In the world of web search, we often recoil in disgust at the thought of buying advertising on the Internet. Likewise, I often hear web entrepreneurs and search marketers decry the lack of value in traditional web advertising - banner ads, overlays, pop-ups, etc. However, there are ways it can be done effectively, and I've got a few examples to share. These are my personal favorites - not only do I think they effectively advertise for the buyer, they're also excellent monetization techniques for the content provider - a very rare combination.

Techmeme's Sponsored Posts

I love what Gabe has done at Techmeme with advertising, because it's so much more valuable to both readers and advertisers than standard banner ads or mind-numbing Google AdSense. In fact, I actually find myself clicking and reading 2-3 sponsored posts each week off the site - which is remarkable. Think about it... Can you picture yourself clicking 2-3 display ads of any kind off of any site?

NBC's "Sponsored" Online Versions of Popular Shows

Finally, someone in the world of traditional media seems to be "getting" the web. NBC shows 3 mini-commercials (~10 seconds each, all for the same advertiser) inside a reasonably high quality, full-screen-able version of their TV shows. Mystery Guest watches these in our home office while she works out on our elliptical, and occasionally we'll crash in there together if there's something we've forgotten to Tivo. The advertiser also gets a permanent display on the screen next to the video (if you don't make it full screen), as in the above screen capture with T-Mobile.

BTW - Yes, I have a huge crush on Tina Fey's Liz Lemon character. She actually reminds me a lot of Mystery Guest. :)

Hakia's Blogger Quote Ads

I really enjoy the idea that Hakia is taking banner ads and customizing them to the actual site they reside on. Not only that, but they use real quotes from the blogger/owners of those sites, which is a great way to actually get readers to pay attention. I'm betting that CTR on those is significantly higher than a standard banner ad, and the engagement value with the thought leaders is an excellent bonus.

StumbleUpon's Stumbletising

StumbleUpon has created what could be the very best contextual, demographic-targeted ad system I've seen. There's several brilliant components that make it great:

1. You're catching people at a time when they're not only willing but actively requesting to be shown random, interesting content.
2. The subtlety of the ad feature makes it feel like you're stumbling on any other site.
3. You get instant feedback - thumbs up and down - on the campaign from a wide swath of visitors
4. Brand exposure is a given - they're not just seeing an ad, they're actually on your website
5. You can choose your target - Stumbleupon lets you select which segments of their audience you want to reach

Listen up carefully Reddit, Netscape & Digg - you should be figuring out how to make a combination of this and the Techmeme model work for you. It's not right for every advertiser, but it's a huge step forward.

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