Tumblr is one of the most popular blogging platforms, which has partly been due to the company’s insistence on remaining ad-free.
However, like any site that wants to make more money, advertisements will soon be creeping onto Tumblr as soon as May 2.
Tumblr CEO and founder David Kamp, opposed to the idea of advertisements for so long (and still against traditional advertisements), made the announcement at Ad Age’s Digital Conference in New York. It will begin by allowing branded posts to appear in the Radar section of the site and potentially follow up with additional opportunities.
But don’t get too sour on the idea right away; Kamp says that he will be looking for more creative ways to incorporate ads from companies, including increased involvement by brands compared to the ads on social networking giants like Facebook and Twitter.
Despite the potential creativity that might come from these advertisements, does it bother you that Tumblr will be including them at all? Every site should certainly have the drive to make money, but the allure of this blogging platform has always been its simplified interface, ease of use, and lack of clutter due to advertisers.
While Tumblr has tested brand promotion before, it will be interesting to see what happens when advertisers finally gain a larger voice.
