Free magazine love

True love may be hard to find, but free love isn’t—at least not if you know where to look. The latest sighting: AdPerk, which rewards consumers who view online video advertising with free magazines or discounted subscriptions. Launched last summer, AdPerk places banners on participating magazines’ home pages or other outlets, offering users free issues or a discount in exchange for watching short videos. But unlike pre-roll ads that are limited by the host site, AdPerk lets consumers choose which content they want to watch. Visitors who click on the banners are taken to the AdPerk platform, where they can select the ads they wish to view by mousing over the thumbnails for each and seeing the name of the brand or product, the name of the video and its length. It generally takes between 10 and 30 minutes of viewing to complete an offer, and users can also choose when to watch that content. Once they do watch it, AdPerk requires that they enter a word verification within 30 seconds of the ad’s completion—just to make sure they were paying attention. They can then choose to watch more videos or to come back at a later time by registering with the site. AdPerk is free for consumers; advertisers pay the cost of the free issues. The site collects only user names and addresses, as necessary to mail the magazines when earned, and it gives marketers detailed metrics and insight by tracking user behavior on the site and subsequent purchases. Popular Science, Good Housekeeping, and Field and Stream are among AdPerk’s participating magazines; advertisers in the AdPerk network include Duxiana, LG Electronics, Delta Faucet Company, Disney Mobile and Kleenex. Barry Soicher, CEO and cofounder of San Francisco-based AdPerk, explains: “It comes down to respect, user choice, benefit and relevance. We engage users at the right time and place and give them the control they’re looking for.” In other words, permission-based advertising creates a motivated and willing audience. Anyone want to try arguing with that? (For many more examples of what our sister site trendwatching.com has dubbed free love, check out the free briefing.) Spotted by: Nathan Sarcyk