I like to read my news on the Internet (never at work of course). Rather than reading yesterday’s events today in a paper edition, I have become accustomed to reading news as it happens. This value however is greatly diminished by how totally obnoxious ad-serving technology is. If I want to read about my favorite hockey team, or the new Radiohead album, I would prefer to not have to close a dancing Bacardi bottle floating on my screen, or read around a div layer requesting that I do a survey.

I have never, ever, clicked on a disruptive piece of advertising.

Conversely, I am a big fan of the old Microsoft Office Paperclip character. For all the knowledge I have about leveraging technology, I often need some gentle nudging when it comes to learning how to use it. Many of the things I do now as part of my day came from that Paperclip popping up on my screen saying “Are you trying to…?”, or “Did you know…?”

Don’t get me wrong, after a certain point the Paperclip drove me up the wall and I turned it off. But during that initial period it added a ton of value. In fact, if there was a Paperclip module to help me to get my Blackberry to integrate properly into my email, I would pull out the credit card.

So attention eMarketers: You are currently sitting on a great deal of ad-serving technology that could be used for good (read – visitor value and message relevance) instead of evil (read – disruptive, bounce rate inducing annoyance).

I have a new customer whose online brand identity is tied into a cartoon character, who currently exists primarily in their logo. They are going to be using that character to manage visitor behavior, and leveraging adserving media technologies to do so. First time visitors to the site will see a floating representation of this character, welcoming them to the store and explaining their value proposition. Lost shoppers will see rich media with the character informing them of specials and customer service options. An online catalog becomes an interactive visitor experience, using technologies that are normally used for garish billboarding.

The ability to serve creative outside of the traditional webpage real estate presents some very neat opportunities for visitor interaction. Take a look at how your favorite media properties are launching advanced but disruptive advertising, and re purpose them to add real value to your visitors.