Execs & Accounts for July 19, 2004

The Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) made Akamai Technologies the official streaming media provider of the 2004 Convention. Akamai’s EdgeSuite platform will be used to deliver both live and on-demand streaming audio and video during next week’s conference in Boston. The live proceedings will be accessible via the convention’s Web site.

Akamai seems the streaming provider of choice for U.S. political conventions. The company supported all streaming media for both the Democratic and Republican conventions in 2000.

“Akamai’s extensive experience in the political arena will provide immediate access to Convention events, and we are proud to work with them once again this year,” said Rod O’Connor, CEO of the DNCC.

Polaroid, Intel, Paramount Pictures and FedEx are running new online campaigns using EyeWonder’s video banner ad format. Most notable is the Polaroid campaign, which features approximately 1,200 executions across 17 sites, including AOL, CNN and Yahoo An estimated fifty customers are currently running video banner ads.

United Pictures International (UPI) has deployed United Virtualities’ (UV) Ooqa-Ooqa branded browser in the U.K. as part of a 12-month, global film marketing deal. UV worked with U.K. digital agency Outrider to build UIP’s Ooqa-Ooqa campaigns across approximately 10 new movie releases in Europe, Asia and South America.

The first creative, for the new film “Thunderbirds,” launches this week. Further Ooqa-Ooqa campaigns will be built to support “Chronicles of Riddick,” “The Bourne Supremacy” and “Collateral,” with all campaigns adapted to local markets. The Ooqa-Ooqa replaces visitors’ normal navigation browser and toolbar with an advertiser-branded browser.

Sony Electronics tapped Viewpoint to create interactive product demos for its computer and electronics products. The two-year agreement ought to result in 20 to 30 new product representations per quarter.

Additionally, Sony will use Viewpoint’s Creative Innovator online ad delivery and management system.