To introduce the cupcakes, cakes, and gift baskets to consumers, they recruited AdNectar to create branded virtual goods and integrate them into social applications on Facebook—like Birthday Calendar, Willy’s Sweet Shop, and Bumper Sticker.

These animated sweets opened to reveal a flash-based rich-media experience…which rotated photos of chocolate Ganache layer cakes, cupcakes, and chocolate-chunk brownies.

From there, consumers could become a Godiva Facebook Fan, visit Godiva.com, or forward the virtual treat to a friend.

The campaign also included a Godiva branded application on Facebook, where people can learn more about the products, or choose from a list of friends to send the gift to.

As with all AdNectar campaigns, when people send these virtual desserts, it’s announced in their Facebook “News Feed” for both the sender and recipient…so friends of friends find out fast…and then send to their friends, and so on. Chocolate cravings exponential!

Join brands like Godiva, Nestle, and Malibu Rum—and get consumers to endorse your brand. You’ll put a smile on their faces….and your product in their tummy.

As Nir Eyal, AdNectar’s CEO said, “By adding these two top publishers, AdNectar now powers massive cross-platform social media campaigns for brands to engage their customers and increase purchase intent.” 

See our full press release on the subject.

The article did have two factual errors, which for the sake of accuracy, we want to clarify here. Though AdNectar customers from past campaigns include Malibu Rum, Nestle’s Toll House, Fisher-Price, Trident Gum, Overture Films (Capitalism: A Love Story), the article had mistakenly said that these brands had signed up for campaigns on the new Twitter and LiveJournal platforms. This is not the case; AdNectar has not yet identified any brands that are planning to advertise on the new platforms. In addition, it indicated that LiveJournal was promoting its branded virtual gifts on the Fun140 site, when in fact, LiveJournal is promoting its gifts on its own homepage.

But the article got the main message right: companies can now empower their advocates to forward branded experiences as gifts to friends, and in the process, turn what would be traditionally viewed as advertising, into entertaining content.

This social endorsement has a big payoff for marketers; it increases trust, so consumers are more willing to engage. And the viral exposure can scale fast, with millions re-Tweeting the gifts to their friends.

See related stories on the Inside Social Games blog and Virtual Goods News.

Palo Alto, CA – AdNectar, Inc., the virtual goods marketing platform, has added branded virtual goods to users on two major social networks: Twitter, now sporting 24 Million monthly unique users, and LiveJournal, the 9th largest social network and a leading blogging platform (Compete.com).

To bring the branded virtual goods to Twitter, AdNectar partnered with Fun140, a social gifting and entertainment site optimized for 140 character messages.

If a person sends a branded virtual item to a friend on Twitter, the recipient will receive a “direct message” notification; if they click on the URL in the message, it will link to the virtual item. A Tweet will also automatically appear on the senders profile announcing that the gift was sent.

This very public expression of giving will introduce the branded items through networks of friends. The social endorsement combined with the viral exposure will create engaging advertising experiences for marketers that scale rapidly.

“People use virtual goods to personalize how they communicate with their friends. Branded items will make this social experience on Twitter more engaging and entertaining, said Ashvin Kumar, Co-Founder, Fun140.

On LiveJournal, which has over 700,000 different communities, users will choose from different themed virtual gifts created by AdNectar. For example, the thousands of bloggers discussing “Twilight” could send each other vampire themed gifts with embedded movie trailers from an upcoming horror film.

“Sending virtual goods is now mainstream, so adding branded ones from AdNectar was natural. It provides more choice and relevant experiences for our users,” said Anjelika Petrochenko , Business Development Director, LiveJournal.

“By adding these two top publishers, AdNectar now powers massive cross-platform social media campaigns for brands to engage their customers and increase purchase intent,” said Nir Eyal, CEO, AdNectar, Inc.

