As part of its global, content-led digital campaign, The Economist has recently introduced a new ad unit called the ‘10 second MPU’.
The ad, placed by UM London and developed by Proximity London, draws inspiration from ‘blipvert’ advertising.
The format allows the reader to sample and digest reading content in a very quick and efficient manner.
The 10 second gif ad introduces Economist content by allowing viewers to quickly read the first sentence of an article. After the 10 second sentence has finished, viewers are asked to click on the ad in order to read the remainder of the article.
This first blipvert ad unit includes the first sentence of a recent Economist leader titled, “More bang for your buck”, which describes how technology and the internet has changed the business of prostitution.
UM London, The Economist’s media agency for this campaign, has placed the MPU ad in high impact areas through programmatic advertising for maximum exposure.
Alan King, Managing Partner, Digital, at UM commented on this new aspect of the campaign: “We are very excited to continue to work with The Economist on such an innovative and digital-first brand campaign. The new 10 second digital ad demonstrates our commitment to introducing The Economist’s quality content in an innovative and surprising manner.”
Mark Cripps, head of digital acquisition for The Economist, added: “I was fascinated by the TV show Max Headroom and the concept of blipvert advertising. We think this is a new and interesting way for our readers to consume our content.”
The campaign started on 22 October and will be running for the remainder of 2014.