MatchLogic Inc.
introduced SpeedSelect, a patent-pending service that allows Internet
advertisers and Web sites to deliver different versions of advertising and
content to users with varying connection speeds.
The delivery mechanism is automatic, transparent and in real time, the company
said.
SpeedSelect intelligently identifies user bandwidth capabilities in real time.
Since many factors can affect a user’s total transfer speed on the Internet at
any particular time, SpeedSelect monitors available user bandwidth and
calibrates itself to provide a Web browsing experience fine-tuned to each
user’s capabilities.
For example, if a user is experiencing reduced bandwidth because of telephone
line noise or other browser instances, SpeedSelect detects it, and seamlessly
adjusts content and advertising accordingly. Content providers or advertisers
can divide users into as many speed categories as they wish, MatchLogic said.
For example, T1 users might receive a higher-quality, larger film clip than
ISDN users, with 56k modem users receiving larger graphic files than 28.8k
modem users.
“Until now, if you wanted to use larger advertisements or rich media on your
site, it slowed load times to a crawl and often times resulted in the serving
of incomplete content for those users with lower bandwidth,” said Russell
Yanda, MatchLogic co-founder and director of rich media.
“With SpeedSelect, advertisers or content providers can ensure that all users
receive content regardless of their connection speed–high-bandwidth users
get more sophisticated rich-media content and lower-bandwidth users get
quicker downloads. In short, the Web-browsing experience is enhanced for
everyone.”
An advertiser, for example, might prepare three different ads based on the
viewer’s connection capabilities: potentially a black and white static version
advertisement for low-bandwidth users (14.4 kbps modem), a color animated
version for average bandwidth users (28.8 kbps modem) and a rich media,
interactive version for high-bandwidth users (ISDN or T1 connection).
SpeedSelect user profiles to predict a user’s connection speed at any time,
based on measurements taken at similar times of day. This reduces the need to
perform a measurement for each request. All data can be used in conjunction
with MatchLogic’s
TrueSelect advanced ad-targeting system, the company said.
MatchLogic is a subsidiary of Excite Inc. that offers a full range of
integrated marketing services that enable advertisers and agencies to
orchestrate Internet campaigns and provides everything from strategic
consulting to ad and e-mail serving to near real-time performance tracking and
intelligent targeting.