About AdNectar
AdNectar specializes in creating effective advertising that consumers like. By associating brands with virtual items, marketers insert their brand message directly into social media experiences. AdNectar provides an integrated advertising platform that is more fun for users, more effective for marketers, and more profitable for publishers. Top brands like Trident, Malibu Rum, Gillette, Nestle, and ABC Family have run campaigns with AdNectar. For more information, visit http://www.adnectar.com. Please direct media inquires for AdNectar to: Nir Eyal, nir at adnectar dot com

About LiveJournal
LiveJournal is one of the world’s most respected community publishing platforms. Since its launch in the United States in 1999, LiveJournal has become the online home to creative individuals looking to share common interests, meet new friends and express themselves. LiveJournal has registered more than 16 million accounts since its founding, and currently has a worldwide monthly audience of 20 million. For more information, please visit http://www.livejournalinc.com

About Fun140
Fun140 is one of the largest casual gaming sites on the Twitter platform. On Fun140, users take quizzes, play games, and send virtual gifts to their friends. Since its inception in early 2009, Fun140 has built a Twitter following of over 200k users. For more information, please visit http://fun140.com

When Michael Moore premieres his new film “Capitalism: A Love Story” on Oct 2nd, many new fans will have heard about the release from their friends after receiving a virtual gift powered by AdNectar. The campaign embedded an expandable movie trailer window into themed virtual items and then seeded those gifts on top applications on Facebook. In addition, AdNectar created a custom application for the film which fans use to send gifts and learn about the film.

The campaign spread news about the movie through the social networks of Michael Moore’s fans; as they sent gifts to their friends, others saw it mentioned on their Facebook ‘news feeds’ and ‘wall posts.’ This voluntary action spurred more people to send along the virtual items and accompanying video. The campaign leveraged Michael Moore’s most passionate fans to promote his film for him, and find other like-minded activists.

The film opens with a limited release in NY and LA on September 23rd. Send a gift from the movie at http://apps.facebook.com/capitalgifts/

Sometimes when you least expect it…
The soon-to-be released drama “Love Happens” starring Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart also utilized romantic virtual gifts which enabled users to send each other movie-themed items on top Facebook applications. The items were so popular that the campaign generated significant ‘earned media.’ The gifts also featured a link back to the movie’s website, driving traffic and new interest in the film

How can AdNectar help your brand leverage your advocates and fans to distribute video socially?

Last week, AdNectar counted over one billion branded virtual goods served since the company’s founding. That’s right…across countless applications on Facebook and other social networks, publishers have opened up their generic virtual goods catalogs to brands, and in the process invented an entirely new approach to advertising.

Brands like Trident discovered how to put smiles on people’s faces when they sent “a Little Piece of Happy.” Godiva helped people greet their special someone with an elaborate box of chocolates. ABC family helped their fans play virtual gigs with “Ruby and the Rockits” branded instruments…driving trailer views and tune-in. Johnny Walker and Malibu added a dash of style and fun to sending virtual drinks, engaged their most passionate consumers, and gathered registrations for future promotions.

So why do one billion branded virtual goods matter? It demonstrates that this new form of advertising is real. Marketers are renewing test campaigns, publishers are allocating top ‘shelf space’ to promote them, and consumers are embracing the format. In fact, consumers prefer branded virtual goods…which increase visits and time spent on our publishers’ sites. What other type of ads do that?

A billion branded virtual goods served means that when you create advertising people like, a broadcast turns into a conversation…and your customers start to smile.

PALO ALTO, CA—(Marketwire - August 4, 2009) - Malibu Rum has launched the first marketing campaign to embed a rich media experience into branded virtual drinks. The campaign, served by AdNectar, Inc., which specializes in integrating brands into virtual goods on social networks, featured an expanding window where people uploaded their favorite party picture into a tropical “Get Your Island On” themed background.

To kick-start the campaign, over a dozen different types of drinks were featured on the ‘top shelf’ of several different social applications on Facebook. The campaign ran on social applications on Facebook which reach over 1.3 million unique users.

In addition to the contextual exposure and social endorsement, people who uploaded their personal photos into the gifts experienced an even deeper level of engagement with the brand… experiencing the “Get Your Island On” theme first-hand.

“By enabling consumers to send our Malibu Rum inspired drinks to their friends, we are capturing their endorsement in a social setting. As the message spreads virally, it helps reinforce the message that Malibu is relevant to their social occasions,” said Lisa McCann, Malibu’s Sr. Brand Manager.

AdNectar’s unique “age-gating” feature allowed Malibu Rum to limit exposure of its virtual campaign to users 21 years of age and older… a crucial requirement when running campaigns on social networks popular with young adults.

Carat is Malibu Rum’s media agency of record. According to Carat VP Group Account Director Bart Gedney: “The campaign’s goals were to keep Malibu Rum relevant to their 21-25 year old target audience by allowing people to share and connect with the brand.”

AdNectar’s unique technical innovation was to embed an expandable window in which drink recipients could upload their favorite party picture into a themed background—a ‘first’ with social media marketing.

