iClips to Stream Evian Ads

According to Evian's advertising agency: it's not just about water, it's about a lifestyle, and that is what the company's extensive flash Web site (www.evian.com) is all about. But until the PC is capable of streaming water rather than bits, who would think to go to a water Web site? To raise awareness about the brand and the site, Evian signed on with iClips for a month long streaming media advertising campaign.

IClips (www.iclips.com) offers end users the ability to share video clips without sending bulky attachments. Here's how it works: Users record a video message, which is stored on and streamed from the iClips Web site. Each video message is assigned a unique location, or link, and distributed according to the sender's instructions. For personal communication, message recipients see the video message by clicking on the link that is e-mailed to them. For mass communication, senders can add their video messages to Web communities by posting the link to auction sites, online classifieds, message boards, personal homepages and thousands of other community destinations.

The deal with Evian marks the launch of iClips ad delivery system. Evian's 10-second flash ad will run prior to the user's own video in all iClips for the month of February. The ad will also appear in all iClips originating from partnered sites such as Homestead or iNBC. The iClips service is free for the end user, and the company is looking to the revenue from incorporating streaming ads into the clips, to support the service.

The Evian ad is designed to drive traffic to Evian's site through promotion of a contest. Water lovers can play a flash game on the Evian site and enter to win a trip for two to the French Alps, the origin of Evian water.

Roger Carmien, director of advertising for iClips, indicated that the campaign has been well received by iClip's users. "They see the value that we bring to them and see the advertising as a viable trade off," Carmien said.