Orb Digital Markets Wireless Ad Tracking

Ever thought about checking the results of your online ad campaign while you’re in a meeting or out at lunch?

ORB Direct, an interactive agency and direct marketing company, this week began a big push to launch its new product, ORBit Express 2000, that will allow marketers to do just that. The software lets users look at impressions, click-throughs and transactions in real-time on the Palm VII wireless personal digital assistant.

The idea is that marketers can use the real-time capabilities of the Internet to find out whether ad campaigns need tweaking. Knowing that a particular banner is getting a low click-through rate, for example, might lead to a decision to insert new creative.

“Our whole business is about real-time, and this is just an extension of what we already offer,” said Andrew Pakula, president of ORB.

The company’s advertising efforts include a full-page ad in the Industry Standard as well as in ads in The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

As part of the promotion, ORB is also giving away the Palm VII devices to new clients that spend more than $1 million, and to 50 of the nation’s top marketers in the automotive, financial services, travel and pharmaceutical industries.

Each of the units costs around $600, and basic monthly service, for which ORB is picking up the tab, runs around $10. But the company says it’s a small price to pay to potentially land big clients.

Besides positioning itself as a cutting-edge company by providing basic information wirelessly, ORB also hopes to stand out from the crowd by capitalizing on the novelty value of the service.

“It’s a tool that no one else is offering,” says Pakula.

ORB’s clients, which are receiving the new wireless capabilities, include Citibank, PETsMART.com, and Coty.

Besides offering creative services, the company provides ad serving and tracking capabilities. Its competitors include DoubleClick, AdForce, and 24/7 Media.