said.
Pros and cons of brand sharing and banding online aside, I simply think these
guys deserve a lollipop for originality.