Execs & Accounts for August 25, 2004
MSN embraces Motif; MAAWG adds huge communications firms to member ranks; Transcendigital picks up two clients.
MSN embraces Motif; MAAWG adds huge communications firms to member ranks; Transcendigital picks up two clients.
MSN has embraced DoubleClick’s DART Motif rich media management platform. The Microsoft portal will now explicitly offer three Motif formats on its network properties: expandable banners, floating ads and in-page ads.
Motif is the result of a year-old partnership between DoubleClick and Macromedia. DoubleClick has marketed the platform as a way for agencies and advertisers to more easily manage the production and delivery of Flash ads. However, adoption since Motif’s launch in Summer 2003 has been sluggish by the measure of many industry watchers.
That may be changing. MSN’s certification by Motif means DoubleClick has earned buy-in from two major portals (AOL began accepting fixed-frame banners earlier this year), suggesting adoption of the platform is moving forward a bit less slowly.
“DoubleClick’s DART Motif is an innovative and efficient solution for executing rich media and we’re pleased to certify our key properties for DART Motif campaigns,” said Eric Hadley, director of advertising and marketing for MSN.
BellSouth, EarthLink and Verizon Online joined The Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG), a group of communications and technology companies that are together tackling spam, viruses and other forms of messaging abuse. The new members increase MAAWG’s constituency to more than 100 million subscribers. Other members include Bell Canada, Cloudmark and Cox Communications.
“We have come a long way since the inception of MAAWG last December,” said Rich Wong, chairman of the group and general manager at Openwave. “As we continue to grow our membership, we are strengthening the communications industry’s capability to proactively address messaging abuse.”
Transcendigital picked up two clients in the travel and tourism business. Colony Beach and Tennis Resort of Sarasota, Fla. and Travel Sciences of Hartford, Conn. have both tapped the digital agency to handle their online marketing efforts.
Colony Beach & Tennis Resort contracted with Transcendigital to revamp its Web site and interactive marketing program “to better reflect its prominent industry standing and upscale clientele,” the company said. Travel Sciences engaged the agency for unspecified online marketing services.