Bits & Bytes for June 17, 2004

WeatherBug 6.0 Lets Ads Break Out of the App

WeatherBug wrapped a new ad product into the latest version of its popular desktop application.

WeatherBug 6.0 comes with a new expandable ad offering, dubbed “borderless advertising,” that lets its advertisers develop creative that extends beyond the perimeter of the application window. The product increases the branding space by 78 percent, the company said, allowing the use of standard leaderboard banner sizes and rich media formats, including Flash.

Additionally, advertisers can now sponsor content sections such as health & outdoors, travel or “your photos.”

WeatherBug has been an innovator in the desktop advertising space. Its ad offerings include “Sponsor Select,” which encourages users to choose the companies that market to them. Its “BrandWrap” product integrates the advertiser’s content with weather info.

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Citysearch Bows Movie Section

Citysearch rolled out a new section focused exclusively on cinema. The local search provider is billing the new area as an opportunity for advertisers to reach filmgoing consumers at the point of decision-making. Called Citysearch Movies, the section resides alongside a roster of other categories that includes restaurants, nightlife, attractions, hotels and spas.

“Citysearch’s new movie section is a powerful advertising medium that provides our national advertising clients with access to a large, local user base that is focused first and foremost on finding a movie at a local theatre,” said Citysearch CEO Briggs Ferguson.

The company suggested film studios could use the page-specific targeting to place ads next to competitive film listings. Featured placement is also available on the main movie page, allowing advertisers to reach filmgoers en masse.

“By enabling advertisers to target moviegoers on our redesigned home page as well as throughout competitive movie profiles, we’ve developed an opportunity for advertisers to positively influence which movie users ultimately go see,” Ferguson said.

Like other Citysearch categories, the movie section lets users rate and review movies.