DoubleClick Acquires Web Promotions Start-Up

In an effort to patch a hole in its list of offerings, DoubleClick Inc. on Wednesday
acquired 60 percent of Flashbase
Inc., a start-up that offers a Web solution for the design and
management of online sweepstakes.

DoubleClick will complete the acquisition next month.
Financial terms were not disclosed.

DoubleClick has lately moved to acquire or create divisions in areas where
it didn’t yet have service or technology offerings. Its competitors — L90, RealMedia, and 24/7 Media — have
all added promotions and sweepstakes to their capabilities.

DoubleClick has already re-branded Flashbase as DoubleClick Sweepstakes and
is using the Flashbase technology to provide marketing professionals with
online tools to design and manage customized sweepstakes. The results of
the sweepstakes are available to marketers in real-time. In addition,
integrated direct marketing tools allow clients to launch targeted,
permission-based e-mail campaigns to entrants and track the response rates.

“We are excited to become part of the DoubleClick family,” Andrew
Erlichson, president and chief executive officer of Flashbase, said in a
statement.

“DoubleClick will provide the media and technology distribution engine to
accelerate the adoption of Flashbase’s sweepstakes and direct marketing
products.”

Founded last year by Erlichson, a Stanford Ph.D, and partner Mark Heinrich,
Flashbase began life as an application service provider offering Web-based
database forms for surfers to use for anything from invitations to Web
publishing. Funded by Bob
Lessin’s Dawntreader LP early stage investment fund, Flashbase changed
gears this past February, deciding to use its database technology to
generate out-of-the-box custom sweepstakes for Web sites.

That plan called for Flashbase to create and run contests for the
companies, charging either a straight $5,000 fee if the user administers
the custom sweepstakes site, or a higher consulting fee if Flashbase’s team
created the contest. The company also planned to expand its functionality
to other verticals.

No word yet on what other plans DoubleClick
has for the technology. But for
now DoubleClick will use Flashbase-powered sweepstakes as part of its media
offerings.