• by Masha Geller , February 27, 2003

The parent company of Avenue A, i-FRONTIER and Atlas DMT is changing its name. The new name, to be reflected in the company’s stock symbol and corporate website address starting on March 24, 2003, is aQuantive, Inc.

"We believe that our new corporate identity will help further define and delineate the separation between the parent company and our individual business units," said Brian McAndrews, president and CEO of Avenue A, Inc. To that end, he explained, "Avenue A is a strong brand, and will continue to be the name of our core agency division."

McAndrews added, "Over the past few years, our company has grown to include additional operating units such as Atlas DMT, our technology business, and most recently i-FRONTIER, our Philadelphia-based interactive agency. By changing the name of our publicly-traded parent company to aQuantive, Inc., we have developed a corporate identity that encompasses all of our current brands."

According to the announcement, the company arrived at the root "quant" as the building block for its new name, as it “represents the idea of quantitative or measurable results,” and that the new name captures its focus on the pursuit of measurable results that help clients achieve their digital marketing goals, while reinforcing the company’s focus on accountability.

In addition to the new corporate identity, the company also announced that it expects to change the contractual agreements within the Avenue A agency, which is expected to result in reporting revenue on a net basis beginning January 1, 2004.