Google just recently signed up Seth MacFarlane (pictured above with standees from his hit series) to create a web-only cartoon that will be distributed with AdSense.

The Creator

Seth MacFarlane, for those uninformed, is the creator of the hit animated American television sitcom Family Guy. If you haven’t seen an episode you should check it out. It’s one of the best, if not THE BEST, adult humor cartoons out there. If you happen to be living in the United States, then you can watch the cartoon series on Fox (although I’d be very surprised if you haven’t seen it yet). Some countries also run Family Guy, check your local operator. As for those of you living on any other side of the planet, you can search YouTube and find some of the best scenes from the cartoon. Family Guy is much like The Simpsons, but - I dare say - only better. It crosses every line that The Simpsons did not dare cross. It’s probably the most offensive syndicated series is the history of television cartoons which, according to the New York Times, men under their 30’s just can’t get enough of. And the man behind it is a genius.

Thanks to the success of Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane is already a brand himself. Which is why Google signed him up in one of the most brilliant internet marketing strategies ever though of.

The Distributor

The animated series will be called “Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy.” Google plans on using the Google Content Network to run the series, distributing the cartoons using Adsense’s advertising system:

“Google will syndicate the program using its AdSense advertising system to thousands of Web sites that are predetermined to be gathering spots for Mr. MacFarlane’s target audience, typically young men. Instead of placing a static ad on a Web page, Google will place a “Cavalcade” video clip.”

Google Content Network is a term Google uses to differentiate their big named publishers. This network is composed of high-quality websites, news pages, and blogs that are more profitable for advertisers – therefore more expensive to put an ad on. Advertisers can pick specific sites or pages to put their ads on - from hundreds of thousands of sites – to target specific markets. Or they can use Google’s own ad targeting method to display their ads on the pages most relevant to their products and services. Google says that the Google Content Network sites are visited by 75% of all the internet users globally.

The Cartoon

The web-only series will have 50 episodes of two minutes each; it will be an entirely new concept - complete a new line-up of characters. MacFarlane describes the episodes as “animated versions of the one-frame cartoons you might see in The New Yorker, only edgier.”

The two minute clips will incorporate the ads (e.i. preroll the ad prior to the clip, ad banners on parts of the clip, or a “brought to you by” kind of thing). But Seth MacFarlane is also open to creating original “Cavalcade” animation for those advertisers who are willing to pay the hefty fee. Of course, MacFarlane will already receive a percentage of the advertising revenues above what was already paid to him for the project.

The End Result

This is the first time Google will do syndicated web content. And it’s a great deal for both Seth and Google. MacFarlane gets a lot of money, first and foremost. Plus, If Google’s description of their Google Content Network is accurate, 3 out of 4 internet users will get to see his cartoon - he gets unimaginable and incomparable global exposure. Google, on the other hand, will definitely be paid more for these types of ads, because this WILL MAKE PEOPLE WATCH ADS. Plus this “innovation of sorts” only solidifies Google’s stand as the number one publisher in the internet – eventually making all their other ads even more profitable – and even more expensive.

This could very much be the best online business model for celebrities. We choose this over YouTube - the online video site is already congested. Google owns YouTube and they also think that it’s not as profitable. The cost of YouTube’s bandwidth usage alone is estimated at one million dollars per day. Can you imagine? We can talk about YouTube some other time – perhaps when Google finally rids itself of that garbage dump. That site is so full of useless crap – it’s not for targeted advertising.

As for this new project… if this succeeds Google will be flooded with offers from advertisers and creators /celebrities themselves. Who wouldn’t want to tap this opportunity? It’s the best gateway available for any up and coming star (or even an already established superstar) to reach the global market. It’s simple – 3 out of 4 users.