Execs & Accounts for October 22, 2004
Red Sox branded browsers are on the way; imc2 gives Crest unified presence; Falk gets Sony Pictures Digital; and AlmondNet signs INTENT MediaWorks.
Rich media developer United Virtualities announced the Boston Herald will use UV’s Ooqa-Ooqa technology to deploy a Red Sox-branded browser viewable during visits to its home page and sports pages covering the series.
“Ooqa-Ooqa creates new inventory for publishers and advertisers and brings a new dynamic to the user relationship because the user interacts with the brand both actively (via brand functionalities) and passively (via standard browser buttons),” said Mookie Tenembaum, founder of United Virtualities.
Starting Saturday on specially designated pages of BostonHerald.com, UV’s Ooqa-Ooqa will transform each visitor’s browser toolbar into a Red Sox-branded browser, while preserving all of the user’s normal toolbar functionality. The Boston Herald has the option of selling ad units on parts of the Ooqa-Ooqa, selling sponsored links in the toolbar or sponsored functions that can be added to the Ooqa-Ooqa. Ooqa-Ooqa was recently launched in the UK in a global deal with United International Pictures.
Dallas-based interactive agency imc2 launched a Web site at crest.com which represents a strategy shift for Procter & Gamble’s Crest brand online.
Previously, Crest had maintained mini-sites for each of its products — the Crest SpinBrush, Crest Whitening Expressions, etc. Now, these brand sites have been incorporated into crest.com
The site includes tools that let users develop a customized dental plan. The site was designed to visually integrate with the brand’s offline efforts.
Ad serving and tracking firm Falk eSolutions AG has snared Sony Pictures Digital as a client for its technology.
Sony Pictures Digital’s sonypictures.com, as well as soapcity.com and station.com, will use the ad serving solution. The company had formerly used DoubleClick’s ad server.
Behavioral tech player AlmondNet has signed a deal for INTENT MediaWorks to use its targeting technology. INTENT will use the technology in conjunction with its peer-to-peer content distribution network, which will also be used to deliver interactive advertising.
