Apple + YouTube = An Ad You’ll Like

Yes, there are several reasons why I’m more disposed to paying attention to Apple’s (AAPL) Web ad experiments than to those from other marketers. You gotta admit it: Those guys do a consistently good job of insisting that you pay attention, without making you feel like you’re being hit upside the head.

Here’s the latest, currently running on YouTube’s homepage. (Don’t worry–it’s not your computer–this one’s mute):

While we’re doling out praise, let’s also single out Google’s (GOOG) video site, which has done some very clever–and appropriate–stuff with its real estate. This one’s a classic:

Granted, it’s easier for a site like YouTube, which draws an audience that wants to be entertained, to muck around with its site design than it is for, say, a newspaper. (That said, both The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, among others, have handed over front-page real estate to Apple). Even so, while YouTube is still trying to figure out the best way to sell ads on its videos themselves, it has turned its front page into a lucrative opportunity.