PC company iDOT.com said it is launching an advertising
blitz over the Web that will generate 17 million banner ad impressions over
the next three months.
The campaign’s cornerstone is iDOT.com’s sponsorship of The Dilbert Zone
Computer Store on the popular comic strip character’s home page. Spending was not disclosed.
The Dilbert Zone, a product of United Media, consistently ranks as one of the
most popular entertainment sites on the Internet, with more than five million
page views each week and some five million visitors each month.
The marketing alliance–which makes iDOT.com the exclusive hardware partner
of The Dilbert Zone–includes a customized icon link at the top of The
Dilbert Zone home page, a computer-related comic strip for The Dilbert Store
and the creation of a new microsite within The Dilbert Zone. The microsite
will consist of a co-branded page containing iDOT.com-featured products and
direct links to iDOT.com’s new virtual storefront, www.idot.com.
As part of the deal, a total of 17 million co-branded banners will be seen on
The Dilbert Zone and 21 other Web sites, including Fast Company, Travelocity,
USNews, USAToday Marketplace, EasySabre, Stock Master and Popular Mechanics.
iDOT.com’s agency of record is M2K in Austin.
“We believe co-branding with the Dilbert Zone is a great way to generate sales
leads and spread the word via the Web that iDOT.com sells and supports
premium-grade PCs at hundreds of dollars less than Dell, Gateway and Micron,”
said Neil Bremner, iDOT.com’s executive vice president.
iDOT.com is backed by a $3.5-million private venture fund created by MAG
Technology Ltd., a $1.2-billion manufacturer of peripheral products.
