Winstar Interactive to Rep uBid.com

Web sales rep and online marketing agency Winstar Interactive Media
will handle ad sales for CMGI B2C and B2B auction site uBid.com, the companies said this week.

Winstar Interactive replaces niche ad network WiseAds as a seller of uBid’s
inventory.

Ad sales on e-commerce sites represents an unconventional niche
industry, since most retail sites focus on generating revenue through
transactions, rather than via ad sales.

Nevertheless, some networks like WiseAds have managed to make a name
for themselves dealing excess inventory on e-commerce sites. WiseAds
was recently acquired by content network About.com for
integration into its Luna
Network of affiliates.

uBid ad sales director Brian Williams said the change in his
company’s representation stemmed in part from a desire for a dedicated
sales force.

“What we were looking for is a company that can dedicate a sales team
specifically for our business, and Winstar is able to do that,” Williams
said. “We’re leading the business to consumer space, and we needed that
dedicated support.”

Williams also said that his company hopes to turn advertising into a
significant revenue generator, bucking conventional practice among
e-commerce sites and expediting profitability.

“In addition to continuing to expand our core businesses and
announcing new businesses, in order for us to continue growing and
achieve profitability we need to diversity our high margin revenue
streams,” he said.

“Advertising is designed to become a very significant part of that.
Its revenue is perceived by uBid and CMGI executive management as a
significant part of our business,” he added.

Williams declined to specify how heavily uBid anticipates
advertising’s impact on its revenue, or on new business initiatives the
company will be launching.

The news means that the online auction site is solidifying its
advertising needs, having earlier this month announced that fellow CMGI
company AdForce will handle serving
and targeting for its on-site advertising.

Winstar Interactive executives were understandably pleased about the
decision, which has it representing a site with than 1.5 million
registered users and which receives more than 3 million monthly unique
visitors.

“Winstar Interactive Media only represents Web properties that have
strong brand recognition, significant traffic and a heritage of online
innovation,” said Winstar Interactive senior vice president John Durham.

“We look forward to working with uBid to create integrated
sponsorship packages and business partnership programs,” he added.

Winstar Interactive adds uBid.com to a roster that includes several
high-profile clients, including Bloomberg, Individual Investor Online
and Office.com, which is owned by Winstar
Interactive’s parent company, Winstar Communications,
a broadband carrier and e-commerce company.