"In 2007, 9 million digital picture frames were sold, about 1 million of them Wi Fi-enabled," writes Katy Bachman in an article for Brandweek. "By 2010, that's expected to jump to more than 42 million, with the vast majority of them Wi-Fi equipped, according to data from IDC." Can advertisers be far behind? Of course not.

With an eye to capitalizing on this emerging channel, reports Bachman, the Initiative agency has already formed a partnership with Frame Media to test advertising potential for clients like Dr. Pepper and Lionsgate. Instead of paying a fee, users of Frame Media's free 400-channel service see banner ads rotated through content like news, traffic, weather and sports.

Snapple, another Initiative client, combines content and ads in its own channel displaying "fun facts" sourced from bottle caps. "Think of it as a Snapple fact-a-day," says Bachman, "like a page-a-day calendar."

"We believe we'll see the emergence of a new category of information appliances that will become ubiquitous in the home or office replacing the alarm clock or kitchen calendar," Frame Media CEO Alan Phillips told Bachman. "We're trying to predict the future," Marc Simon of Initiative says in the article. "This really feels like it could be another screen in the home or office."

The Po!nt: You can be a star, kid! With new tech gadgets like these appearing almost daily, your brand's ubiquity is only limited by your imagination. Start creating!

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