In an effort to get a piece of the growing market for dynamic cursors, ad
technology company adReady on Tuesday
launched a new technology that displays ads when the mouse is at rest.
AdReady said the ad format, called the “adPointer,” will appear on Web sites
site in the spot where the idle cursor was positioned. AdReady touts its new
cursor technology as a chance for advertisers and publishers to uncover new
advertising space on a Web site.
The use of cursors by advertisers has been driven by Comet Systems , whose “Comet
Cursor,” launched in 1998, allows banner advertisers to change the
appearance of a user’s cursor with a client plug-in, which is linked to a
site or banner. The adReady product, by contrast, doesn’t change the cursor
when the mouse is being moved.
“To date, the positive reaction to the adPointer has been overwhelming, as
evidenced by our support from leading companies including Beyond Interactive and Ad-Venture,” said Samer Hanini, chief
executive officer of adReady.
Separately, adReady also announced agreements with DoubleClick and
Ad-Venture. AdReady says it will use DoubleClick’s DART technology to manage
its advertising inventory, serve campaigns, and report on campaign
performance.
The agreement with Ad-Venture, the Internet advertising network
of VentureDirect Worldwide, will involve Ad-Venture reselling the adPointer
to publishers in their network of Web sites.