Entertainment: Advertisers Jumping onto Christian Chiller 'Wraiths & Worlds'

Toronto-based ebook publisher Andromeda Fiction is set to release the third chapter of 'Wraiths & Worlds' and no one is more excited than Andrew Parshad, owner of Quality Smart Solutions, a financial consultancy in Burlington, Ontario. "The story is reaching a lot of people and I wanted to be a part of that," he says. Parshad is one of five advertisers already signed up to appear on downloadable episodes of the creepy Christian series which is on its second installment on www.wraithsandworlds.com.

'Wraiths & Worlds,' written by Toronto-based author Darrin C. Wilson, combines elements of both science fiction/fantasy and Christian mythology. Released chapter by chapter by Andromeda Fiction, the story focuses on a deceased black woman and the ethereal search for her father who has mysteriously disappeared after crossing over to the afterlife.

The publisher allows fans to control when each new episode is released. Fans log onto wraithsandworlds.com and try to solve a cryptogram puzzle related to the story. They post their answers on a special blog that is monitored daily. As soon as the correct answer is posted, the publisher releases the next episode for fans to download free onto their PCs, iPods, cell phones, iPhones, or Blackberrys. A new cryptogram appears for every new episode.

One of the reasons marketers are being drawn to 'Wraiths & Worlds' is how the website integrates advertisers into the cryptogram game. Wilson randomly puts clues to the cryptogram in just one of the advertiser's alt tags. To get the clues, fans must mouse over the ads until they find the special alt tag. They click on that ad to see the clues, along with the advertiser's link.

It gets interesting as more and more ads are added. Visitors must carefully mouse over all of the microads (there's room for over 8000), scoring every advertiser heaps of repeat impressions. It continues until the story is complete; approximately thirty one episodes, all free for the fans.

"What intrigues me is the concept of a game with perpetual exposure for sponsors," says Gigi Reynard of ebooksabouteverything.com, another advertiser on the series. "It's interactive. I think it's a great alternative to standard banner ads and expensive TV."