“Savvy marketers like Malibu Rum are really leveraging the social nature of virtual goods. They want to be a part of the dialogue that’s going on between consumers,” said Nir Eyal, CEO AdNectar.

The campaign for Malibu Rum comes on the heals of other AdNectar campaigns: Gillette Fusion, which promoted their new “How to Shave” video content, and Trident, where people sent “a Little Piece of Happy” as a virtual gift.

About AdNectar

AdNectar specializes in creating effective advertising that consumers like. By associating brands with virtual items, marketers insert their brand message directly into social media experiences. AdNectar provides an integrated advertising platform that is more fun for users, more effective for marketers, and more profitable for publishers. Headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, AdNectar is backed by private and institutional investors including Battery Ventures. For more information, visit http://www.adnectar.com. Please direct media inquires for AdNectar to: Nir Eyal, nir@adnectar.com, 917.279.8578

About Malibu

Malibu is the original Caribbean rum with natural coconut flavor and the world’s favorite, selling 3.7 million cases each year in more than 150 countries. With its beginnings on the island of Barbados, Malibu is perfect for creating cool and refreshing cocktails to help you “Get Your Island On ™.” The delicious and distinct flavor of Malibu has been honored at several major international spirits competitions, including silver at the 2007 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Malibu is operated and marketed globally by The Absolut Company, a unit of Pernod Ricard. In the United States, Malibu is imported and marketed by Pernod Ricard USA, alongside leading brands including ABSOLUT® vodka, Beefeater® Gin, Jameson® Irish Whiskey and Kahlúa® Coffee Liqueur.

Get Your Island On Responsibly. Always drink in moderation.

About Carat

Carat is a global independent media communications network, with over 100 offices in over 80 countries. Carat is transforming communications—creating communications that transform clients’ businesses and leading transformation of the communications world. Carat provides a full range of services—including media and market research; communications planning; media planning and buying; multicultural communications; corporate trade; branded entertainment; direct and digital marketing; experiential and sponsorship services; and marketing analytics and consulting. Carat is part of the Aegis Group—a leading marketing services company listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more information, visit the company’s website at http://www.carat.com.

NEW YORK—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Fisher-Price® Friends {a division of Fisher-Price, Inc., a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT) and Sesame Street announce a fun way for Elmo fans to “get tickled” through the popular social networking site Facebook, just as the much anticipated Elmo’s Tickle Hands is about to hit store shelves on August 4. Starting today, fans can send a “Ticklegram” to all of their friends through Facebook’s Birthday Calendar and “New” Bumper Sticker sites.

When fans receive a “Ticklegram” featuring Elmo’s signature laugh, they will be directed to the Elmo’s Tickle Hand web page – http://www.ticklehands.com – where they can see Elmo’s new Tickle Hand Groove dance (featured with Elmo’s Tickle Hands). There, they’ll also be encouraged to submit videos of their own favorite dancers trying it out, too.

The Facebook “Ticklegram” campaign signals the kick off for the launch of Elmo’s Tickle Hands as Fisher-Price puts the Tickle Power right into kids’ hands. These big, furry red Elmo hands (featuring Elmo’s funny face) fit over kids’ hands for interactive, giggling fun. Kids just press Elmo’s nose to start the play. When they touch a surface to tickle, the hands vibrate and kids will hear fun phrases from Elmo and, of course, his signature giggle.

But that’s not all – when kids press Elmo’s nose again, they are introduced to an all new song and a corresponding dance – the Tickle Hand Groove. Kept under wraps during last February’s Toy Fair, the new dance encourages kids to “tickle and wiggle” to Elmo’s new song. The Hands come with a fun DVD that teaches kids how to do the new dance, step by step with Elmo. In the DVD, Elmo sings the new song with a little help from his friend Cookie Monster, as four adorable children follow along. Kids can replicate the action with the new Elmo’s Tickle Hands.

Already the talk of Toy Fair, initial reaction from industry insiders put Elmo’s Tickle Hands among the top toys as analysts made note of the highly affordable pricing of $29.99 for the uniquely engaging innovation on traditional Elmo product.

“This is our most interactive Elmo product ever because it puts children right into the action. They’ve always had fun laughing, singing and dancing WITH Elmo and now they can actually BE Elmo,” says Fisher-Price vice president of marketing Gina Sirard. “When children put on Elmo’s Tickle Hands, they can be as silly and funny as their favorite Sesame Street friend. We’re excited to see how children put their own twist on the Tickle Hand Groove.”

