Finally! Cool HD-DVD Advertising!

Kind of by the nature of the Future of Media writers, this blog has tended to focus more on in-game advertising, Second Life, social networking, mobile and user-generated content. Well, I am now proud to say we have our first post on HD-DVD advertising, something which the lab’s illustrious project manager and pet videophile Ron Hudson will hopefully comment on, brought to you by the New York Times.

In today’s issue of the ol’ grey lady (which has, apparently, undergone a face life recently and has a new front page design), they reference a new Progressive Insurance calculator that will be appearing on the HD-DVD edition of “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.” The calculator floats over the screen, displaying a running total of the car damage for the film. “Roof repair: $209; taillights $451; fender: $618; telling girls you just crashed a $100,000 car: priceless.”

Whoops. Wrong ad campaign.

Anyway, this is apparently the first in what studios hope will be a bevy of advertiser-sponsored special features that will appear on HD-DVD discs. And what a cool idea it is! Because it looks like folks are finally getting the secret:

No one wants to watch your 30-second spots.

Not on a DVD, at least, and probably not on a VOD service.

And product placement only goes so far. If I take off my “works at an advertising agency” hat and put on my “average joe consumer” one, I can tell you with a fair amount of certainty that the last time I said, “Hey, it’s 2 a.m. I really want to see an advertisement. Where can I get it?” is… never. Well, except for that time with the reindeer when I was really drunk, but we don’t mention that any more.

So, all you ad folks out there looking to dip your paws into the space, take a hint from good ol’ Fred Khoury, the marketing manager over at Progressive Direct who worked on this project.

“This is meant to be fun,” Khoury says.

How can you make your brands fun?