Christopher Saunders

An ad campaign designed not just to sell not just a product — but the medium. It’s an audacious undertaking for all but the most durable of brands. Which is why TBWAChiatDay and longtime client Absolut Vodka are confident that a head-turning push to boost the distiller’s brand online is also going to clear a […]

Continuing efforts at boosting the medium’s appeal to offline marketers by fostering more compelling animation, sound and video in Web ads, the Interactive Advertising Bureau on Monday released guidelines for the use of rich media in online advertising. The New York-based industry association, which represents sellers of online and emerging media advertising, outlined file size […]

Citing continued woes in the online ad sector, Alley-based community play Theglobe.com is shuttering much of its business, and sources say the firm is on the verge of shutting down entirely as it seeks to sell its remaining properties. Despite recently landing big-name advertisers like Coca-Cola and Orbitz, theglobe.com — which has operated a number […]

Online marketer Impower is running out of cash and is close to filing bankruptcy, sources tell internetnews.com. Despite receiving funding earlier this year from an investor, Toronto-based holding company Counsel Corp., sources close to Princeton, N.J.-based Impower say the company is down to as few as 30 employees, and is looking for ways to survive […]

AOL Time Warner unit Netscape Communications is rolling out a new promotion ostensibly in support of a new TV program airing on The WB network — but which also serves to boost its own brand. Through the deal, Mountain View, Calif.-based Netscape’s eponymous Web portal will host an e-mail based sweepstakes promoting the new WB […]

U.S. Olympic Committee Taps RealTime Media for Online Sweepstakes The U.S. Olympic Committee is debuting a new Web sweepstakes, in a bid to boost its outreach and sales to American sports fans. Beginning this week, the “Gold Medal” sweepstakes, created by RealTime Media, will offer a trip for two to the Salt Lake 2002 Olympics […]

Rich media e-mail pioneer Radical Communication — or what’s left of it — has found a new home, pending a purchase offer from competitor MindArrow Systems. According to the letter of intent, Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based MindArrow would snap up the technology of defunct Radical, a pioneer in the rich media e-mail space that closed most […]

Air carrier U.S. Airways is aiming to boost its online marketing efforts to gay and lesbian consumers, through a new advertising deal with Web content firm PlanetOut Partners. The marketing agreement, which a spokesman said is valued in the “high six figures,” will see PlanetOut’s sites — PlanetOut.com and Gay.com — featuring U.S. Airways as […]

Universal Pictures is tapping Irving, Calif.-based Cameo, for an experimental way to market to consumers: showing TV commercials on their PCs. At first glance, the concept isn’t new: many rich media ad firms like Bluestreak, eyeWonder and many others already offer conversion services to encode a television spot into streaming video, which can appear in […]

E-commerce merchants with storefronts on Yahoo! will now be able to join Commission Junction’s affiliate marketing network, through a deal between the two inked Tuesday. Previously, Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo!’s online store operators weren’t able to participate in CJ’s ad network, which places banners on publishing affiliates. Publishers are compensated with a cost-per-action fee, and CJ […]

Sony Corp. of America will be advertising with Web portal Yahoo!, in a multi-year deal that sees Yahoo! following America Online’s lead in striking partnerships with consumer electronics leaders. Through the deal, financial terms of which were not disclosed, Yahoo! will create a co-branded content area, dubbed “Sony on My Yahoo!.” The site will incorporate […]

Two troubled interactive shops will become one, ideally less-troubled firm, following the proposed merger of Scient Corp. and iXL Enterprises. Through the all-stock merger agreement, Atlanta-based iXL will become a subsidiary of New York-based Scient. The companies did not disclose a dollar figure for the merger, though at their latest market prices, iXL and Scient […]