Posted on 11/19/2002 2:59:16 PM PST by Drango
Associated Press
Salon.com Launches Ad Program
Tuesday November 19, 5:33 pm ET
By Michael Liedtke, AP Business Writer Salon Media Group Inc. is offering "Ultramercials" sponsored by Mercedes-Benz as an alternative to paying for premium access, which costs from $18.50 to $30 a year.
About 45,000 subscribers pay the fees to view 20 percent of the content on Salon's Web site. The remaining 80 percent of Salon's site remains free to all visitors.
Readers who clicked through all four sections of an ad for Mercedes' E-Class sedan on Tuesday received a 12-hour pass to Salon's subscription-based content.
Visitors can get additional 12-hour passes by sitting through more advertisements on different days.
It takes about 10 second to click through the ad.
The response to the new Mercedes promotion has exceeded expectations since its debut last week, said Cheryl Lucanegro, Salon's senior vice president of sales. Salon is trying to sign up other sponsors besides Mercedes-Benz.
Salon's new program is the latest marketing twist developed by cash-strapped Internet companies hoping to drum up more business in the depressed advertising market.
Having lost $79.7 million since its 1995 inception, Salon is particularly desperate.
The San Francisco-based company could run out of money at the end of November, according to documents filed last week with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Salon received a reprieve last month when one of its directors, Adobe Systems Inc. co-founder John Warnock, loaned Salon $200,000.
As a last resort, Salon is prepared to raise money by selling the rights to collect bills owed by its customers, according to SEC documents.
Salon would discount the face value of its account receivables 20 percent to 40 percent under an agreement with an unnamed bank, the SEC documents said.
· Call 'em 1-800-FOR-MERCEDES (1-800-367-6372)
LOL...while talking to them I told 'em I was a rich republican and I asked 'em why they were funding the "Hate America First" bunch. He hadn't seen the site so he didn't have much to say. Said he'd pas my message over to marketing.
After hanging up I realized I should have asked if Mercedes "HATES JEWS"? After the obligitaory "Of course not", I would have asked why they are funding those that do over at Salon...
http://www.mbusa.com/brand/container.jsp?/models/class_overview.jsp&modelCode=e_class_main
Why?
You'll find very few socialists at Daimler, where I assure you, that most folks cannot stand Schroeder.
Look under you couch cushions, Freepers.
The new Salon. Now much less friendly to the Clintons. Much.
Actually that's a pretty good idea. I would endure 10 sec. of ads if it gave me access to a website that's worth it. That of course would not include Salon.com. But I already spend more than 10 sec. trying to kill some of the pop-up ads that appear on places like Yahoo. I really hate those things.
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