Branded desktop applications (BDAs) are now the quiet revolution in marketing because of their free reach, outrageous frequency and industry support. Windows Vista has made this technology a cornerstone with its Sidebar technology, looking to mature an audience that is already growing at 1.8 million per quarter on Macintosh (and soon, the iPhone) and is showcased on competing platforms from Yahoo! and Google. BDA technology is so competitive that Adobe recently announced the development of its own BDA platform, Apollo.

Right now, most BDAs are user generated, making desktop conveniences out of useful services like recently posted Digg articles, the status of your computer processes or watching a dancing hula girl.

But big brands are starting to catch on, dipping their toes in this exciting new channel.

So how can you make this work for your brand? Let's start at the top. In this piece, we'll take a quick look at five big brands launching into the desktop space, who's doing it well (and not so well) and learn some takeaways for your business.

Author notes: Michael Leis is VP of Publishing Dynamics. Read full bio.