What's for brands to like about Ello?

Ello is the new-ish (it launched in August) social media site with the tagline, “Simple, beautiful and ad-free.” Over the last week the invite-only social network has gone viral. Its manifesto states Ello's belief in a “better way.” The site claims advertisers own our current social network and that we all are being tracked, so that our habits then can be sold off and marketers can show us more ads. So what does this mean for brands on Facebook? Will all of Facebook’s users leave and flock to this new, hip site? Doubtful, but the concept is interesting. Ello has been described as a hybrid between Tumblr & Twitter (though those both allow companies to buy promoted posts). You can post a status, photos, GIFs, and comment on other’s posts. The design is clean and simple, though Ello claims more features are on the way. Brands can join too, but creator Paul Budnitz says, “If you’re a brand, you better put something interesting up, or people will unfollow you.” Because there are no algorithms and there’s no advertising. Is this a fresh start for brands? Is it a way for them to engage their fans without worrying about social media advertising budgets or algorithms that limit their reach? Will Ello’s no-BS policy force brands to create engaging images and content for fans that can’t be bought? Or is this just a fad that will come and go? If you remember the first days of Facebook, it too used to be ad-free. Can Ello sustain this model, or will it be forced to adapt just as Facebook had to? We’ll have to wait and see. (No, really. My invite request is still pending.)