All Ads All The Time On NBCU's New Didja.com

by Gavin O'Malley, Thursday, Aug 9, 2007 6:00 AM ET

TO CALL IT AN AD-SUPPORTED video-sharing site would be an understatement. Rather--on the premise that ads can be as entertaining as the shows they support--USA Network is preparing to launch a site to serve up ads exclusively. Scheduled to go live early next year, Didja.com will serve as a free archive of new and vintage TV spots, movie trailers and other brand-related content. "There's no doubt that commercials are major drivers of pop culture," said Bonnie Hammer, president, USA Network and Sci Fi Channel. "All you have to do is check out traffic on any video-sharing site. We want to own that watercooler conversation and become the go-to destination for on-demand advertising content." For the initiative, USA is relying heavily on the resources of parent company NBC Universal and its varied entertainment assets through the Universal Motion Picture Group; Universal Television Group, including NBC, USA Network, Sci Fi Channel, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC and the emerging networks; Universal Media Studios; NBCU Television Stations; NBCU Digital Media and iVillage. Following the lead of major video-sharing sites like YouTube, Didja.com will be laden with social networking features to encourage engagement and community building. As such, visitors can rate, vote, comment, and interact with the ads they dig up in the archive. Going a step further, the site's "mash-up" toolkit will enable users to create brand interpretations, tributes, and parodies with various editing and drawing tools. Other personalization features will let viewers customize the site's layout. For advertisers, the site allows them to unload content remotely through a turnkey interface where they have the option to enable social networking features and set timers to remove content on a predetermined date. In addition, customized brand pages will let them include additional product information and pre-sale tools such as store locators, coupons, and incentives. On the site, advertisers will be able to "interact with an engaged audience and extend their marketing budgets online," said Michael Pilot, president of NBCU ad sales. "Additionally, NBCU's clients will benefit from Didja.com's research capabilities, including virtual focus groups, behavioral targeting, and data mining." Pilot and his team are presently looking for five to ten charter advertisers for the Didja.com's launch, that can secure premium placement on the site, as well as cross-promotional opportunities.