• by Masha Geller , August 21, 2002

You know it’s a slow news day when Reuters is talking about “advertainment” being “the future.” Not that I’m complaining. I’d love to see the day when people go out of their way to watch ads – online or off.

The story I’m talking about appeared on the newswires yesterday afternoon, saying that “the development of advertainment could become especially important to marketers as more consumers get access to technology like TiVo that lets them skip over boring ads. That will challenge the ad business to create ads that consumers really want to see.”

Reuters pointed out that the shift can already been seen on cable channels, with programs like E!'s "Anna Nicole Smith Show" carry a steady stream of promotional info at the margins of the screen, and Cox Communications launching a video-on-demand trial this week that lets consumers elect to watch longer ads from marketers like Coca-Cola Co and Kraft Foods.

The story referenced two sites out there that cater to ad junkies -- Ads.com and my personal favorite AdCritic.com, both of which maintain virtual libraries of 30-second TV spots. (As we near the slowest week of the advertising year, these two sites are just what procrastinators everywhere have been looking for!)

What must have caught Reuters’ attention is that both sites claim their “traffic numbers are steadily growing.” AdCritic’s President and Chief Executive John Atcheson was also quoted saying, "There are a bunch of things consumers want to find on the Web when an ad has caught their interest -- if they missed the 800 number, or couldn't read the fine print, or wanted to know what the music was.”

Yes, but does that mean that advertainment is really the future of the advertising industry? I wouldn’t go that far. Just keep in mind that an entertaining commercial is not necessarily an effective one, even if viewers go out of their way to watch it.