Flickr to Get Contextual Nikon Banner Ads

Nikon has struck a deal with Flickr to place Nikon branding on the site, including small logos next to photos that were taken with their cameras. In addition, there will be branding on the login pages as well as special Nikon-only photo galleries. As Mediapost notes, this is the first major brand advertising campaign to run on Flickr, which to date has only had text links.

It will be interesting to see how the Flickr community reacts to these ads - particularly the ones that appear next to their photos. Many shutterbugs are loyal to one particular camera brand. So I can see Nikon lovers really taking to the campaign and those who take to other brands not liking the promotion. I sure hope that Flickr makes this optional for Pro users because a backlash could erupt. People should have the option to opt in or out of companies putting certain banners around their photos. (Disclaimer: Edelman works with Canon, a Nikon competitor.)

UPDATE: Tom Biro from MWW (Nikon's PR firm) writes in that Flickr Pro users should not be seeing the Nikon branding along with the EXIF data on photographs when those users are logged in, and non-Pro (or non-logged in) users should not be seeing the Nikon branding when they are viewing photographs taken by Flickr Pro users.

Technorati Tags: photos, Nikon, Flickr

Comments

[ozgur alaz]

On similar way, i explain a concept named flickrpreneur

to read whole post
http://marketallica.wordpress.com/2006/05/30/flickrpreneur-new-opportunities-to-make-money-with-flickr/

[Clive Simpkins]

This is a bit like having a billboard foisted on your front lawn. I have a Nikon stills cam but a great Sony digital one. Kinda ruins the flavour of Flickr and smacks of a commercial thin end of the wedge. Whose dim idea was this I wonder?

[Pete Cashmore]

I'm not sure Flickr users will take kindly to branding campaigns, no matter how relevant. But if they gave exclusive privileges to Flickr Pro users (money off Nikon cameras etc), it might be tolerable.

[Rod Edwards]

Um - I wouldn't want a mfg's logo next to pictures I may have taken with their camera unless I opted in to do so; otherwise its suggesting that the photographer publically endorses a given company, which may or may not be the case, regardless of what hardware they're using.

That being said - interesing use of cam meta-data!

[Juan del Real]

I have a Flickr Pro account and I don't like the idea of having to see mfg logos next to photos. That's the point of paying for a Pro account - not to see ads. Flickr should make it optional feature. However, I don't mind ads for special temporary promotions on the homepage or login page.

On a related note, I'll be buying a new digital SLR camera soon and I was set on getting a Canon since that's the brand of digital point-and-shoot cameras I've owned and have been happy with. But now with Nikon's marketing blitz all over the place, including Flickr, I've started to seriously look into getting a Nikon camera instead - a Nikon D50 or D70.

[Hashem Bajwa]

When a brand tries to insert itself into a community, any community, online or offline, it has to be very careful.

Nikon's involvement with Flickr would be a good thing if it brought some useful content, something relevant to people. Logos alone become annoying transmission, instead of being relevant and engaging.

This hurts both Flickr and Nikon.

[carl]

This won't hurt Flickr or Nikon - It's about pictures after all - The community thing? c'mon, it's more like the ultimate compliment that nikon goes, hey i like what you have here and i want to play too... It makes them internationally more important and really notches up their 'presence.' It's really little to do with nikon and a lot more what flickr can do with all that recognition.