AnchorFree Blog

ShootOnline, a source serving the needs of the creative, production, interactive advertising and branded entertainment executives at advertising agencies recently interviewed AnchorFree’s Mark Smith, about the emerging role of video in out-of-home advertising. So what are consumers saying about video advertising when there is an immediate benefit?

iSPOT: Will consumers accept video ads with hotspot content?

Smith: We did a study and went out to San Francisco and interviewed over 100 people at various hotspots. We were trying to discern what they were sensitive to. If they felt their choice was free access versus paid access, almost everyone was welcome to an initial video ad. Around 70 percent of viewers were willing to view a :15 video ad before they gained access. But if it was a :30 or if we put the video up after 15 minutes of their session, it very quickly dropped off. After the first video, they were unwilling to have their experience interrupted with a video ad that pops up. It has to do with how it affects their experience. As new formats come out with video that resides in a banner that rolls over real estate, it’s acceptable. But they’re only willing to see it at the beginning of a session and they don’t want the session interrupted.

Well, we certainly like talking to our customers! Click here to see the full article by Ken Liebeskind of ShootOnline.

MarketingVOX, a source for marketing and media professionals to stay informed of industry news, trends and happenings, wrote a fantastic article about the liberation of fee-based Wi-Fi Hotspots. Here’s a snipet:

AnchorFree has launched a program that provides free Wi-Fi hotspots supported by local, targeted ads. The service may alleviate the financial burden of providing free Wi-Fi access at small businesses such as coffee shops, which use the feature as a hook to lure customers in.

Of course, we agree completely. To read the full article, click here.

MediaPostPublications interviewed our very own Mark Smith, EVP of Marketing and Strategy, about our new Hotspot advertising technology. Here is a look at the article from their ‘Online Media Daily’ section of their website:

…Sunnyvale-based AnchorFree has launched its Hotspot ad targeting service–enabling Wi-Fi access providers like hotel chains, coffee shops and bookstores to either reduce or eliminate Hotspot service fees by serving ads.

To read more, click here.

ClickZ, the largest resource of interactive marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion, research, and reference in the world, online or offline, interviewed AnchorFree’s very own Mark Smith, our Executive Vice President of Marketing and Strategy, about the recent launch announcement of our Hotspot advertising network. Here’ some of the interview, by reporter Matthew G. Nelson:

The next time you pull out your laptop or wireless device in your local coffee shop to log into its Wi-Fi network, you may be presented with an ad that pays for your access, thanks to the recently launched AnchorFree network……But, many businesses foot the bill for their users’ access or require customers to purchase time to surf the Internet. With AnchorFree, the company offers businesses the means of providing free ad-supported broadband wireless access, while giving advertisers the opportunity to reach viewers at specific locations.

Read the full interview and write up here.

LBSZone.com picked up on our recent launch announcement of our Hotspot advertising and our targeting capability. Here’s some of what they said:

AnchorFree Building Nation’s Largest Network of Free Hotspot Locations; More Than 100 Leading Brands Already Using AnchorFree’s Network for 100% Accurate Location-Based Targeting

To read more, go here.

The Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) picked up our recent press release about the launch announcement of our Advertising Network. Here’s a little snipet from the release:

With the AnchorFree network, for the first time, advertisers are guaranteed 100% accurate location-based targeting, as AnchorFree’s geo-targeting capabilities are based on the access location of the consumer, and not on less reliable ISP data. AnchorFree has already signed multi-year, exclusive advertising agreements with wireless operators that represent thousands of hotspots, which together generate hundreds of millions of page views and several million user sessions per month.

To read the full press release, go here.

Dailywireless.org posted a great article today about ‘ad-sponsored-wifi’ and we were among the few to have been included. Read more here….

Ad:tech, the premier Interactive Marketing Conference, is starting on Monday, November 5 at the Hilton New York, just north of Times Square. AnchorFree will be exhibiting at booth #824 on the first floor of three this year.

So, if you happen to be coming to ad:Tech, or are in the neighborhood of Times Square, stop by and see us.

Right after ad:tech, the team from AnchorFree is heading straight to Seattle to exhibit at CoffeeFest, the preeminent specialty coffee trade show in the US.  AnchorFree will be at booth #430 in the main hall.  In addition to that, Chris Bauman will be presenting 2 classes on Guerilla Marketing techniques, of which, AnchorFree is a great way to do that.

This weekend in Long Beach, CA, the Specialty Coffee Association of America is having their annual trade show, from May 4th - 7th at the Long Beach Convention Center. AnchorFree will be exhibiting at the show (booth #483) to help spread the word about the Free Wi-Fi Project. The Free Wi-Fi Project was designed to help get AnchorFree, free wireless routers into 10,000 public locations.

In addition to exhibiting at the SCAA show, AnchorFree’s Director of Marketing, Chris Bauman, is a panel member for a session entitled, Free Press is the Best Press: Low to no Cost Guerrilla Marketing to the Press and Your Customers. Part of his session topics will be gathering audience information, and what to do with it once you have it.