The drinking hour
The company sold Budweiser an ad campaign based on several facets, including wallpaper. The chief part, however, is based on ads appearing during a certain time and day. Budweiser will be featured on the MarketWatch site during "happy hour" around the country on Fridays for the rest of the year, appealing to the site's "mainly male, high income" demographic that is primed for a beer after work at the end of the week, according to Kramer.
The ad is in two parts: One is a banner at the top right of the page depicting a beer being poured. The second is a "skyscraper," or lengthwise ad, at the right side of the page, showing a tall Budweiser glass being filled.
"We're now going after, one by one, people like Budweiser that have a major brand that can target consumers at the right time of the day," Kramer said.
The wallpaper facet places Budweiser logos in the background of "data driven" pages such as its quote page. But some Web visitors have complained about the intrusive style of the wallpaper ads, Kramer said.
"It's a little overwhelming because they're showing up on all the pages. We're obviously going to adjust that," he said. "The problem is that it's the first day of this particular (campaign); it should probably be a little lighter. We'll tone it down a little."
Budweiser could not be reached for comment.
Jupiter's Gluck expressed doubts about the widespread adoption of the wallpaper ad.
"It's going to get them some initial press, but until they can qualify those initial impressions, many advertisers won't think it's worth it," she said.
