Slate Promotes Texas Ranch House With User-Initiated Takeover

Slate magazine Friday launched an ad campaign for PBS' Texas Ranch House, the latest in a series that includes Colonial House, Manor House, Frontier House, 1800s House, and 1948 House.

When users point a mouse over the ad, it takes over the Slate home page with a speculative version of what the Web site would look like if it detailed news from Texas, circa 1867. For instance, the "Dear Prudence" advice column on the sepia-toned speculative page carries the teaser, "I'm in love with a fellow cowboy." (The actual "Dear Prudence" column, on the real Slate home page, is teased with the question, "Can I get past my girlfriend's cancer scars?")

The spot is technically similar to a Visa ad that ran on Slate in February, which displayed the home page as a mirror image, and then when the ad was rolled over, the screen flipped back to normal. "We're doing a lot of different innovative campaigns; we're definitely working with our advertisers for any kind of innovative way for reaching with our users and connecting with them, and a lot of times that involves the home page," said Slate publisher Cliff Sloan.