Onsale Debuts Banner Ads With Live Auction Information

Menlo Park, CA-based Internet auctioneer Onsale Inc. launched an ad campaign that lets consumers see Onsale’s latest auction bids on it banner ads on Yahoo, CNET, Infoseek and HotBot.

The campaign is designed “to take advantage of the dynamic nature of the Internet and recreate the excitement of online auctions inside the banner itself,” the company said. Spending was not disclosed.

Consumers are encouraged to click-through as current pricing information on a number of products from Onsale’s auctions is displayed. The information is updated in the banner ads every 15 minutes.

The campaign was developed by Onsale’s interactive advertising agency, Lot21, and utilizes ActiveAds technology from Thinking Media.

“Part of the success of online auctions is the sense of urgency for customers to buy today, since products are usually available for limited periods at limited quantities,” said Barry Peters, Onsale’s director of customer acquisition. “We wanted to capture this urgency in our online ads, and create a compelling reason for consumers to click on the banners.”

“Utilizing technology like ActiveAds to expand Onsale’s goals in rich media advertising not only pushes commerce, but extends the brand,” said Kate Everett-Thorp, president and CEO of Lot21 Interactive Advertising.