Chatroulette, although at times disgusting, weird and downright crude has never the less recently become a worldwide phenomenon. The site, which has been used during Ben Fold’s concerts, a segment of The Daly Show and on almost a million different computers, has received copious amounts of media attention in recent weeks. Travelocity has picked up on this attention and placed their Roaming Gnome icon on the site. “The gnome holds a sign encouraging chatters to consider taking trips. The idea is that folks sitting around video-chatting with strangers could use the excitement of travel[1].” This product placement is cleaver and hilarious.
Users of the social networking site click a “next button” and are given a new person to chat with. Imagine the reaction of a user clicking the next button and coming across the Travelocity Roaming Gnome. They would undoubtedly be taken off guard by the gnome and read the ad. If users were familiar with the brand icon they would fill in the gap and a lasting impression would be made. However, the creator of the site, a 17-year-old, has to be careful not to sell out and let the novelty of the Travelocity Gnome disappear with the addition of clutter.
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