Ultramercial -- Press



		ClickZ - Ultramercial Aims for Large Publisher Licensees with New Patent June 2, 2008 "With firms like Amazon scoring so-called business method patents, Ultramercial founder Dana Jones figured years ago he ought to apply for one, too. Jones has been awarded a U.S. patent he applied for in 2000 for his firm's signature commercial break-style ad unit, which launched later in 2002. The company aims to license the patented "method and system" to large site publishers."
		Yahoo! - Ultramercial Granted a US Patent for its Attention-for-Access Internet Advertising Model May 28, 2008 ..."Ultramercial LLC has been granted US Patent 7,346,545 describing their Attention-for-Access Internet advertising model and ad unit introduced in 2002. Under the model, online viewers can access copyrighted video, music, text or online services for free by requesting and completing an interactive ad. The viewer's attention acts as “payment” in a value exchange that gives the viewer incentive to complete the ad and repositions the advertiser as the provider, rather than the interrupter that viewers often skip, block or ignore."
		Peninsula People - Crank Up The Volume May 11, 2008 Dana Jones present business success, he claims, grew directly from his garage band days and hours he spent fingering a stratocaster in his home with musical friends.
		Streaming Media.com - DCIA's P2P Market Conference to Focus on Revenue Generation February 28, 2008 ..."In addition to our primary focus at this global gathering on commercial development, we will also invest time to discuss the renewed debate over net neutrality, exploring the latest arguments from content providers and ISPs, and current actions by regulators and consumer advocates responding to these forces," "..Panelists include Abacast's Mike King, AHT International's Mohan Nihalani, Azoogle Ads' Don Mathis, Brand Asset Digital's Joey Patuleia, DigitalContainers' Chip Venters ..., and Ultramercial's Dana Jones..."
		ClickZ - Ultramercial: We Do Engagement Pricing Too! February 22, 2008 "...For the uninitiated, Ultramercial's trademarked unit lets publishers like Salon and TheStreet offer ordinarily paid content for free by requiring site visitors to click through the ad experience. Just a reminder that some ad formats are inherently sold on engagement."
		Media Post - Will Watch Ads for Minutes August 23, 2007 "...the Sugar Mama approach is offering users something they already want - air time - and it does so in a very clear and uncomplicated way." "At Virgin Mobile's Sugar Mama program, there is a hard value placed on the time a visitor spends with a sponsor's ad. 'The general value is one minute of your time for one minute of air time credits,' says Scott Kelliher, director of mobile advertising. Users of the youth-oriented carrier come to the Virgin Mobile site, view ads from Ultramercial, and get pre-pay credits to their wireless account. And the company is not wanting for takers. According to Ultramercial, over 425,000 customers subscribe to the program, which has given away over 10 million free minutes. Kelliher says about 1,000 new users sign up a day." "At Sugar Mama, [Scott] Kelliher credits success with a combination of audience, model and timing. These young users know the worth of their mind share and are also eager to engage with advertisers who address their real needs. 'They took to this more rapidly than we anticipated,' he says. 'This is a much more media-savvy generation, and they are tech-savvy, and the timing is right, the audience is right and the value proposition is right.'"
		RF Design - Adding cost to “free” Wi-Fi networks – commercialized access! January 23, 2007 "A recent announcement by JiWire caught my eye this week. They are enhancing their Wi-Fi hotspot network with “Ultramercials.” ...As much as we dislike commercials, it does provide a reasonable business model for the proliferation of “free” wireless networks. ...In any case, I guess I don’t mind watching a short commercial for free network access."
		ClickZ - Salon Ad Viewer Dollars Eclipse Subscriber Revenues February 15, 2007 "The company's total revenues hit $2.8 million this past quarter, surpassing its record dot-com boom high of 2.6 million in December 1999... The site first employed the commercial break-style Ultramercial ad unit in November 2002. ...users were awarded a Salon Premium Day Pass, allowing them to read full articles otherwise available only to subscribers.... The site quietly changed the placement of its gateway ad unit a few months ago, now serving the full-page ad before a non-subscriber enters the site, as opposed to offering users a choice of subscribing or viewing an interstitial before continuing to a full story page. That change has resulted in an increase in site usage, said Neimeth."
