• by Gaetano Pollice , January 3, 2008

Instead of kicking the hell out of a broken washing machine that springs a soapy leak all over the linoleum, advertisers are hoping frustrated consumers will instead hop online to spare themselves the sweat and tears. OwnerIQ provides user manuals and how-tos for thousands of everyday household products on its network of seven Web sites (owneriq.net). The sites offer registered users guides from more than 2,200 manufacturers, with products ranging from the everyday (washing machines) to the obscure (food dehydrators). As a result, OwnerIQ has developed an ownership-targeted media program, with the ability to reach consumers based on what they already own, like specific brand names or a category of products such as kitchen appliances. It takes the guesswork out of a hodgepodge of demographic statistics for advertisers to sift through, and provides an immediate indication of a consumer’s likely future purchases. The Boston-based company’s built an audience, attracting more than 700,000 unique visitors a month since its founding in August 2006, and hit the jackpot this past October, when it announced an influx of $2 million in funding from a variety of backers.