Widgets Are Made for Marketing, So Why Aren't More Advertisers Using Them?

In response to a blog post from Advertising Age, the blogging community was discussing why more advertisers weren't using widgets. One theory was the cost. This was our response:

The cost of distribution can be high if it is adserved. But in the case of a Clearspring widget we did for learndirect, the technology was free and download was also free as it was hosted on the learndirect website. In this instance the widget was less about entertainment and actually provided a functional app for users – motivating learners on their learning journey. Clearspring said they might be changing this model in the future, but for now it has represented a massively cost effective way of communicating with customers and in learndirect's case, providing a truly useful widget for motivating learners.

Hayley