DoubleClick, Topica Partner on E-mail Marketing

Online ad firm DoubleClick Inc., a late entrant to the email marketing space, sought to bolster its position in that space Monday by striking an alliance with email newsletter network Topica Inc.

The agreement calls for DoubleClick (DCLK) to provide Topica with email list management and sales, through its DARTmail Prospect product. Topica is an early customer of this product, since it was just unveiled in December 1999.

Although DoubleClick is considered the leader in the online advertising space, others — like NetCreations (NTCR) and 24/7 Media (TFSM) — have been managing email lists for significantly longer.

Topica will, for the first time, create opt-in commercial lists, which allow consumers to choose to receive promotional information about products in which they are interested. Topica provides a place where consumers can subscribe to email newsletters on a wide variety of topics, and manage their subscriptions in one place.

“Topica is an early leader in delivering highly-desirable advertising inventory through targeted, consumer-friendly email,” said Eli Chalfin, vice president and general manager of DoubleClick’s DARTmail.

“This partnership highlights our ability to deliver world class advertising solutions that will help Topica monetize their email assets as well as effectively bring millions of new customers to their site to sample the Topica experience.”

Those new visitors are expected to come in through the purchase Topica will make on DoubleClick’s value-oriented Sonar Network. The company has agreed to purchase one-half-billion ad impressions on the network.

The agreement also calls for DoubleClick to sell Topica’s email inventory to its advertising clients.