It's a big ad unit when it first appears on the page, but it shrinks in 3 seconds flat, which is one reason web users shouldn't mind it too much. That's what WSJ.com is saying about the Brand Launch
Unit the publisher introduced this week.
When users log onto the site, they see a unit that is two and a half times the size of the standard homepage ad unit (300 x 250 pixels), but after three
seconds the BLU shrinks back to the standard size.
Large size ads are often considered intrusive, but WSJ.com is not worried about any adverse effects. "There are a lot of disruptive techniques but
our subscriber base will tolerate them because they're interested in the advertisers," says Randy Kilgore, executive director of sales, alluding to recent WSJ.com studies about how users prefer
getting information about products online.
The unit is called Brand Launch because it will be used by advertisers to launch new products. Large size units are ideal for "giving advertisers the
opportunity to get their messages across for new campaigns and product launches. On the front page of WSJ.com, it really stands out," Kilgore says. The unit will only run on the first page of WSJ.com
with a frequency cap of one so users only see it once a day.
The first advertiser was Oracle. Others are lined up but Kilgore wouldn't identify them.
The unit won't be sold on a CPM basis, but
as part of a package for large advertisers. "Only advertisers who make a significant buy can have it and we'll only run it twice a week," Kilgore says.
The unit is similar to CNET's Impact Launch
unit, which was launched last October. Like the BLU, it opens big and closes to a standard size after three seconds. "We worked with them on it," Kilgore says, explaining the similarities are due to
the desire to standardize the format, like the new IAB units.
Michael Zimbalist, executive director of the Online Publishers Association, says the new unit "delivers impactful advertising and fits
in well with the editorial environment. It doesn't stay there too long, so it doesn't interrupt their reading." He likens the unit to traditional media. "It's entertaining and informative like TV and
magazines, which is difficult for the Web to replicate with its small size ads."
The unit, plus CNET's and another by USAtoday.com, are emblematic of a new format trend. "Publishers are doing the
innovations now," Zimbalist says. "They have a long tradition of working with advertisers."