- Shahnaz Mahmud

NEW YORK To meet the demand from marketers seeking to break into short-form online branded entertainment, Judge-Belshaw Entertainment, an independent film production company, has launched Sticky Traffic Studios.

New York-based Sticky Traffic will produce short-form serial comedy that will be distributed on entertainment Web sites such as Break.com, Heavy.com and Metacafe.com. Each series segment will be one to two minutes in length.

"If you look at what people enjoy watching and what marketers want to market against, it still tends to be professionally produced video," said Ephraim Cohen, head of marketing and business development, on the creation of the studio.

Cohen said all advertiser opportunities would focus on product integration. "We want to fit [a brand] subtly into the story line so that everyone can still enjoy the program," he said.

Sticky Traffic is targeting advertisers in consumer products and services, and is in talks with several in the food and beverage category. "We want to incorporate advertisers who have a fun brand message," said Cohen.

With its cost per thousand ad model, Sticky Traffic will look to charge in the $30-50 range per CPM. The rates veer to the higher end of the spectrum given the studio's approach with product integration. "With a banner ad, it is less clear if anyone paid attention to it. But, with sponsored placement, you know that the viewer is seeing the brand because it is embedded into the programming," said Cohen. 

While the studio will produce 12 episodes per series, Cohen said that each segment is designed to stand on its own. "We are trying to build an ecosystem of short-form branded entertainment," said Cohen.