		WiFiToyz- Paying for Free WiFi with Ad Time January 22, 2007 "JiWire... plans... ad supported Wi-Fi through a relationship with Ultramercial. ...ad-supported wireless makes it possible for low-income residents and area travelers to access free internet while regular system users can pay to avoid the time spent looking at ads."
		The New York Times- Madison Avenue Calling January 20, 2007 "Virgin Mobile USA introduced a program last summer it calls Sugar Mama that compensates its phone users with free calling minutes for watching [Ultramercial] commercials, reading advertiser text messages and taking surveys from brands... ...Advertisers like the United States Navy and Levi Strauss Signature are showing ads through Virgin Mobile USA’s program, in part, because they liked the idea of compensating consumers for the time they spend watching their ads. 'It gives us the assurance that our message is being heard,' said Stacy Doren, director for media and online at Levis Strauss Signature."
		ClickZ - Free and Muni Wi-Fi Proliferates, Draws Advertisers January 18, 2007 ""Free and municipal Wi-Fi hotspots cover a growing number of metropolitan areas, and are increasingly paid for with ads a user sees when she first logs on. ...JiWire has now jumped into the fray with plans to offer ad-supported Wi-Fi through a relationship with Ultramercial."
		The Prague Post- Free Wi-Fi coming soon to Prague Firm plans several hundred ad-supported hotspots in city January 10th, 2007 "...there is a new consensus forming, according to a 2006 study by the research firm Jupiter Media: The people want wireless Internet available in public spaces, and they want it free... Municipal plans to provide Prague residents with free wireless... Users watch a 30-second rich-media advertisement, called an "ultramercial"... then are given unlimited access for an hour; watch another 30-second commercial, gain another hour."
		Yahoo!- New Advertisers 'Pay for Play' Across the WildTangent Games Network November 20, 2006 "Consumers who have chosen to play a sponsored version, have, on average, engaged the Ultramercial® rich media advertisements for 52 seconds per play, with an astounding 18% then clicking thru... 'This is a better way for advertisers to build dialogue with gamers,' said WildTangent CEO, Alex St. John. 'WildCoins(TM) has enabled the user to control their own destiny, resulting in superior interaction with brands.'"
		DCIA- Announces P2P MEDIA SUMMIT LA Speakers October 23-26, 2006 "Business Models – What’s Working and What’s Not Has any alternative business model – paid-download, subscription, or advertising-supported – yet proven to be more promising than adware that first predominated in P2P? Have any more innovative approaches been attempted and what has been the learning? Panelists include: FTI Consulting’s Bruce Benson, HackBack Media’s Bob Way, P2P.com’s Albe Angel, and Ultramercial’s Dana Jones."
		AdAge - CBS to Stream Prime-time Shows Through Innertube August 16, 2006 "Like ABC's offering, the shows feature limited commercials, probably three 30-second spots per show, Mr. Kramer said. Some will be Ultramercial spots, which require users to click on them to get back to the program."
		Yahoo! News - ad:tech Continues to Build on Year's Momentum at Sheraton Chicago, July 24 – 25, 2006 June 28, 2006 "...the leading organizer of conferences and exhibitions for the interactive marketing community worldwide, builds on ad:tech San Francisco’s record-breaking success with its second 2006 show at Sheraton Chicago, July 24-25. ...Platinum Sponsors include: Advertising Age, Datran, Forbes, imedia connection, Ultramercial, Webmaster radio."
		Adotas - Can Free Press Continue Online? Why Interactive News Can’t Be Free Forever June 26, 2006 "It’s time for the newspaper industry to start charging for their online content....Very few newspapers have profitable online departments....if the content is great, people will be willing to pay."
		MediaPost - Deal Or No Deal: Trading Content For Consciousness June 20, 2006 "That fog is lifting rapidly, as the consciousness market grows up. In so many ways, consumers are becoming explicitly aware of the value of their own attention span. ...That is a powerful equation to put into consumers' hands...Virgin customers who opt into the plan offer up their demo details, watch online Ultramercials..."
		Click Z - Honda Test Drives the Ultramercial June 14, 2006 "...the company has also benefited from a unique end user value proposition that can't be had with other units. ...that users spent an average of 50 seconds interacting with..."
