Revlon, Others Log on to MSN.

Marketers sign on to showcase their TV spots via the Web.

MSN HAS SIGNED on Revlon, Gateway and Discover Card to stream their TV assets on its new ad-supported video service and is set to strike deals with packaged-goods, technology and financial-services clients, the company said last week.

"We're talking to the big, blue-chip brands that are very wedded to the TV advertising model," said Steve Moss, general manager of ad sales at the Microsoft unit.

MSN Video, which launched Jan. 8, runs a 15- or 3c-second ad for every two video clips downloaded. It also displays related interactive ads. Yahoo! Launch and ESPN Motion have similar offerings.

Initially, MSN is selling inventory largely to clients of Starcom MediaVest Group, the Publicis Groupe agency that helped develop the service's media-buying components. Adam Gerber, SMG director of strategy and innovation, noted that rather than being "interruptive," the video-based ads are integrated into "a video experience that a user has chosen to participate in."

Beauty marketer Revlon is paying a CPM (cost per thousand) of about $12 to run an Overtime Lip Color spot featuring Halle Berry. The company is guaranteed three million impressions and pays only if the ad is viewed for at least eight seconds, said Patrick Benson, interactive associate media director at Deutsch, New York, which handles the Revlon account.

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By Ann M. Mack