popAD

With as much innovation as has been seen through digital media, there is still a sense that it is a bit staid when it comes to the nature of online advertising.  The essence of an engagement between consumer and advertiser, at least on the front end, has changed relatively little over the course of the internet.  While the back end has changed radically in terms of data utilization and customer targeting, visual ads in the form of banners and advertisements are similar to what one might have seen years ago.

There is room for innovation here.  A Chicago based start up called popAD is attempting to do this.  It's concept is simple:  users take photographs on a mobile device, upload them to Instagram, and tag whatever product they have photographed.  popAD curates the photos that have been uploaded for quality and content, and the company that has been tagged has the option of purchasing the photograph for utilization in a campaign. 

Whether or not this will work in the long run is open for debate, though the concept is innovative.  Some basic questions cannot be ignored.  How can popAD ensure enough exposure for a business to bother paying for content?  Will enough consumers actually pay attention for popAD to have enough content to actually provide relevance?