Browser Embedded Advertising: Google Chrome Themes

 I think advertising can be most effective when it is not blatant to the consumer. For me, subtle advertising works better than more obvious advertising.  Advertising techniques such as advergames and product placement in movies are all attempts at infusing a product or service subliminally to consumers. 

Very few people would choose to watch an ad, and consumers consider interstitials and pop-ups as intrusive and annoying. Advergames and product placements work well because they offer an incentive for consumers to view the message.  The most effective of these advertisements is where the marketer is able to convey his message without interrupting the other content.

In fact, the best marketing doesn’ t seem like marketing at all to the consumer.  Only recently did I notice that Google’s “Artist Themes” are really just a form of branding.

Google Chrome, the relatively new web-browser created by Google, allows users to change the appearance of the browser by installing “Themes”. These themes can alter the background color of the browser, add an image, as well as change the appearance of the buttons. Recently, Google began their “Artist Themes” program, which offers themes made by famous people, artists, and even companies.

For example, the “Candies” theme, by the designer clothing brand Candies, features their spokesperson (currently Britney Spears) in the background of the browser. 

I think this is a great form of brand marketing, because once a user decides to install the theme, they see brand-related content in the background every time they open the browser.