L90 Adds Brands to Network - Brief Article

Brandweek, March 19, 2001 by Janis Mara

Internet advertising and marketing technology firm L90, which offers a network of about 400 content sites to advertisers, has added a fistful of new clients, including Epson, Ikea and Lucky Brand jeans.

The roster of new clients, which also includes Quaker Oats, will be advertising on a variety of sites across the Los Angeles-based L90's network. Most of the campaigns launch this month.

According to L90 CEO John Bohan, many of these clients were attracted to the network because of its channels targeting specific areas. "Advertisers are becoming much more demanding in terms of reaching their specific consumers and less tolerant of nontargeted traffic," he said.

One example of this might be the campaign for Lucky Brand jeans, based in Vernon, La., which runs on sites in the women's, business and finance, and sports channels. The campaign uses L90 PowerAds technology, which launches a jump page offering users opportunities such as winning a $1,000 Lucky Brand shopping spree and inviting them to click through to the luckybrandjeans.com site. Other elements include buttons and banners.

Another new client win is Long Beach, Calif.-based printer manufacturer Epson. Epson Latin America has partnered with L90 to donate money to charities helping to rebuild El Salvador after a recent series of earthquakes. The charity drive will involve banners and buttons in Spanish and Portuguese targeted at 10 countries in Latin America.

"One of the things we do is provide a service that incorporates design elements," said Bohan. "We don't just place an ad and let it run."

As an example, the company designed a microsite for client United Paramount Network to promote its Claymation series Gary and Mike. The microsite features a sweepstakes that users can enter to win a trip to Las Vegas. Visitors who register to win the trip can earn extra entries for each friend they refer who signs up. The microsite is running across L90's entertainment and sports channels.

L90's campaign for Sweden-based furniture giant Ikea involves two elements. The first promotes Ikea Business Online, a section of the Ikea site that helps users design and furnish their work areas. This campaign will run on Allbusiness.com, one of the sites in L90's network, and involves banners, skyscrapers, text links and newsletter sponsorships. The second, for Ikea Kitchen Online, is similarly designed and will run on DoItYourself.com and ThisOldHouse.com.