The New Advertising: 10 Prime Pieces of Web-Based Product Promotion

Sat, Jul 5, 2008, by R J Evans

Do you ever feel that the ad breaks are more interesting than the shows? The same could now be said of the Internet as advertisers look for new and interesting ways to promote their products. Here are 10 prime pieces of recent Webvertising – from the bizarre to the blatant.

Nolaf

Tostitos really take the long route around the block to get their message across here in a website that zooms in on the organization called NOLAF (geddit?). That stands for the National Organization for Legislation Against Fun – which is opposed to anything that you might enjoy. A slow burn message, this interactive website will suck you in and keep you there for ages. You may not realize it’s for Tostitos for a long time. The creators of this webpage should not have been paid because it looks like it was way too much fun to create!
Magnum Manor

Eva Longoria shamelessly makes hay – and lots of money presumably – while the sun shines in this website made for lovers of a certain chunky ice cream. As you might expect, Eve surrounds herself with hunky men and an entourage of “assistants”, such as a Shamen, a gardener and of course the obligatory butler. Good fun for the ladies (and gay men, indeed!) who want to have a few cheap thrills and don’t mind being bombarded with sales messages at the same time!
Mr Centrino

The Intel Corporation gives you a picture of the weekend of Mr Centrino – through nine different web cams. This site is mainly in Japanese but you do not need the language to grasp the central idea – that Intel chips are the best (certainly according to this site!). A fun way to have the advertising message thrust down your throat, if not just a little bit weird!
A Glass and a Half Full Productions

Internet advertising, possibly at its best. Cadbury’s surprised and delighted TV viewers in the UK with their “Studio” advert which will never let you think of Phil Collins in the same way again. An advert that became viral almost immediately on its release, the website offers you eight remixes from some of your favorite bands. Also featured is the newer ad featuring a variety of airport vehicles having fun to a Queen soundtrack. There is very little to do with the product in the content but you will not forget who the ads are for quickly, so it does it job quite cleverly.
Tower of Terror

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A spooky Bell Boy in a 1930s hotel populated by ghosts is your guide to Disney’s latest addition to its DisneyLand Paris attraction. One of the funnier parts of this site is seeing what happens to a stray dog when it wanders in to the Tower of Terror lift. This is direct and unsubtle marketing but is enjoyable enough especially if you are considering visiting and want a good reason to sue afterwards when it doesn’t live up to your expectations!
White Gold

Enjoy a little Rock and Roll and a tall glass of milk? This site allows you to discover and uncover the dark secrets of a band called White Gold. The makers of this site may have watched Spinal Tap once too often but it is a new take on a product that is notoriously difficult to market in an interesting way. This web experience made me laugh out loud at times, while of course not forgetting the message that milk is in fact very, very good for you. Er, yes, right.
Max Fan

Gary Smith loves soccer but, being a common sort of Brit, he may be difficult to understand so the first thing this site does is give you a subtitle test to see if you can understand him. Those non British folks reading his should, I warn you, keep the subtitles on as otherwise you might get lost in this amusing site that mixes soccer with a certain soft drink. Ask any Brit and they will tell you that it is not soft drinks that go with the beautiful game at all, though this is a nice try from Pepsimax to convince us otherwise!
Going Underground

The first rule of RAOC is that there are no rules of RAOC. The second is to ignore the first rule. You get the idea. Join the underground movement to commit Random Acts Of Cheetos. In my experience people do not need to bolster themselves up with a few cheesy corn thingies to get a day off work sick for example. However, if you like to cheat a little every now and again you will find this entertaining if flagrantly in your face product placement.
The Happiness Factory

If you don’t mind your kids being exposed to ten tones of subliminal advertising, then they will probably love this site and it will keep them busy and entertained for hours. They can join the staff of the Happiness Factory and conduct various tasks to gain those Happiness Points. They can also watch the cartoon adventures of the staff. A lot of sickly sweet fun to be had here, even though I thought the Kissy Puppy character was worrying to say the least!
Shower Gel?

A young man’s car explodes in the dessert and he must find his way home. Unfortunately, a series of dangerous damsels have others ideas. A slightly titillating series of shorts for Axe shower gel, this may prove a little too near the edge for some tastes. However, as an example of product placement for the sheer hell of it and some old fashioned advertising given a new format, this is difficult to beat. You get the choice to continue as the young man’s escapades get more and more dangerous – with only his shower gel to help him! Quite ludicrous but entertaining enough if you are of the right mindset!