		Adotas - Conversations: Dana Jones, Founder & President, Ultramercial June 11, 2006 "Discovering the challenges music lovers had... Jones sought out a way to not only drop the cost, but give advertisers a way to get through to tech savvy consumers who have become blind to advertisements."
		Red Herring - PR Firm Blasts Fake TV Charges June 2, 2006 "The new media ad industry has attracted a great deal of venture capital and innovation. Among the companies benefiting from the trend are Massive, a game advertising company recently acquired by Microsoft; Spot Runner; and Ultramercial, an Internet ad specialist."
		ECommerce Times - Virgin to Pave Way for Mobile Ads With Free Minute Program May 30, 2006 "...the Virgin pilot may be a model other carriers are willing to emulate, though a similar effort could take a slightly different form. For instance, a carrier might offer a user the opportunity to play an online game or download a song for free in exchange for having them watch an ad message."
		BetaNews - Watch an Ad, Get Some Airtime May 30, 2006 "'This is truly a win-win situation for everyone involved," Virgin Mobile USA CEO Dan Schulman said. While customers would be able to earn free minutes, advertisers would gain an easy way to target Virgin's young user base -- a key demographic in the growing mobile advertising space.'"
		Wireless Week - Virgin Initiative Lets Customers Earn Airtime May 30, 2006 "In an innovative twist on mobile advertising... customers must opt-in to the Sugar Mama program... powered by Ultramercial. Virgin's Handler believes that this type of advertising model is preferable to some of the other models - such as advertising-subsidized content."
		Red Herring - Virgin Offers Mobile Ads. The mostly untapped wireless world is now open for business as hip service offers marketing access. May 30, 2006 "Virgin Mobile’s 4 million subscribers skew younger than for other mobile services and are more likely to avoid ads. With this in mind, Virgin is going the reward route... Virgin will use technology supplied by Ultramercial..."
		ClickZ Nes - Virgin Mobile Users: Will Watch for Minutes May 30, 2006 "Virgin Mobile is partnering with ad technology firm Ultramercial... 'it's about advertising with the control and access in the hands of the customer,' he said [Virgin Mobile USA Chief Marketing Officer Howard Handler]."
		The Detroit News - Carmakers woo youth with Web videos May 15, 2006 "Honda partnered with Ultramercial LLC to give visitors to popular Web sites the option of "paying" for access by viewing a Honda ad."
		Adotas - ADOTAS Conversations: Dana Jones, Founder & President, Ultramercial April 17, 2006 "Dana Jones, president of Ultramercial has spent the last few years competing with the pre-roll, battling video ad misconceptions, and keeping consumers actually tuned in to online ads. Jones sought out a way to not only drop the cost, but give advertisers a way to get through to tech savvy consumers who have become blind to advertisements."
		Advertising Age - Making Online Ads for Video Content More Engaging April 13, 2006 "As more and more media outlets test payment options for their on-demand and online content, Ultramercial says it offers a solution that satisfies both marketers and viewers: interact with a commercial and watch the premium content for free."
		Click Z - 'My ABC' to Launch With Ad-Supported Show Downloads March 2, 2006 "Disney's ABC is developing an online platform, My ABC, that will offer ad-supported downloads of hit shows... The company could offer pre-roll or in-stream video ads, or it could offer Ultramercial-style full-screen opportunities."
		Smart Computing® Dictionary 2006 "Ultramercial - A type of ad designed and trademarked by Ultramercial, LLC whereby a subscriber has a choice when accessing premium content to either pay a subscription fee or participate in an interactive ad."
		Click Z - Tech Vendor to Lure TV Content Players with Ad Model February 23, 2006 "Unlike a pre-roll ad, which mimics the television experience somewhat, the [Ultramercial] ViewPass places a large interactive ad unit....within each commercial break."
		MediaPost - ABC Develops Ad Model For Broadband News Channel -- January 19, 2006 ABC is now introducing a "day-pass" model, where consumers may agree to watch an ad in its entirety in exchange for carte blanche access to the site's content for a day.
		paidContent.org - ABC News Tries Day-Pass Option For ABC NewsNow -- January 18, 2005 It fits in with comments from Bernard Gershon, president of ABC News Digital Media Group... He spoke about ABC News' evolution from a pay-only option...
		Poynteronline - View an Ad, See Premium Content; Finally! -- December 28, 2005 "What took so long? ... I've long been puzzled that more website publishers didn't copy Salon's approach."
