Christopher Saunders

Rich media firm Unicast is looking to become the sole provider of third-party formats, introducing a new unit and touting the benefits of standardizing on its platform. Unicast now will begin offering advertisers “takeover” ads in addition to interstitials and on-page ad formats through a new partnership with Ad4Ever. The agreement, under which Unicast will […]

Web publisher iVillage said on Monday that it would cease selling pop-up ads, citing research that suggests its chiefly female audience despises the format. The New York-based company said a survey conducted on the site by site design researcher Vividence found that 92.5 percent of iVillage’s female visitors said pop-ups were the most frustrating feature […]

Business-to-business marketers lag in moving to the Internet due to Web media’s inability to tightly target and segment audiences, according to a new study from research firm GartnerG2. The study, for which Stamford, Conn.-based GartnerG2 interviewed more than 30 Fortune 100 B2B advertisers, found that B2B advertisers are reluctant to move online due to the […]

Google ranks the highest in consumer loyalty among online brands, according to a recent study by consultancy Brand Keys. The findings, based on biannual surveys of about 16,000 Web-using adults, found that Google users were more satisfied with it than users of other online brands were with their choices. On Brand Keys’ Index, designed to […]

Overture Services and LookSmart continue to show staying power, though questions linger over the growing presence of rival Google and recent questions about fee policies. On Thursday, Pasadena, Calif.-based Overture posted better-than expected earnings and increasing sales of its pay-for-placement search engine results. The company saw second-quarter revenue increase 7 percent from last quarter, to […]

Miller Brewing Company is extending its brand to a free online entertainment calendar that it’s hoping will become a central part of consumers’ social outings. Designed by agency of record Red Sky Interactive, a unit of Agency.com, the Miller Time Network online calendar offers local information on music, bars, clubs, sports, food and movies. The […]

Eli Lilly & Co. will be required to adopt stronger privacy safeguards as part of a settlement with state attorneys general stemming from its accidental release of consumer information online last year. In a settlement with eight states, the Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical giant, which makes the anti-depression medication Prozac, agreed to adhere to enhanced privacy safeguards […]

Handheld computer maker Palm is aiming to boost sales of its PDAs through a school-themed promotion with Pepsi-Cola and Fox Networks. The effort will see the Palm m125 handheld featured in back-to-school advertising that is co-branded with Pepsi. The work also will involve Frankie Muniz and Jane Kaczmarek, stars of Fox’s “Malcolm in the Middle,” […]

Online incentives marketer CoolSavings is delivering its first direct mail campaign as the company revs up its cross-media efforts. The company previously rented out the postal addresses of its members who had opted-in to receiving third-party offers. But this week, Chicago-based CoolSavings will deliver the first campaign featuring its own branding with its own roster […]

Amid a host of moves by new and established rivals in the hot Web analytics space, Keylime Software has released a number of enhancements to its flagship product, designed to deepen tracking and to better facilitate work with agencies. The five-year old, Carlsbad, Calif.-based company this week rolled out LimeLight 2.0, which makes heavy use […]

Internet advertising players are pointing to new research that suggests that the audiences of major Web sites can rival those of traditional media. A study by former FCB media research director Rob Frydlewicz and commissioned by New York-based ad server DoubleClick found that the individual cumulative audiences of major Web sites are comparable to those […]

Magazine Publishers Promote Electronic Media Kits The Magazine Publishers of America trade group is gearing up to encourage its membership to adopt electronic media kids. The New York-based association has teamed with Mediamark Research, which provides media data to agencies and advertisers, to provide Mediamark services and discounts to MPA members. At the same time, […]