Web Series Shows a Bit of Quality Can Help Sell
Published: January 11, 2010
EXCERPT: LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) -- To many brands (not to mention Hollywood actors), the web is still considered a dumping ground for content not considered good enough for traditional TV. And in the early stages of what is now "Easy to Assemble," a web series sponsored by Ikea and created by actress Illeana Douglas, that dictum was true. But after the series became the most-watched sponsored web show in its second season, garnering 5.1 million views and counting, Ms. Douglas and her all-star cast are rewriting the rulebook on how to create quality content for the web with a TV-like viewership.
EXCERPT: UNboxd promoted the show by doing marketing outreach to key Ikea fan sites, syndicating clips for fans to share with their friends or comment on Ikea message boards. Within two weeks, Ikea fans racked up 500,000 views alone for the show's second season. "Easy to Assemble" is being syndicated to more websites and cable platforms to generate more guaranteed impressions for Ikea. This month, the show will be available on Hulu and Roku, as well as Hotel Networks' DoNotDisturb network in more than 2 million hotel rooms. Amazon and iPhone/Boxee applications are also in the works.