• by August 21, 2000

Internet infomediary company AllAdvantage announced today that it has rolled out "ADvantage Network" - a new advertising network that sells and delivers targeted advertising to Internet users' persistent desktop windows on behalf of free ISPs and other desktop window-based online service providers.

Five desktop app companies have already inked deals to sell advertising inventory with ADvantage Network, including free ISP freeinternet.com and online charitable-fundraising company ForMyCause.com.

Company officials say ADvantage Network currently grants advertisers access to over 6+ million active Internet users, placing desktop advertising in head-to-head competition with "traditional" Web-page-based banner advertising, by offering persistent access to users' desktops.

According to ADvantage, web surfers use desktop applications as Internet companions, leaving them on their screens. As a result, advertisers have a persistent channel for communicating with users. The channel takes into consideration where individual users go and what they do while on the Internet, and enables personalized communication.

"On the Web, advertising is a real-estate play - and just as with real estate, the three things that matter most are location, location, location," said David Beckman-Robertson, VP of Sales for AllAdvantage.

"Persistent desktop advertising lets you, the advertiser, take control of the message AND the medium. Now you can decide exactly when the prospect will see your message on their desktop, for what duration, and how frequently."

AllAdvantage rewards online users for their online data with personalized offers, Web navigation tools, even cash. It delivers its services through the Viewbar(TM) window, through which it can advertise to its members based on demographic, geographic, and individual interest and preference criteria.

From a client's perspective, "Desktop advertising has unique advantages over Web page advertising," said Bob Pack, freeinternet.com VP of sales. "It is persistent, it is knowledgeable about each individual user's preference, and consumers have elected to install those applications because of the value they deliver. Freeinternet.com believes this is a new paradigm for online advertising that can deliver great results."