24/7 Media Forges Alliance with Research Company

Online “buzz” metrics firm Word of Net signed a deal with ad network and marketing tech company 24/7 Media, under which it will tap the larger company’s sales force to distribute its research products.

The Sherman Oaks, Calif.-based firm provides ranking metrics of a company’s online visibility as compared to competitors. The company’s Visibility Index product works by searching the Web for links, ads, directory listings, search engine keywords and online news coverage — elements that drive traffic to a site.

Word of Net sells the information it gathers about the relative number of items feeding traffic to a site as competitive intelligence, and as a way for companies to measure and enhance the performance of their online marketing campaigns.

Under the terms of Thursday’s agreement, 24/7 will offer Word of Net’s Visibility Index reporting services to its clients. Word of Net will also provide Visibility Index data to 24/7 on a monthly basis for use in its sales and marketing collateral.

“With visibility being the leading factor in driving traffic to a site, 24/7 Media can now offer their clients a high value-add through use of our Visibility Index report services,” said Word of Net chief executive officer Eric Sanders.

24/7’s newly acquired Website Results unit, which optimizes clients’ position on search engines, will also become a client of Word of Net’s research.

“With this data, our Website Results team can quickly optimize a client’s search engine and directory results, set up high-value third-party links, and proactively respond to competitors’ online actions,” said 24/7 chief executive officer David Moore.

“The Word of Net Visibility Analysis provides actionable metrics for increasing a company’s online visibility, allowing us to generate greater response to our clients’ online marketing campaigns,” Moore added.

Sanders also hinted at future “innovative solutions” to come from the partnership, but the companies declined to comment further.

The news comes as 24/7 is trying to squeeze more revenue out of its ad network and working to beef up its technology business, of which Website Results is a portion. During its quarterly earnings report Wednesday evening — in which 24/7 said its loss was $0.12 per share greater than
the $0.47 analysts had anticipated — the company said that it had been disappointed with network revenue and hoped technology to make up for future revenue shortcomings in that practice area. The company Wednesday night also announced major restructuring, with cuts of 200 positions.