Traditional Advertisers Flock to New Formats on High-Quality Content Sites

NEW YORK, NY -- May 8, 2002 -- The Online Publishers Association today called attention to and commented on the introduction and performance of several online advertising formats that have emerged in recent months.

The announcement follows a new study from Nielsen//Net Ratings released last week, which showed that nine out of the top 10 rich-media advertisers in the first quarter are leading offline advertisers such as State Farm, Coca-Cola and Proctor & Gamble.

Just last month, The Wall Street Journal Online introduced a new option for advertisers called the Brand Launch Unit. When users first visit the site, this new advertising format "launches" an ad upward to the right hand corner of the WSJ.com home page before expanding and sliding back into its normal position on that page. Already, the Brand Launch Unit has attracted the attention of a diverse group of advertisers, including Starwood and Oracle.

Late last year, CBS MarketWatch pioneered the use of Intro Messages on their site, whereby users are exposed to a five- to seven-second, full-screen commercial message prior to the home page loading. The ad does not interrupt the user's content experience like a pop-up. It "ushers" them into the site as the premier sponsorship of the day. The unit has proven highly effective for advertisers including Budweiser, AT&T Wireless and Travelocity.com.

In October 2001 CNET Networks announced "Launch Pad," a cross-media marketing program designed to create immediate awareness and demand for technology innovations. Recently, the online units for LaunchPad, which are similar to those introduced by the Wall Street Journal Online, were tested for CNET Networks' marketing clients with great success. From two weeks pre-campaign launch to the product launch period, leads to the LaunchPad advertised product increased an average of 224%. The campaigns also created sustained interest in the products, generating a 55% increase in product review and other related product detail pages and a 54% increase in leads to the product from two weeks pre-launch to two weeks post-launch.

Additional research from CNET and Millward Brown IntelliQuest released last month indicates that Interactive Messaging Units (IMUs), the interactive square format ads introduced by CNET Networks over a year ago that became an industry standard soon thereafter, are increasingly effective in getting online audience attention and continue to enhance brand recognition.

"WSJ.com's Brand Launch Unit, CBS MarketWatch's Intro Messages and CNET Networks' LaunchPad units are just a three examples of how high-quality online publishers are innovating to meet the needs of marketers," said Michael Zimbalist, executive director of the Online Publishers Association. "Through ongoing research and continued innovation, these publishers and others are making significant strides in developing formats that respect the user experience and demonstrate the effectiveness of online media for brand advertisers."

Joseph Jaffe, director of interactive media at TBWAChiatDay in New York, said: "I'm pleased with these results, which underscore the fact we're getting smarter in terms of delivering an impactful and meaningful communication product online. Bigger units allow for better creative, which works hand in hand with the fundamental media proposition of one message from one advertiser to one consumer at one time."

The Wall Street Journal Online, CBS MarketWatch and CNET Networks are members of the OPA.

About the Online Publishers Association

Founded in June 2001, the Online Publishers Association (OPA) is an industry trade organization whose mission is to advance the interests of high-quality online publishers before the advertising community, the press, the government and the public. Members of OPA represent the highest standards in Internet publishing with respect to editorial quality and integrity, credibility and accountability. OPA member sites have a combined, unduplicated reach of 61.5 million visitors, or 55.2% of the total Web audience. (Source: Jupiter Media Metrix, March 2002). For more information about the Online Publishers Association, visit www.online-publishers.org.

CONTACT:
Lisa Carparelli
Online Publishers Association
(917) 743-4537
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