Ad Industry Roundup: Microsoft; MSNBC; Local Ads; Chevrolet

Microsoft’s Seinfeld ads are a viral hit: While two ads featuring the odd couple of Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates were widely panned, online video tracker Visible Measures says the spots are soundly beating the software giant’s new “I’m A PC” ads by a margin of 4.3 million viral video views. Of course, Jerry/Bill had a head start. But after two weeks, Visible Measures says, those ads were still attracting more than 700,000 views per day, while the “PC” clips have tapered off to less than 50,000 views per day. The reason? All the hate sparked dialogue and interest online. Still, whether the $300 million campaign translates into building up Microsoft’s (NSDQ: MSFT) brand versus Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) remains to be seen.

MSNBC debuts self-serve ad program: With display advertising struggling, the news channel hopes a self-serve option will encourage small- to mid-sized businesses and local retailers to spend more on its site. The system, powered by tech provider AdReady, promises a complete banner ad program that includes geo-targeting and custom ad creation.

Marketers perplexed by local ads: Marketers want to use local websites for their ad efforts, but they just can’t figure it out. A survey of 150 national advertisers or agencies who work with local advertising found that nearly half of the respondents are pursuing local online ads. The survey, commissioned by Marchex and conducted by Sterling Market Intelligence, also said that while 40 percent are dedicating at least a quarter of their online ad budget to local targeting, only 10 percent are targeting down to the DMA, city or ZIP code level.

Chevy goes viral: General Motor’s Chevrolet will offer up to 10 free rides a day to college students on six campuses who make online videos of themselves in a Chevy Aveo5 hatchback. The videos will be posted within 24 hours of the ride to a dedicated site, AveoLivinLarge.com. From here, students can watch the videos, share it and embed it to their sites. Of course, there is a contest involved — how else to encourage interest? — and users will vote on the most viewed, with the winner getting a 2009 Chevy Aveo5.

loading

Comments have been disabled for this post