Execs and Accounts for March 17, 2003

SF Interactive has already deployed its new Ad3 (“Ad Cube”) platform for several clients, including Cisco, VeriSign and Quantum Corporation.

A version of the new unit has appeared in the agency’s client work since at least 2002, when SF Interactive developed a campaign for Quantum that streamed video and let users perform several actions within the ad without navigating away.

The agency’s work for Quantum also includes a case study on the data storage firm’s involvement with the remake of “Apocalypse Now.” Within one ad, users can click to watch a video interview in which Francis Ford Coppola collaborator Ed Goldfarb discusses the role Quantum played in the film’s re-release.

The Ad3 unit meets all standard IAB size requirements while essentially acting as a mini-website — letting viewers access information about a service or product without clicking away. SF Interactive said it is also pursuing contracts with several online publishers it hopes will adopt the technology platform and offer it to all advertisers as a new format.

IconNicholson, the New York office of IconMedialab, has developed a Web site for a new subscription-based research group at MasterCard International, called Purchase Street Research. The site is a resource for a range of companies, from financial services firms to retail and technology companies. IconNicholson’s design allows custom packaging of research for different users and uses.

Verizon SuperPages.com, an online directory and a unit of Verizon Communications, is providing yellow pages services to About.com. When About.com users access the yellow pages service via a link on About’s home page, they gain access to all of SuperPages.com’s resources, including product and service information for SuperPages.com advertisers. Users can also access “MerchantMatch,” a quote and pricing service, and “My Directory,” a personal directory service that they can customize with up to 30 listings.

“This agreement with About.com will help continue to grow the number of visitors to SuperPages.com,” said Patrick Marshall, VP of marketing for Verizon information services. “By increasing our usage and reach, we are increasing the value for SuperPages.com advertisers.”

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