Infiltrating IM

The three major instant messaging formats— AOL's AIM, Yahoo!'s Messenger, and MSN Messenger—all promote themselves aggressively to advertisers that want to permeate and surround teenagers' ongoing casual conversations, "24/7." AOL, Yahoo! and MSN Messenger offer a variety of strategies, including "roadblocks" and "takeover ads" that flood a site's homepage with interactive commercials, as well as branded "bots" and buddy icons. Yahoo!'s "IMVironments" (IMVs) are customized "interactive backgrounds" in the IM space, whose "unique rich media features" create "fun and effective advertising."¹ "On average," explained one marketer, "we see 1.5 million people download a particular IMV, send over 100 million messages within it, and spend five to 10 minutes per user per day per IMV. This time spent is a particularly impressive statistic when you compare it to how much time in one day that user would spend watching a particular TV commercial for that advertiser."²

• The "M&M Always IMvironment" features the brand's popular "spokescandies." "There's a new way to add a little more M&M® to your day," the site chirps. "Chat with friends about life, love and chocolate with this cool IMV. There's an M in everyone."³
• "Max Out your chats!" urges the Yahoo! IMvironment sponsored by Kraft's Lunchables. "New Lunchables Lunch Combinations Maxed Out Double-Stacked Tacos have arrived and you're in charge of the flavor and the fun. Buzz a friend and take your chat from Mild to Wild—no salsa necessary! Try it now."⁴

 

1 Joseph Jaffe, "Instant Messaging has Potential," iMedia Connection, 28 Apr. 2003, http://www.imediaconnection.com/global/5728.asp?ref=http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/1059.asp (viewed 29 Mar. 2007).

2 Quoted in Jaffe, "Instant Messaging has Potential."

3 "IMVironments: Food and Drink," Yahoo! Messenger, http://messenger.yahoo.com/imv.php;_ylt=AhP4H.Kjy3g_DYV38XSyiIRqMMIF?cat=Food%20and%20Drink (viewed 26 Mar. 2007).

4 "IMVironments: Food and Drink."