iDOT.com Launches Advertising Blitz

PC company iDOT.com said it is launching an advertising blitz over the Web that will generate 17 million banner ad impressions over the next three months.

The campaign’s cornerstone is iDOT.com’s sponsorship of The Dilbert Zone Computer Store on the popular comic strip character’s home page. Spending was not disclosed.

The Dilbert Zone, a product of United Media, consistently ranks as one of the most popular entertainment sites on the Internet, with more than five million page views each week and some five million visitors each month.

The marketing alliance–which makes iDOT.com the exclusive hardware partner of The Dilbert Zone–includes a customized icon link at the top of The Dilbert Zone home page, a computer-related comic strip for The Dilbert Store and the creation of a new microsite within The Dilbert Zone. The microsite will consist of a co-branded page containing iDOT.com-featured products and direct links to iDOT.com’s new virtual storefront, www.idot.com.

As part of the deal, a total of 17 million co-branded banners will be seen on The Dilbert Zone and 21 other Web sites, including Fast Company, Travelocity, USNews, USAToday Marketplace, EasySabre, Stock Master and Popular Mechanics.

iDOT.com’s agency of record is M2K in Austin.

“We believe co-branding with the Dilbert Zone is a great way to generate sales leads and spread the word via the Web that iDOT.com sells and supports premium-grade PCs at hundreds of dollars less than Dell, Gateway and Micron,” said Neil Bremner, iDOT.com’s executive vice president.

iDOT.com is backed by a $3.5-million private venture fund created by MAG Technology Ltd., a $1.2-billion manufacturer of peripheral products.