• by Masha Geller , March 29, 2001

We've all heard of, and possibly dealt with banner and other ad media exchanges in the past. It was only a matter of time before someone came up with an email exchange.

Opt-in News, the permission based email marketing portal and news network, this week announced the launch of an email ad exchange Opt-in Source. The official announcement states that the new service, much like all similar ones before it, brings buyers and sellers together in an easy to manage interface.

"Our intention was to level the playing ground for advertisers by developing an environment that places them in control of their opt-in email purchasing," said Clint Symons, publisher of Opt-in News and co-founder of Opt-in Source. "We feel we've accomplished this with Opt-in Source."

According to company officials, media buyers can request quotes online while remaining anonymous, and obtain multiple bids from qualified opt-in email providers immediately. The free service provides advertisers with tools to set time sensitivity on bids, provide real-time tracking and set budget limitations. The network currently offers access to over 150 million direct opt-in email addresses as well as millions of opt-in newsletter subscribers.

"In the past media buyers needed to search out numerous email providers with qualified lists for their campaigns. Now with Opt-in Source they simply enter the data to receive qualified bids that include detailed descriptions of audience reach, interest, pricing, and availability all in one place," said Scott Hulmes, director of marketing for Opt-in Source. "By using this service advertisers can now determine their own pricing and have email providers compete, saving them time and money."

Knowing the fate of ad exchanges past, I'm wary of predicting the success of Opt-In Source. But take a test drive anyway - http://www.optinsource.com - maybe this one is worth the time. There's a first time for everything, right?