Hong Kong advertising agency FusionActive.com is challenging the
banner ad with the proprietary technology of its US partner, MindArrow
Systems Inc.
Rubber stamping the rights to this technology little less than a month
ago, the Virtual Prospector's hook - or the "eCommercial" as it is known
in the US - is its simplicity.
Creating the equivalent of a 30-second TVC spot, online, the Virtual
Prospector emits in-synch visuals and sound compressed into a file size
compatible with Windows 95 and a 56K modem.
And not having to wait for the broadband revolution is an obvious merit,
besides the viral convenience of its email format, according to
FusionActive chairman and CEO, Sam Lee.
"We send the client's commercial via email to affinity groups - this
isn't spamming, it's targeting very specific audiences."
Bypassing the need for online connectivity, once downloaded, the
eCommercial can be replayed numerous times, with an automatic dial-up
facility that also provides a hyperlink to the advertiser's own
website.
"We're a one-stop shop, we sit down with the client and put together a
30-second commercial, then we'll do the software driven-conversion and
compression and if you want people to link up to your website for more
information, we'll also establish the hyperlink," Mr Lee told
CReATION.
Maximising 'Net accountability, campaigns are highly dissectable -
advertisers can see who their eCommercial was sent to, how many times
they (users) looked at it, when they looked at it, and who they
immediately forwarded it to.
Citing a campaign conducted in the US with a leading pharmaceutical firm
and aimed at doctors, one eCommercial, added Mr Lee, included a
clickable "call me " button; where a link-up with the company's call
centre allowed doctors to contact a sales representative online, have
their questions answered and request product samples.
Slicing 50 per cent off the cost of an average TVC for an entire Virtual
Prospector campaign, accountability figures speak volumes for the
click-on power of interactivity and entertainment value coupled with the
novelty of early adoption.
"As an advertiser, if you've sent your commercial out to 50,000 of your
clients, out of that, 90 per cent will have a look at it and maybe 70
per cent will forward it to 3 people," said Mr Lee.
Thus far in Asia, Toyota is the sole client to have spotted the Virtual
Prospector's first-mover advantage - featuring the latest model of its
Spider sports car in a recent Web campaign.
FusionActive, however, is keen to bring the Virtual Prospector to the
masses - the "value added resellers" or existing advertising agencies
who are looking for a catchy, user-friendly vehicle to get a client's
product or service onto the 'Net.
"They have the existing clients so we'll let them do the creative and
we'll take care of the technology," said Mr Lee.
"As far as they're concerned it's difficult to describe this in words,
but once they've seen it (the Virtual Prospector) they recognise its
application potential".
