Talkway Signs 24/7, Others in Licensing Deal

Online ad network and technology firm 24/7 Media and e-mail marketers Digital Impact and Xchange will integrate technology from streaming video company Talkway Communications, according to a deal announced Thursday.

Through the agreement, terms of which were undisclosed, Talkway will license its MarketingTalk video-based rich media e-mail service to the companies, which they will in turn be able to offer to clients.

Talkway’s technology, which can convert television spots into rich media formats suitable for e-mail direct marketing, is appealing because it allows companies to reuse broadcast creatives in another medium.

Talkway’s MarketingTalk system enables marketers to embed video-based rich media messages in e-mail. MarketingTalk hosts, distributes and records message response.

E-mails created with the company’s technology include a built-in, platform-independent Java player. Ad distribution is targeted based on the usual criteria, including user connection speed. Talkway said it utilizes a proprietary video compression algorithm that allows the company to stream broadband content even to recipients with 28.8K dialup access.

“MarketingTalk … is ideal for leading e-mail marketing providers such as 24/7, Digital Impact and Xchange because it can support messaging campaigns of any size,” said Shannon Carter, executive vice president of business development and marketing at Fremont, Calif.-based Talkway. “High-quality audio/video content delivery via narrowband or broadband connections … in conjunction with its virtually guaranteed delivery is mission-critical for our international client base.”

Through these separate licensing agreements, Talkway estimates that more than 4.8 billion e-mail marketing messages will be distributed over the next year using its technology.

“Video e-mail is undoubtedly the most innovative medium for Internet-based marketing, and by partnering with Talkway, we’ve ensured that our clients, including list brokers, media planners and marketers, can reap the full benefits of this exciting technology,” said Scott Paternoster, who is president, media solutions for New York-based 24/7 Media.

As part of the deal, San Mateo, Calif.-based Digital Impact’s Web-based e-marketing campaign tool program, Impact 4.0, will now include MarketingTalk capabilities, as will the outsource products of Boston-based e-CRM company Xchange.

“Digital Impact was looking for a flexible and responsive partner in the streaming audio/video space with services to enhance our leading eMarketing solutions,” said Digital Impact chairman and chief executive William Park. “MarketingTalk services offer efficient implementation and high-quality functionality, responding quickly to the demands of Digital Impact and our clients.”