IAR Bits and Bytes for November 6, 2003

United Virtualities announced its customized rich-media ad solution was integrated into the home page of the Wall Street Journal Online. United Virtualities’ Shoshkelizer product replaces a proprietary development process formerly used by WSJ.com, simplifying the deployment of advertising for the staff and ad agencies.

Shoshkelizer supports custom ad formats, and United Virtualities created custom templates to the Online Journal’s specifications for rich-media ad delivery, including a slider ad unit that expands upward for several seconds.

NetRatings announced revenues of $10.6 million, an increase of 22 percent for the third quarter of the year, up 22 percent from the same quarter in 2002 and up 4 percent from the second quarter of 2003.

Net loss for the third quarter was $6.5 million, or $0.19 per share. This compares with a net loss of $6 million, or $0.18 per share, in the third quarter of 2002.

The Internet audience measurement and analysis provider said its global client renewal rate was 76 percent and it added 124 new clients in the quarter, including 63 added through its acquisition of NetCrawling. The company also launched HomeScan Online, a service developed with AC Nielsen U.S. to combine data about Internet usage and offline purchasing.

Behavioral targeting software vendor Tacoda Systems has released a substantive update to its Audience Management System (AMS), adding functions like real-time targeting, out-of-banner ad frequency capping, and audience lifetime value analysis.

Real-time targeting speeds up the process that lets advertisers target ads based on user behavior. Out-of-banner ad frequency capping helps publishers limit the number of more-intrusive ads an individual user will receive over a given period of time. Audience lifetime value analysis is aimed at helping publishers determine who are the most valuable members of their audiences.

AMS version 3.1 is being rolled out to existing clients, which include iVillage, Forbes.com, The Weather Channel’s Weather.com, The McClatchy Company, Cond&eacutelNet, Tribune Interactive, E.W. Scripps Company’s Scripps Networks, USATODAY.com, Belo Interactive, Inc., and Advance Internet.