Skype: Would You Like Some Ads with that Chat?

No? Too bad.

Skype, which still operates as an independent company for some reason, announced via a blog post today that it will soon be adding what it calls Conversation ads to its flagship communications application for Windows. The ads will only appear when the user doesn’t have any Skype credit when they’re making a 1:1 audio call with Skype for Windows.

“We're excited to introduce Conversations ads as an opportunity for marketers to reach our hundreds of millions of connected users in a place where they can have meaningful conversations about brands in a highly engaging environment,” Skype’s Sandhya Venkatachalam explains in a blog post. “Skype is already at the center of meaningful conversations, where families, friends, and colleagues spend time together.”

In what can only be described as an unintentionally hilarious justification for the ads, Skype says that they are intended to “spark additional, relevant topics of conversation.” I can just picture the conversation now: “Dude, you’ll never believe how fricking annoying this ad is.”

Here’s an example:

According to Skype, Conversation ads are available for marketers to purchase in 55 markets. When the ads are displayed, Skype call quality will remain the same, and the ads will be “silent, non-expanding and run after Skype has completed its regular detailed quality checks on the connection.”

My advice? Minimize the window.

Or, follow Mary Jo’s advice and simply opt-out.