Wired Digital, AvantGo Deliver Ads for Hand-Held Computing Devices

Wired Digital, in partnership
with mobile information management firm AvantGo said it will begin delivering ads to
mobile users who rely on PalmPilot connected organizers and other Windows CE-
compatible hand-held computing devices.

Hilton HHonors Worldwide will be the first major advertiser to take advantage of this opportunity designed by Wired Digital to run on Wired News, an AvantGo
content partner channel that provides news to users of hand-held and Windows
CE-compatible computing devices.

The Hilton campaign is anticipated to reach the thousands of mobile users that
have downloaded AvantGo’s software. Spending was not disclosed.

Hand-held users subscribing to daily information updates of Wired News’
technology news service will receive an embedded Hilton hotlink at the top of
their daily news content. Once clicked on, the link will provide users with
more information about Hilton’s guest-reward program–Hilton HHonors–and
direct them to the company’s Web site.

As a large portion of hand-held users are mobile executives who spend a
significant amount of time traveling, Hilton said it hopes to reach a highly
targeted audience with this advertising.

“With Wired News, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal now
available to hand-held users, we are being offered a glimpse at the newspaper
of the future: a small, hand-held electronic device updated as frequently as
the user desires with personally selected news and information services,” said
Rick Boyce, Wired Digital’s senior vice president of advertising sales and
commerce. “With millions of hand-helds now in circulation and IDC estimating
annual sales of hand-held computers to exceed 13 million units by 2001, it’s
important that we begin to explore revenue models on this platform. . . “