• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, March 3, 2005

Behavioral targeting company Tacoda Systems announced Wednesday that it will launch an advertising network in April, which will sell branded ads on a cost-per-thousand impression basis. The new service, Audience Networks, will serve ads to consumers who fall into marketing segments based on their online behavior. The inventory will come directly from publishers that participate in the network; Tacoda will sell the ads on a commission basis, said Chief Executive Officer Dave Morgan.

Morgan declined to name the participating publishers, but estimated the network will launch with the possibility of reaching 49 million Web users a month, and will eventually reach more than 85 million.

The service is similar to a network Tacoda launched last year for pay-per-click text ads. The main differences are that the new network is solely for branded advertising, and pricing is strictly based on number of impressions served. The participating publishers also might be different--but, said Morgan, there will likely be some overlap.

Advertisers that participate won't know which publication they'll appear in, just which segment--such as potential car buyers--will receive the ads, said Morgan.