Frazoo Acquires BrandClik for "Good" Text Ads

Frazoo, a D.C.-based search engine company offering pay-per-click advertising, has acquired in-text ad network BrandClik. The details of the acquisition have not been revealed but the acquisition amount is said to be in the six-figure range.

BrandClik works by enabling brands to push their ads through in-text publisher content based on key words and advertising inventory. Matching these two can result in a well-integrated in-text ad that actually provides a level of value to readers. With BrandClik there are no rollover pop-ups–an ad link isn’t activated until a reader manually clicks the link.

What we’re left with is a new option for Frazoo’s new and existing clients. BrandClik will be one of the several ways in which brands can advertise through Frazoo’s multi-tiered network, all of which aim to provide a high return on investment in the advertising space.

With the acquisition, Frazoo will be implementing BrandClik’s technology in order to provide in-text advertising options to its clients. This accomplishes a couple of things; enables Frazoo to diversify away from bid-style online ads, and ushers in a way for Frazoo to explore new options, which are extended onto its clients.

Adding to its existing offering for online bidding networks is smart on Frazoo’s part, because there’s an ongoing shift in the way in which ads are implemented online. This is largely due to the economic disruption we’ve witnessed in the past year, with ad budgets dropping and brands looking for more direct ways in which to engage with consumers from a marketing standpoint. Finding ways to reach these consumers is one reason that likely led Frazoo to explore the BrandClik acquisition in order to leverage the context of web content that’s been put out by publishers for the benefit of readers.

In-text advertising isn’t new, and it’s something that can often be annoying to readers. So having a slick and non-intrusive integration for BrandClik’s technology will be key to the long term success of Frazoo’s new acquisition. The good thing about in-text advertising is that it can be useful if utilized in a manner that considers the web publishers’ interests as well as the brands’, and most importantly the readers. Finding the right balance for the way in which these three aspects intersect in regards to web content is the tricky part.

To the web publishers out there, is the inclusion of in-text ads something you’d be interested in as part of a suite of online advertising solutions?

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