• by Masha Geller , July 7, 2003

After a few months of beta testing, MSNBC.com today rolled out a content-targeted sponsored links programs throughout the entire site.

The links will be provided exclusively by About.com's Sprinks, a company that boasts the Web's largest network of content-targeted sponsored links and counts some of the web's top publishers in its roster of clients.

Sprinks allows advertisers to bid for premium placement of sponsored links on editorial pages and email newsletters on the Web. Through this partnership with MSNBC.com, Sprinks customers will be able to place ads in MSNBC.com's popular sections including Health, Travel, Technology/Science, Sports, Business and Living.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Lance Podell, General Manager of Sprinks, said the agreement "validates our program and our approach." He said this is the first time anyone has tackled sponsored links in a news site environment, and the deal demonstrates that the concept can and does work.

"News is particularly tricky in terms of targeting and mapping," he said, explaining that the concept works with Sprinks because advertisers bid for placement by category and not keyword, thus the results are guaranteed to be relevant, upholding the integrity of the content they are running adjacent to and never confined to the keyword itself. In the case of MSNBC's Spring Allergy Guide, for example, ads delivered might include air purifiers, allergy tests or allergy treatments.

Podell said that over the next few weeks. He expects to offer improved placement for the ads, placing them higher up on the page, and going from 3 to 4 lengths.

Scott Moore, president of MSNBC.com, said that the complete MSNBC.com offering is aligned to appeal to both broad and targeted audience segments and "in either scenario, Sprinks complements our desire to offer advertising that upholds our reputation as a relevant, trusted news brand. With Sprinks' content-targeted advertising acting as a relevant extension of our editorial content, MSNBC.com now has a vehicle to create new opportunities for our advertisers and readers, enhancing the overall user experience across our entire site."