Consumers Talking Back to Weblogs, Inc Interactive Ads

Here comes Cluetrain advertising and a move forward for consumer empowerment. A look at the comments being left in Focus-Ads, which Weblogs, Inc. launched in March, show that readers welcome the opportunity to publicly leave testimonials or brickbats about ads and/or the products in them.

The program launched on Autoblog.com and Endgadget.com.

Weblogs says the ad help readers to gain insight and help advertisers to create a better product or service. "Our advertisers participate because they believe in their brands and are willing to improve them through the feedback of enthusiasts," says Shawn Gold of Weblogs.

Power to the people
Blog readers are influencers, Gold says, and they’re an informed and vocal bunch. If response is negative, advertisers have the opportunity to learn and adjust. Non-constructive posts or personal attacks may be rejected, but advertisers may choose to be sent all comments.

Whether or not Focus-Ads ultimately prove to be winners, blog readers are currently winning with more power to influence the products and ads that compete for their attention. As Gold puts it, "This is day one in a never-ending trend of consumer empowerment."

It's a bold experiment and one which shows an understanding of the way consumers use the Internet for shopping research and venting. Twenty-five percent of search engine results now show consumer-generated content, from blogs to gripe Websites to epinions and other consumer opinion sites. It's forward-thinking indeed of advertisers to be the ones providing the outlet.

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