Rocketboom Selling Ads on Ebay

Rocketboom, the darlings of the videoblog explosion, are auctioning a week’s worth of advertising on eBay (currently $5001.00). The interesting part is that Rocketboom will have complete control over the creation of the ads, the purchaser must give up all rights and accept the ads Rocketboom produces. I don’t think too many advertisers will worry about that because they know Rocketboom is a well put together three minutes and can trust them. Seeing as the price is already at five grand, I don’t think I’m going too far out on a limb with that statement.

Now other vlog creators are watching this with open eyes and commenting they’d also like to do the same thing with their vlog. I’m not so sure that will happen.

Rocketboom has over 130,000 downloads a day and even Tivo recognized them by including the show on its online services. Rocketboom is in a unique position to make this type of demand - total creative control - and to make it work. I don’t think your average vlog with an audience of 100 people is going to put a lot of faith in the minds of a Fortune 500 company’s marketing department. However, I do think for the right vlog, it makes a lot of sense to hand over that trust to the producers to handle. Rather than a 15-second ad at the end that looks tacked on, I can see Rocketboom, and other larger vlogs if this works, nicely integrating the advertising and making it seem like it belongs. Which is exactly what will be expected by the audience these vlogs have, these are the people that are wary of the marketing they see every day and aren’t afraid to “change the channel” if they don’t like what they’re seeing.

I can’t wait to see who wins the auction and how the ads look.