About 703 days ago Blogging and Social Media | Internet and Online Business | Online Marketing

Will Users Force Friends to See Ads?

New link-shortener Bre.ad bets they will.
Posted on June 16, 2011 by Minda Zetlin
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You post a link to a video or site you want your friends to see on Facebook or Twitter. But before they can get there they’ll have to spend five seconds looking at an ad—that you’ve created.

Do you like this idea? The folks at Bre.ad are betting that you do, and that you’ll use your five seconds to display a link to your favorite cause or charity or album—especially ones by Lady Gaga or 50 Cent who are both backers of the startup. One handy feature: You can shorten any URL by sticking “bre.ad/” in front of it.

TechCrunch likes the idea. PCWorld loathes it. Either way, the company claims that 10,000 people signed up for the service in its first four days.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the .ad URL belongs to the Principality of Andorra located between France and Spain.

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  • http://twitter.com/annekejong anneke jong

    The beauty of Bre.ad is that it isn’t just for marketers. It empowers anyone to recommend causes and brands that they love. The key is that users voluntarily choose 100% of the content they share with friends and followers. We all know personalized recommendations from friends can be more effective than regular ads. Bre.ad is a fun way to learn about friends’ interests.

  • http://twitter.com/IndyMarketplace Indy MarketPlace

    Great tool for the blogger, easy to use and free, what more can a bootstrapper ask for in simple ad placement.