Advertisers Hope YouTube Attracts Active Brand Loyalists

Advertising campaigns on YouTube or other video-sharing websites present a particular challenge, says Wharton professor of operations and information management Kartik Hosanagar, who is currently researching Internet advertising. "You cannot walk into an ad agency and say, 'I want a video about these features of my product, and I want it viewed this many times, with this level of ratings.'" With video-sharing sites like YouTube, he says, "the goal is to create an experience the customer remembers." Such an experience cannot simply be ordered up or manufactured.

Knowledge@Wharton: April 2, 2008