		ClickZ News - Time Magazine Considers Ad Gateway to Subscription Content -- December 27, 2005 "Using technology from Ultramercial, Time.com site visitors have been able to access the renowned "Person of the Year" cover story....from sponsor Chrysler."
		Life After the 30-Second Spot - by Joseph Jaffe - Section III, 10 Approaches That Are Transforming The Internet -- 2005 "Innovation is integral to the Web, and the opportunity to reinvent a viable advertising business has never been greater. Here are a few examples of this in practice: 1. Ultramercial is an up-front proposition that allows consumers to access premium content by "paying" with either their time or their money (in this case we'll check the box marked "time.") This endorsement message works so well because it explicitly assigns a monetary value to premium content. It respects consumers by giving them a choice and recognizing that they are savvy enough to understand the value exchange."
		paidContent.org - Time Inc. Tries "Day Pass" For Time's "Person Of The Year" -- December 15, 2006 Instead of limiting access... anyone will be able to read the stories... in exchange for watching the full-screen Ultramercial ad....I'd expect to see Time use the ad-for-access option again.
		Wired News - Salon's Balancing Act -- June, 20 2005 "Since it cuts through all the advertising clutter online, it is conceivable the Site Pass will catch on."
		MarketWatch - Salon's Site Pass succeeds -- May 26, 2005 "'It is the exact opposite of deluging the public with advertising.'"
		ClickZ News - Block the Ad-Blockers -- June 15 , 2004 "'Soon, you'll have to pay for this program if you keep hitting that [skip] button.' ...There must be an exchange. Either the consumer pays for the content with attention to the ad message or via a subscription."
		iMediaConnection - Paying for Attention -- June 15 , 2004 "In effect, Ultramercial takes the value decision out of the hands of adware and lets consumers decide, 80.55 percent of who have agreed to watch advertising."
		ClickZ News - Ultramercials: The Perception of Control -- April 29, 2004 "...an important discovery... that could change online advertising, and publishing, in the years to come."
		Jaffe Juice - Walking a Fine Line -- April 08, 2004 "There isn’t any cultural acceptance of the necessity for advertising; there certainly isn’t any mainstream awareness of a vaguely similar value proposition of advertising for content. Does this mean we should wave the white flag and surrender? Certainly not... Ultramercial has its "pay with your time or your money" quid pro quo."
		MediaPost - Why I like Salon So Much -- "...a free one-day pass for Salon Premium, courtesy of a sponsor... This is a great idea - a true site sponsorship."
		iMediaConnection - Rich Media Takes Many Forms -- January 15 , 2003 "...we could be on the crest of a deserved shift in the value of online real-estate. Why continue to create Nascar-looking Web pages where the ads often outweigh the content and they continue to be devalued by virtue of their multiplicity?"
		ClickZ News - What's More Effective and Less Annoying? -- January 31 , 2003 "I'd have to deduce the four-page-long Ultramercial performs well for Salon, as well as for advertisers Mercedes and Discovery Networks. Why else would the publisher shift its entire business model and require nonpaying users to view an Ultramercial to view original content?"
		Jaffe Juice - Holiday Reflections -- December 19, 2002 "Expect to see the online advertising model turned on its head....to potentially reinvent the advertising value-proposition online in a way that makes sense to the discerning and empowered consumer."
		2003 ClickZ Marketing Excellence Awards - Best Publisher Media Innovation. Finalist: Ultamercial -- 2003 "The ClickZ Marketing Excellence Awards recognize the technologies, companies, and campaigns that made a positive difference in the online marketing industry in 2003, moving the industry forward by providing brilliant examples of what can be accomplished. "
		Jaffe Juice - Jaffe Juice: Finally, a Smart Biz Model -- December 05, 2002 "Obviously this underscores a very important belief that consumers will pay with either their time or money for value."
		ClickZ News - Salon's Bargain: View Ads, View Premium Content -- November 20, 2002 "By tapping into the Salon users not on subscription plans, the company can increase ad revenue in exchange for access..."


	© 2000-2008 Ultramercial, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Ultramercial is a registered trademark. Privacy policy Ultramercial’s business model and ad unit are protected by U.S. Patent 7,346,545. Additional patent pending.