Chris Byrne, TimetoPlayMag.com content director, aka The Toy Guy®, says Elmo’s Tickle Hands are sure to be one of the leading preschool toys this holiday season. “The pure fun and simplicity of the concept makes it a standout in today’s crowded toy box,” he says. “Fisher-Price brings a new play pattern to play with Elmo, providing his fans with a new outlet for imagination, expression and fun.”

In a snippet of the song, Elmo sings:
Get up and giggle
Move your feet
Tickle and wiggle
Come on, Elmo knows you can dance
Stomp your feet and
Clap your hands
Tickle Hand Groove – move to the beat
Tickle Hand Groove – move your hands and your feet
The Tickle Hand Groove is fun and easy to do and kids can follow along to simple directions:

The first move is raise your hands up
Now bring them back down
And then raise them up again
Wave them left…wave them right
Wave them left…wave them right
Start all over—up and down
Then move your right hand forward
Then your left hand forward
Now move to the beat!

Elmo’s Tickle Hands, for children 18 months and up, retail for approximately $29.99 and will be on sale at retail nationwide on August 4th.

Editors Note: Images and /or b-roll footage available upon request.

Fisher-Price, Inc., a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT) and located in East Aurora, New York, is the leading brand of infant and preschool toys in the world. The Company has a 75-year legacy of high-quality toys that enhance early childhood development. Its often-emulated Play Laboratory was the first child research center of its kind in the toy industry, allowing researchers to observe the way children play and how play benefits their development. Some of the Company’s best-known “classic” brands include Little People®, Power Wheels® and View-Master®. Fisher-Price is also a leading developer of baby gear products (nursery monitors, infant swings, high chairs) as well as a wide array of character-based toys inspired by high quality children’s programming such as Sesame Street®, Dora the Explorer™ and Winnie the Pooh. The Company’s web site, at http://www.fisher-price.com, provides valuable information and resources to parents.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6015996&lang=en

Source
Blog Talk Radio

The goal of IAB’s newly developed set of terms and metrics is to codify social media categories and how they are measured — in the name of consistency.

Source
IAB Social Media Metrics

Meanwhile, a lot of people ask me about our logo.  Yes, that’s a hummingbird in our logo.  Hummingbirds are a great metaphor for what we do here at AdNectar.  We turn consumers into brand advocates through the simple act of giving.  Giving branded virtual gifts puts the power of social referrals behind your campaign.  Results for clients like Godiva Chocolates, Method Home Care and Personal Products have been nothing short of amazing. 

In the Internet era, we’ve come to expect that young adults will quickly embrace new technologies and applications. It’s more surprising when not-so-young adults get into the act en masse. That’s what’s happening with social networking, though, as is clear from the findings of a Harris Poll conducted for AdweekMedia among online adults.

As the polling found, lots of certifiably middle-age people not only have Facebook or MySpace accounts but update them often. Asked whether they have a Facebook or MySpace account, 41 percent of 45-54-year-olds and 24 percent of those 55-plus said they do. So did 47 percent of the 35-44s and 74 percent of the 18-34s.

Ten percent of the 45-54s and 3 percent of those 55-plus said they update those accounts at least once a day. Twenty-nine percent of the 18-34s and 17 percent of the 35-44s said the same.

Twittering remains a niche activity across the age spectrum. Eight percent of the 18-34s said they use Twitter, as did 7 percent of the 35-44s, 4 percent of the 45-54s and 1 percent of those 55-plus.

The poll (fielded at the end of March and beginning of April) also asked whether social-networking sites threaten the likes of Google and Yahoo. Given a batch of statements and asked to pick the one that best matches their own view, 9 percent said sites like Facebook and MySpace “are becoming so dominant that they may become a real threat to search sites like Google or Yahoo.” While agreeing that social-networking sites “are very popular,” 45 percent said “they will never pose any real threat to the domination of search sites such as Google or Yahoo.”

A plurality, 46 percent, chose the answer “not at all sure,” an indication that this topic is less than a matter of urgency for the mass of consumers.

Source
Adweek

PALO ALTO, Calif. – March 9, 2009 – AdNectar, a pioneer in customized social gifting and branded virtual goods campaigns, released a whitepaper today that combines third-party and company data making a compelling case for why virtual goods may be the most effective form of advertising on social networks to date.

