It was bound to happen: Dr. Pepper is recruiting influential young bloggers to help them market a new spin-off drink. Bloggers aren't payed for advertising, but get promotional items instead (all the Dr. P they can drink?).
I believe this move indicates the future for online advertising, which up to now hasn't succeeded on the internet. New media users are empowered, not passive; when confronted with advertising, they generally dismiss it (by closing pop-up windows, not following links, etc.).
The logical next (counter-adaptational) step for advertisers is to merge advertising messages with what appears to be 'ordinary' content (as already happens in other media -- e.g. where magazines write feature articles that endorse advertisers' products/services).
Henry Copeland has suggested -- a suggestion he's trying to make a living from -- that advertisers should utilise thin media, but it's doubtful whether his idea of blogads will catch on. The placement of the ads isn't the problem; it doesn't matter if clickthrough banners appear on corporate sites or personal ones. No, the nature of online advertising (currently intrusive and reliant on user participation) is likely to change.
I once came across an article (now lost in cyberspace) about how Hollywood promoted movies by creating sites that masqueraded as fansites; preferring sites that looked amateur rather than professional, since they appeared more authentic.
As for students becoming advertisers, well, isn't branded clothing one of the most sinister form of advertising? Not the most outrageous though. That award goes to UK agency Cunning Stunts, who are offering students £88.20 a week to wear corporate logos ... on their foreheads !
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