Freeserve Plc, forever looking at ways to add revenue streams to its subscription-free internet access service, said yesterday it has licensed software from iWeb Ltd that allows it to better target and deliver banner ads to its users. iWeb is the year-old UK developer of iNotes, a system that offers an alternative banner window alongside a browser, to send not only ads but email notifications, news and service reports while the user is surfing.
Freeserve ran service trials using iNotes over the last couple of months, and reckons messages were sent to users on average once every five minutes. Its own research suggests 88% of users found the service unobtrusive, while 82% would like to see an increase in the frequency of messages.
The benefit to Freeserve is that it can continue to send advertising targeted to the subscriber’s profile, long after he or she has left the Freeserve home page. iWeb reckons there is a tenfold increase in click-through using iNotes compared to conventional banner ads.
