Effectiveness of Ads in Browser Toolbars

From: Rick Bruner <rick_at_imtstrategies.com>
Date: Thu 09 Nov 2000 16:09:17 -0500

Hello All,

One of our clients is looking for a recommendation
about developing a co-branded or privately branded
browser toolbar, in cooperation with Tek21/DeskPlayer,
which private labels such toolbars for marketers
including Budweiser. Other services that also provide
private label toolbars include DoDots, Odigo and
InfoGate.

Other toolbars that have developed their own brands
direct to consumers include Gator (more of a wallet
than a toolbar, but similar), iWare, WinFire, Alexa
and AllAdvantage.

Most of these toolbars offer some combination of
services to users such as power searching, shopping
aids, stock/sports/news tickers and, of course,
special advertising offers. For companies seeking to
brand their own such toolbars, benefits (in theory)
include retention/push marketing, viral acquisition
and a new platform for ad revenue.

I'm wondering if any of you have good or bad things to
say about both distributing private label versions of
such toolbars or even just using other people's
toolbar services as an advertising vehicle. Aside from
Gator and AllAdvantage (the latter a multi-level
marketing approach), I'm skeptical of the ability of
any of these services to really gain a critical mass
of users.

Also, are there other major players in this space --
both B2B private labelers and B2C branded players --
beyond those I've mentioned here that we should
consider?

Thanks in advance,

Rick

Rick E. Bruner VP of interactive marketing research
IMT Strategies http://www.imtstrategies.com
  203 705-6536 rick_at_imtstrategies.com
        Author "Net Results: Web Marketing That Works"

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Received on Thu Nov 09 2000 - 15:09:17 CST