AD2ONE has signed an exclusive* agreement to represent Skype for their display advertising sales in New Zealand. The partnership significantly expands the reach of the digital sales agency, providing brands with access to Skype's huge customer base. The first campaign has already started running and is delivering very positive results for advertiser AirAsia.
Phil Boeyen Marketing Manager of AirAsia New Zealand commented “Skype is a perfect media environment for travel, especially for the VFR (visiting family & friends) market. As a low-cost airline, getting people to our website as cost-effectively as possible is a key part of our media strategy. We’re pleased to be the first to advertise with Skype and look forward to using it to build our brand in New Zealand as well as deliver measurable sales results.”
Phil Duffield, AD2ONE's managing director for Asia Pacific, says Skype is a phenomenon. “For the year ended 31 December 2010, Skype-to-Skype calling minutes were equivalent to approximately
20 percent of the total of all global international PSTN and Skype-to-Skype calling minutes1. This is up from 12 percent in the previous year. And with an average of 170 million monthly connected users worldwide2 and approximately 30 million concurrent users at peak times3, Skype’s reach and engaged user base make it an attractive platform for brands to market their products.
He says the additional strength that Skype brings to advertisers is its intimacy. "The average Skype user uses it to stay in touch with a handful of family members and close friends. There are not many opportunities that can deliver that setting to advertisers".
"This agreement will see us form advertising partnerships with other brands who have an affinity with Skype customers," said Duffield, describing the average Skype user as slightly older than the average Internet user and far more educated.
Duffield says there are many tailored options available. “Our approach is to mix creative solutions with rich analytical planning and tracking,” he said. “This partnership will add a further dimension to the effectiveness of online advertising in New Zealand. We're very excited to be part of it".
*For advertising campaigns that are not multi-national or multi-regional in nature.
1TeleGeography,January 2011
2For the three months ended 30 June 2011
3As of March 2011
ABOUT AD2ONE
AD2ONE is a global digital group that provides exclusive advertising access to premium vertical brands for New Zealand’s leading agencies, marketers and publishers. Auckland headquartered AD2ONE offers fully integrated advertising solutions to marketers.
The global AD2ONE group has been established since 2000 and was launched in New Zealand in 2010. The company operates throughout Australia, Asia Pacific and has six offices globally including London, Singapore, Dublin, Sydney and Melbourne.
AD2ONE is a market leader in digital media sales. Its key philosophy is to develop revenues for publishers, marketers and agencies. Its innovative advertising solutions complemented by site optimisation, user profiling, flexible traffic solutions and discreet monetising of email lists, ensures publishers achieve the best possible market position and financial results.
AD2ONE’S exclusive premium brands span many vertical sectors and include HotCopper, Reuters, Optus, Coles, WWE, LinkedIN (NZ), Expedia and CNN. Many of these brands were won from AD2ONE’S competitors.