IAR Bits and Bytes
ZEDO Taps Dyson, Braitman for board; Traffix acquires Infiknowledge and Thanksmuch; TargitInteractive to Promote "Rings."
ZEDO Taps Dyson, Braitman for Board
Ad server ZEDO added two longstanding Internet entrepreneurs to its board of directors, with the appointment of Lawrence Braitman and Esther Dyson.
Braitman founded the Flycast Network, which was ultimately purchased by CMGI’s ad server Engage
for about $2.1 billion in stock.
Dyson recently concluded her controversial two-year stint as founding chairman of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, better known as ICANN. She’s also the chairman of Edventure Holdings and serves on the board of directors of ad agency holding company WPP Group, among other firms.
Roy de Souza, chief executive of San Francisco-based ZEDO, said the appointments “demonstrates the power of ZEDO’s technology to today’s Internet.”
ZEDO’s ad serving technology — which it terms “third-generation” — focuses on delivering content at the edge of the Internet via distributed server clusters, and using JavaScript, attempts to more accurately target ads and account for viewed impressions.
Traffix Acquires Infiknowledge and Thanksmuch
Pearl River, N.Y.-based Traffix finalized the acquisitions of game developer Infiknowledge and online direct marketer Thanksmuch.
Under the terms of the contract with Infiknowledge, Traffix — best known as the owner of GroupLotto.com — bought all of the company’s assets for about $1 million in cash, stock and incentives, payable over three years.
From that purchase, Traffix said it received an email delivery system, a suite of Web-based games suitable for advergaming efforts, and about 30 game and Web developers.
Through the Thanksmuch agreement, for which Traffix paid less than $1 million, Traffix gains an online e-tailer of costume jewelry and impulse gifts. The purchase is actually an investment in Thanksmuch’s management, who will remain after the merger, Traffix said. The company’s executives, Ken Auerfeld and Clifford Resnick, ran a similar division at Publishers Clearing House that ultimately generated more than $100 million in annual revenue.
Traffix executives said both Infiknowledge and Thanksmuch are profitable, and would enhance the company’s existing business.
“It is a management priority to continue to identify companies that complement our business and expand our operations, because we believe that with our profitable business model and our cash, there are some great acquisition opportunities for Traffix, especially given the current economic environment,” said Traffix chairman and chief executive Jeffrey Schwartz
TargitInteractive to Promote “Rings”
Portsmouth, N.H.-based email marketer TargitInteractive secured an agreement with AOL Time Warner’s New Line Cinema division to promote its highly-anticipated epic, “The Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring.”
Through the agreement, TargitInteractive will distribute rich media emails to opted-in consumers. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“We are pleased to be working with New Line Cinema for the release of “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” said David Smith, executive vice president of TargitInteractive’s interactive division. “We feel our various technology platforms are well-suited for the launch of what is sure to be one of the biggest films of this year.”
