IAR Bits and Bytes

GotMarketing Launches Viral Module

San Jose, Calif.-based GotMarketing has launched a viral marketing add-on for its Campaigner self-service suite of email marketing software.

The Campaigner application is deployed by partners — including Yahoo and Oracle — to offer private-label, self-service email marketing tools to clients. Using the new module, dubbed Viralocity, self-service marketers can embed customized “forward to a friend” and “subscribe now” links to messages. The links track the number of times a message is forwarded and whether a forward resulted in a new subscription or sale.

Such features, which are typically offered as part of most full-service email marketing programs, are critical in tracking some of the effect that word-of-mouth and referrals have on campaign success.

IGN to Debut Video Ads

Entertainment-oriented Web publisher IGN will begin offering Java-based video ads through a new partnership with New York-based Klipmart.

The agreement will see IGN offering advertisers inventory based on Klipmart’s streaming video creation, hosting and streaming suite, which allows for ads to be delivered regardless of users’ Internet connection speeds, and without the need of a media player.

E*Trade Commences Rolling Stones Promotion

In connection with its sponsorship of the Rolling Stones’ upcoming tour, E*Trade Financial is kicking off an effort to reach new customers.

The company, which is seeking to reach older, higher-income consumers through the promotion, will give away Rolling Stones memorabilia and two “Gold Circle” tickets in a ZERO Halliburton attache case to consumers who sign up for a brokerage account. Consumers will also receive the package if they open an E*Trade Bank account with $500,000 or more, or if they join and begin trading on E*Trade’s brokerage for active traders.

Current E*Trade brokerage customers will receive a Rolling Stones gift if they traded or trade more during July and August than they did in the previous quarter. Customers who make an additional 30 to 75 trades will receive two non-“Gold Circle” tickets, while customers making more than 75 trades will receive an attache case.

E*Trade announced its sponsorship of the concert tour in May. The tour begins Sept. 3 in Boston.

DoubleClick Shutters San Mateo Office

New York-based DoubleClick is closing its San Mateo, Calif. office, as the Web ad server and marketing technology giant continues to trim costs.

The move came about as part of an effort to reduce real estate under lease and head count. Some of the office’s roughly 20 employees, who worked mostly in engineering or customer service, were relocated to DoubleClick’s San Francisco location, the company said.