• by Karl Greenberg , Laurie Petersen , May 15, 2007

In a somewhat unusual move for ad networks, online display advertising is getting its own upfront season. Ford's Lincoln and Mercury brands have placed 12-month commitments with behavioral targeting ad network Specific Media.

"It's an exceptionally large advertising commitment," said Specific Media CEO Tim Vanderhook. While declining to give the precise dollar amount, he said it is the largest annual commitment the company has had to date.

The campaign will seek to build brand recognition for several new Lincoln Mercury models, including the new MKZ, MKX and Mercury Mariner vehicles.

Ford is using Specific Media to place ads targeting women ages 25-54 who are independent and business-minded, as well as in-market customers. Team Detroit's mediaedge:cia is the media agency.

"This partnership is about driving efficiency in online ad dollars. A lot of marketers now are saying 'we want to target people instead of content'," Vanderhook said.

Specific Media delivers ads by studying online behavior and delivering media buys based on where different demographics actually spend their time.

"We have cookie data on 95% of U.S. users--we can tell if one is male or female, the types of content you have been consuming," he said.

Lincoln launched its current "Reach Higher" brand tagline as part of the "Dreams" campaign. Lincoln recently launched an online campaign on portals like Yahoo, featuring interactive ads that allow consumers to stay at the host Web site while interacting with the Lincoln content.

In April, Mercury sales were down 14.2%, while Lincoln, benefiting from a new crossover, MKX, saw sales increase 6.9%.