JibJab Launches Social Site; Bud Light Sponsors

JibJab Media has rolled out a humor-oriented site with community features and multimedia upload capabilities. Called JokeBox, the ad-supported social media play launches with Bud Light as the sole sponsor.

Members can upload content in video, audio, text or image formats, as well as view and comment on each other’s uploaded files, which the site calls “jokes.” Registered visitors to the site can sort and browse jokes according to “newest,” “noteworthy” and “top rated” categories.

Under Bud Light’s sponsorship, JokeBox features TV and radio spots from the advertiser, including from its “Ted Ferguson: Bud Light Daredevil” and “Real Men of Genius” campaigns. Ad placements throughout the site drive traffic to those spots.

JibJab founder Gregg Spiridellis said one of his main concerns is making the site’s content friendly to advertisers. To that end, he noted JokeBox requires a more extensive registration process than is demanded by competitors, most notably YouTube, and has an elaborate vetting and reporting processes for new content.

“We’ve spent a lot of time and money to control what gets posted to the site,” he said. “Ultimately in a user generated content environment, we have to create a safe place not only for our users, but also for our advertisers.”

Despite those efforts, JokeBox appears to contain a good deal of borrowed or pirated video content. Interestingly, some people have uploaded Bud Light ads that aren’t a part of the brand’s sponsorship, including a vulgar spot labeled “Unseen Superbowl Commercial.”

JokeBox has been in Beta for three months, and is now in what’s being called “Beta 2.0.”