As the advertising industry tries to tap the growing number of people using social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, the answer may lie in a little box of Godiva chocolates. This is no ordinary box of bonbons. Although it has aroused the appetites of millions of people, it can never be eaten. Its ingredients do not consist of cocoa or milk, but of bits of code. This box of Godiva chocolates exists only on the Internet and was recently promoted by the famous chocolatier as part of a recent campaign through AdNectar.

Increasing Purchase Intent and Click-Through Rates
Recent studies conducted by an online brand ad metrics company, Vizu, show that AdNectar’s campaigns are truly paying off for brands using sponsored virtual items as marketing messages.  The company’s research shows that branded social gifts increased purchase intent, awareness and engagement while actually improving the user’s experience.  “Our study showed that AdNectar’s social gifting ad approach clearly drove purchase intent,” said Dan Beltramo, CEO of Vizu.

In the Godiva study, those exposed to the AdNectar’s virtual chocolate were 20 percent more likely to purchase a real box of Godiva in the next six months than the control group that was not exposed.  This is particularly notable since most purchase intent studies of online campaigns barely break 2 percent lift according to Dynamic Logic, a leading advertising effectiveness company.

Effectively branding virtual items is not limited to well-known chocolate companies.  Method, a leading brand of eco-friendly home care products, recently launched a virtual goods campaign with AdNectar.  The results were even more impressive. 

“Our campaign achieved a more than 60 percent lift in purchase intent,” said Gunther Lie, director of interactive marketing at Method. “AdNectar was very effective in driving traffic to our Facebook fan page as well as increasing awareness of the brand through the viral spread of our sponsored virtual items.”

According to AdNectar, the average click-through rate for its campaigns hovers around 0.8 percent and can reach up to 8 percent.  These clicks are generated by a hypertext link below the virtual item which directs users to the sponsor’s site of choice such as a landing page, home page or a pop-up video.  This CTR is significantly higher than the typical rates found on Facebook, which are in the range of 0.04 percent.

Preferred by User
Nir Eyal, CEO of AdNectar, believes the high purchase intent and click-through rates are a result of “user-generated targeting.”  Eyal said, “The users always know more than the marketer about what they and their friends like.  Virtual items let the users find our target audience for us.”  It is likely, for example, that a user, who voluntarily sends a virtual Sunkist soda (a recent AdNectar client) to another user, knows something about the person he or she is sending the virtual fizz to.  Eyal explains, “It is likely that the sender knows that the person being sent the virtual item, enjoys soda, loves the brand, or loves orangey goodness.  In any case, that’s a target customer for our client and is something you just can’t do with a traditional banner ad.  The best part is, it’s all voluntary.  The user chooses to send the virtual item because they enjoy doing so.  That’s why the AdNectar motto is ‘advertising people appreciate.’”

Virtual Goods Reach Tens of Millions Daily
Apparently, lots of users appreciate virtual items.  AdNectar reaches 50 million monthly unique users through its network of application partners and has agreements in place with 6 of the top 15 applications on Facebook.  The company believes virtual items are no longer a niche offering and estimates that 5 million virtual items are exchanged on Facebook every day, 90 percent of which are within the applications built on the social networks. 

“Virtual items have become mainstream and are integral to many of the top social media applications,” said Eyal. “Users have come to expect them as a part of the social networking experience and they seek out better ways to communicate with friends.  AdNectar simply replaces what is are generally generic offerings, with branded virtual items that add to the user’s enjoyment while driving awareness and sales for advertisers.”

About AdNectar
AdNectar specializes in creating effective advertising that consumers appreciate.  By associating brands with virtual items, marketers are able to insert their brand message directly into the social media experiences.  AdNectar provides an integrated advertising platform that is more enjoyable for users, more effective for marketers and more profitable for publishers.  Headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, AdNectar is backed by highly regarded private and institutional investors including Battery Ventures.  For more information, visit http://www.adnectar.com.  Please direct media inquires for AdNectar to:  Nir Eyal, nir@adnectar.com, 917.279.8578

About Godiva Chocolatier
With production facilities in Belgium and the U.S., Godiva Chocolatier is recognized around the world as the leader in fine chocolates. From its famous truffles and shell-molded chocolate pieces to its European-style biscuits, gourmet coffees and hot cocoa, Godiva Chocolatier is dedicated to 75 years of excellence and innovation in the Belgian tradition.  Please direct media inquires for Godiva to:  Alison Brod Public Relations, Alana Radmin / Ellen Fobes, alana@alisonbrodpr.com / ellen@alisonbrodpr.com, 212.230.1800

