• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, April 16, 2008

Chrysler will be the first marketer to take advantage of Bravo's new "L-Bar" opportunity, where an advertiser can use the "L-shaped" real estate created as the on-screen action shrinks into the upper right.

The "L-bar" debuts June 12 during Bravo's first "A-List Awards," which the network says honors creative standouts in fields such as design, fashion and food. How Chrysler will use the technology during the show is still being determined.

Bravo devised the "L-bar" as a way to promote viewer interaction with advertiser initiatives. For example, as the series "Top Chef" continues and the screen shrinks by 20% to open up the "L," a marketer could ask a trivia question. Viewers could then text in an answer, or do so at a Web site, with the chance to enter a sweepstakes.

A marketer could also sponsor a poll about, say, favorite contestants. Opinions then sent in via text or online could be seen tallying up within the "L" in real time.

Aside from the actual show, the "L" can be used during a marketer's commercial, allowing an advertiser to prompt viewers to call a number to receive added information or a coupon.

"It's so new and so customizable that we don't even know [everything] it can do," said Susan Malfa, who heads sales at Bravo.

Malfa said one benefit for advertisers is the opportunity to get "immediate feedback." How a specific call to action performs, for example, as a show airs is easily trackable. The real estate is also DVR-proof. It allows a marketer to post a logo, Web address or special promotion on-screen as the action continues.