• by April 9, 2004

It was inevitable.

America Online eventually had to join the modern age and move to a HTML-based publishing technology. This year, each of AOL's content channels will gradually segue onto the HTML platform. AOL's Sports and Personal Finance channels are among the content areas that have already shifted to HTML. The move to HTML underscores AOL's desire to drive content sampling among non-members and ultimately, conversions.

AOL's rickety and limited proprietary publishing tool, dubbed "Rainman," is being retired. The system had difficulties accepting rich media ad formats and generally, didn't allow the Time Warner unit to implement all the fabulous online media programs it could have. It's about time the rain went away.

AOL says its gradual shift to HTML, first reported in yesterday's USA Today, will allow it to deliver more content and programming via the Web. But the real kicker is that AOL's high-profile properties like Moviefone, AOL.com, Netscape and the unit's Digital City guides are slated to offer more content to non-members.

By delivering content to non-members, AOL hopes to convince them to become members sooner, rather than later. AOL lost 3 million subscribers in 2003. One of the key tools in AOL's bid to sign up broadband subscribers is AOL.com. The all-important, yet under-exploited AOL.com gateway has had a drastic makeover over the last several months, going from a barebones interface for retrieving email from the roads, to a significant promotional vehicle AOL Broadband. Go to AOL.com and you'll see what I'm talking about.

On AOL.com, there are sections on child-friendly surfing, descriptions of the AOL Broadband product, and why AOL is "Way Beyond E-mail." AOL claims to have had success in luring non-members to its broadband product via such channels as sports and personal finance but we have no numbers. Time Warner's April 28 earnings announcement ought to shed some light on this.

By placing more content outside of its so-called "walled garden," AOL hopes to lure more third-party content partners to its service. More content delivered in new and unusual ways, means more traffic and hopefully, more subscribers. Right now, AOL relies heavily on content from the Time Warner family. Here, we may see signs of AOL CEO Jon Miller's turnaround strategy coming to life.

AOL programming chief Jim Bankoff told USA Today that seguing to HTML will allow the unit to "have the option to grow our audiences beyond (AOL) onto the open Web." An example surfaced last week as AOL offered clips of an Usher concert from AOL Music to non-members. Frankly, AOL's been doing this for several months in small ways by first offering its broadband subscribers access to behind-the-scenes concert or special event footage, before offering the same content to its narrowband majority.

Rewind: Last night, a commercial for AOL Top Speed featuring AOL's broadband mantra, "It's faster, it's smarter, it's included," ran on NBC during primetime programming. The spot, a sendup on the 70's show "The Six Million Dollar Man," starring Lee Majors as the bionic man, shows AOL being rebuilt for speed-being rebuilt for broadband. Surely, there was never a more accurate metaphor for what's happening at AOL.

The bionic spot, a new iteration of an ad theme that broke last year, was conceived under the Len Short administration with Omnicom Group's BBDO, New York. Short exited AOL in late January, but it's nice to see that some of the creative themes live on.

I'm just happy the grungy Top Speed motorcycle gang has finally been kicked to the curb.