By Jo Best, 15 December 2003 17:55
NEWS Psst - fancy getting your hands on a free IBM computer? No, it's not fallen off the back of a lorry but you will have to watch a few ads in return.
Quite a few ads, actually. To take up the offer, you'll be sent a CD with TV-style ads on it to install on your machine, which will appear for one minute for every 20 minutes you're using the computer.
Users will get a 60 second warning before the ads appear - just enough time to get up and make a cup of tea, you'd think - but the idea is that you can save your work, pause your game or finish your shopping before the advertisers try and flog you something. Insurer Churchill has signed up to the scheme to pump computer users with marketing messages.
The PCs will be given away to any household that orders one on condition that they use the PCs for 30 hours a month. Once a consumer has signed up, they're expected to keep hold of the machine for 36 months, after which time they can send the machine back or get an upgrade.
But as for IBM eyeing up the consumer market, it's not happening, according to the PC-maker. Despite reports touting Big Blue as being behind the giveaway, the scheme has been set up and run by UK marketing firm Metronomy and an IBM spokesman told silicon.com that their involvement was purely in supplying the advertising company with the computers it needs.
"We're not getting back into the consumer space," he said. "It's just a B2B supplier agreement."
Consumers who want the machine can register here. While the amount of time a user spends on the PC will be monitored to ensure they fulfil their ad-watching obligations, other details won't be monitored, said Metronomy. All users' personal information will be kept confidential, but the ad CDs will be targeted by consumer type or location.
But don't think you'll be able to impress the kids with a flash computer in time for Christmas the first PCs will be shipped in February and March.
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1. Paul M Johnson
There are 2 million PC's available and I am pleased to note that when I ordered my interest last week I was number 1862 so there is plenty of spaces left so get ordering people!
I dont know what to expect, but I am curious to know who else is driving this. Metronomy seem to have a very good business case, and have partnered up with many of the big ad agencies, however I am concerned on 2 counts.
Firstly, the registration procedure is pretty straightforward but I was expecting to be asked what interests I have, which in turn would determine what kind of Ad's I will receive, but no, this is not the case. This tells me that the business case is based on the 20th century 'mass marketing' principle of shotgunning! This is great for securing advertising spend to offset against any risk associated with leasing the IBM hardware, but doesnt do anything for protecting the average consumer against spamming.
Secondly, I wonder what involvement Microsoft has in this offer. The PC uses XP and I have a theory that I will be expected to do the XP registration, which requires the user to save all files to a web server as part of the conditions. This isnt stated in the T&C's, and I look forward to finding out if this is the case when I get the PC through the post....if this turns out to be true then I have a funny feeling that I will be using my right to send it back within the first 14 days...!
Maybe Metronomy can shed some light on these concerns?