Chicago improv comedy director Mick Napier is using the Internet to spread Annoyance everywhere.
The founder of Annoyance Theatre, which counts “Coed Prison Sluts” among its most notable works, recently established Annoyance Productions, a broadband media company aiming to sell comedy content through DVD, hand-held and wireless devices. Napier said he’s working on animations, a couple of comedy sketches and “some really stupid games” for the company’s broadband Web site, which is set to debut in April.
Napier said the site won’t accommodate slow modems. “I don’t mean to be elitist, but I want quality content up there, not just content for the sake of having it,” he said. “It’s broadband or nothing.”
Napier said he’s not counting on the site to make money any time soon; he considers it a promotional tool for now. So, to fund the Annoyance production company’s online efforts, he’s using his renowned sense of humor to develop Quibit.com–shorthand for “quick bit”–to spruce up Web advertising.
The humorous animations, which include trivia questions and snippets of Bach, are a much better approach to Web advertising than the banner ads just about everyone loathes, Napier said.
“The Internet is a moving medium, a lot like television, and advertisers need to treat it that way,” he said. “Don’t give us static ads that do nothing but bombard us with information that interrupts an otherwise enjoyable process.”
Peapod’s virtual coupons: Online grocer Peapod now accepts clipped and clicked coupons.
Last week, Chicago shoppers got their first look at the company’s new electronic coupons, which appear on screen based on shoppers’ past purchases. Peapod is teaming with California-based e-commerce software and service provider InformLink to chart shoppers’ purchasing history.
When customers click on a coupon, the discount is immediately figured into their bill. The coupons allow for more “personalized service,” a company spokesman said.
SurePayroll funds: Skokie-based SurePayroll.com has landed a second round of financing of $8 million. The company, founded in 1999, helps small and midsize businesses use the Internet to process and distribute payroll and taxes and gives employers and employees online access to that information. The money came from Chicago investment firms Kettle Partners, BlueStar Ventures and Mesirow Financial.