Have we seen the future of Web advertising?

Let’s play a little word association.  What is the first thing that comes to mind when I say Internet advertising?  Banners.  Pop-ups.  Annoying.  Irrelevant.  All true but what about relevant?  Interesting?  Cool?  Helpful?  And no, I’m not talking about Google.  I’m talking about Pandora.  I am a loyal user of Pandora’s Internet radio service.  However, it is not the music that has me buzzing.  It’s their advertising.  That may sound crazy to most of you but it’s true.  Pandora’s Internet advertising has me buzzing!

How can Internet advertising be interesting or compelling?  It is interesting AND compelling by changing the way that we think about Internet advertising.  Pandora does not sell the traditional and annoying banners but sells an advertising environment/experience.

What is the difference?  A banner represents a defined advertising space that is separate and distracting from the browsing experience.  Traditional banner ads have been at best hooky and obnoxious while Pandora’s advertising encapsulates the viewing environment with the ad.  This is compelling to me.  Moreover, it dramatically increases the likelihood that I would purchase what they are selling.

This is not completely new, as Myspace has been attempting the same experience on its log-on page for a while.  However, Pandora’s approach is far superior as it is not taking away from the user experience, it is the experience.  The goal of the Myspace log-on page is to get to your friends whereas Pandora’s goal is to provide you with an optimal music enjoying experience.  Thus, adding value and not disrupting the user experience.

I am highly impressed and recommend that marketers take notice.  Gone are the days of the banner ad, let’s welcome in the era of environmental Internet advertising.  I am excited about the brand engagement possibilities and the drastic improvement of Internet advertising and user experience.