About Method
Founded in 2000, method is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Today, method is the leading innovator of premium healthy home and personal care products. Method can be found in over 25,000 retail locations throughout the US, Canada, the UK and Australia. Major retailers include Target, Wegman’s, Costco, Duane Reade, Safeway, Waitrose (UK), Shopper’s Drug Mart (Canada) and Woolworths (Australia). method is a privately held company backed by high net worth individuals and a private equity firm.  Please direct media inquires for method to:  Rachel Goldberg, method public relations, Rachel@methodhome.com, 415.746.1764

About Vizu
Vizu is the leading online brand advertising measurement system. Their Ad Catalyst real-time measurement infrastructure for assessing ad campaign effectiveness provides powerful benefits for publishers and advertisers. Through the use of Ad Catalyst, clients gain actionable Brand Lift data on their online advertising campaigns, giving them a powerful advertising ROI metric. Vizu is a privately-held company based in San Francisco, CA, with backing from leading venture capital firms Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Greycroft Partners. For more information visit: http://www.vizu.com.  Please direct media inquires for Vizu to:  Ben Heskett, bhesket@vizu.com, 415.362.8498 ext 17.

You can read about it here or

watch the CEO Showcase with AdNectar’s CEO, Nir Eyal, at AlwaysOn’s third annual OnMedia event that happened in early February 09.  Nir describes AdNectar’s business model and how brands can effectively reach their audiences through virtual items.

PALO ALTO, JANUARY 22, 2009—AdNectar today announced that it has been selected to the 2009 OnMedia 100 List. The OnMedia 100 Award is given to private, emerging technology companies in the advertising, publishing, marketing, branding and public relations spaces.  AdNectar was selected by the AlwaysOn editorial team based on demonstration of growth, market opportunity, quality of innovation and customer traction.

AdNectar today announced that it has been selected to the 2009 OnMedia 100 List. The OnMedia 100 Award is given to private, emerging technology companies in the advertising, publishing, marketing, branding and public relations spaces. AdNectar was selected by the AlwaysOn editorial team based on demonstration of growth, market opportunity, quality of innovation and customer traction.

”We’re thrilled to be named as part of the AlwaysOn Media 100,” said AdNectar CEO, Nir Eyal. “AlwaysOn has recognized the value we create for our clients, who until recently were struggling to find a way to effectively advertise on social media.”

AdNectar and the other OnMedia 100 winners will be recognized at the OnMedia 100 Conference at the Ritz Carlton, New York City, on February 2-4. This two-and-a-half day executive conference is copresented by Forbes and will feature presentations and high-level debates from CEOs, journalists, industry experts, investors and publishing and advertising executives.

“The 2009 OnMedia 100 companies have demonstrated their tenacity even in the toughest economic conditions that the technology world has ever encountered,” said Tony Perkins, founder and editor of AlwaysOn. “We applaud their success in pushing the boundaries of innovation, creating market opportunities and transforming the industry even in the earlier stages of their businesses.”

The OnMedia 100 winners were selected from among hundreds of other technology companies nominated by investors, bankers, journalists and industry insiders. The AlwaysOn editorial team conducted a rigorous three-month selection process to finalize the 2009 list.

A full list of all the OnMedia 100 winners can be found on the AlwaysOn website at http://alwayson.goingon.com/permalink/post/30893

About AdNectar
AdNectar is an advertising technology company on a mission to change how social media and virtual goods are monetized. AdNectar provides an integrated advertising platform that is more enjoyable for users, more effective for advertisers and more profitable for publishers. Founded in April of 2008, and headquartered in Palo Alto, AdNectar is backed by highly regarded private and institutional investors including Battery Ventures.

About AlwaysOn
ALWAYSON ignited the open-media revolution in early 2003 by being the first media brand to launch a global blog network. In 2004, ALWAYSON continued to lead the media industry in innovation by introducing a social network where members can connect and engage. ALWAYSON is also revolutionizing the media business by applying its open-media principles to its executive event series (STANFORD SUMMIT, ALWAYSON HOLLYWOOD, ALWAYSON MEDIA and GOINGGREEN) and quarterly print “blogozine” by empowering its members to post and share their ideas and meet each other online. As our loyal readers know, ALWAYSON is committed to the free-market, merit-driven approach to reporting and event programming. No other media brand has dared to create such open interaction with its readers and event participants.