Chitika Launches Viral Branding Unit to Bring Power of Video and Interactivity to Advertisers
Good news for Chitika advertisers: survey of Chitika’s growing network of 17,000+ online publishers shows 77 percent already “very interested” in incorporating video branding
Marlborough, MA. — February 11, 2008 — Chitika, a leader in online branding and advertising, today announced its innovative Viral Branding Unit (VBU). Designed as a “creative vessel” to contain any banner ad or video creative, the VBU uses advanced Web 2.0 technologies to power corporate branding, uniquely fostering both B-to-C and C-to-C (consumer to consumer) conversation marketing in a single targeted ad unit. The VBU viral components include tabs for commenting on the brand or products and the ability to rate and share opinions across social networks of choice.
“We founded Chitika on the idea that branding is a fluid conversation between brands, buyers and online publishers,” said Venkat Kolluri, chief executive officer at Chitika. “The new VBU takes this dynamic to the next level by delivering more impact, more interactivity and more of the conversational attributes consumers want. And rest assured, we’re not done yet; billions will soon be flowing into the blogosphere and social media, and Chitika will continue to lead the way with innovation and a keen understanding of the dynamic of the new web.”
The VBU offers full flexibility and control to advertisers. The units are highly customizable and offer several different options for viral marketing, including Comment, Share it and Rate it tabs. The VBU also has advance targeting capabilities that perform well at the site, category and keyword levels. To ensure maximum ROI, Chitika also provides detailed analytics reports that summarize core metrics such as impressions, clicks, number of comments and votes.
“As soon as we experienced the powerful brand impact the VBU’s delivers, we were instantly hooked,” said Daniel Ruby, corporate communications director for Mimoco. “The VBU enables the brand to jump out, enough that our target customers are compelled to interact and share. We thrive off customer word of mouth, and the viral features of the VBU are something no other advertising network can deliver.”
To view a sample of the ad unit, please visit: http://chitika.com/blog/vbu
“The excitement we’re seeing from advertisers is matched only by the anticipation across our network of publishers,” added Kolluri. “We recently survey our publishers and found that more than 77 percent are “very interested” in experiencing the power of video. This enthusiasm is good news for our advertisers and for the millions of consumers who will experience VBUs every day.”
Darren Rowse of problogger.net uses Chitika to help monetize his site. He said, “The web is becoming a more and more interactive space. Web users are not satisfied simply to consume content by reading any more - they want to watch, listen, click, interact and play. The Viral Branding Unit is one of the best ad units that I’ve seen to meet web users in this interactive space.”
About Chitika
Chitika (www.chitika.com) is a full-service online advertising network specializing in the blogosphere and social networks. Today, it engages buyers, brands and bloggers by serving interactive, user-controllable ads directly within relevant posts. Recently, Chitika expanded micro advertising into social networks by enabling independent Facebook application developers to earn revenue as ad-supported micropublishers. For all publishers, Chitika is an easy-to-use platform for earning daily ad revenue. For advertisers and media buyers, Chitika is a proven channel for targeting online consumers and qualified buyers – as they are actively considering a purchase – and engaging them in relevant, brand-specific or product-specific conversations. Founded in 2003, Chitika now serves more than one billion ads per month and counting.
Media Contact:
Chris Amenta, Greenough Communications
617-275-6531
camenta@greenoughcom.com
