WPP Heads East with ITOP 24/7 Ad Network in China

by Rene LeMerle

WPP has just announced plans for a new Chinese ad network created through a partnership between its 24/7 Real Media company and OgilvyOne China’s ITOP Performance Marketing division.

ITOP 24/7, as its been creatively branded, will be a:

Chinese display and contextual advertising network that will enable advertisers and publishers to effectively and efficiently engage their target audiences in the digital marketplace.

The new ad network, which is due for launch in January 2009, is a significant power play which should help WPP establish an early advantage in the burgeoning Chinese market.

Given the growth potential in China’s online market, the advertising network landscape is sure to get seriously more competitive as both overseas and domestic players clamber for their “piece of the pie.”

However the creation of ITOP 24/7 represents a major shift from the traditional advertising model. The lines between Advertising Agency and external ad network have been challenged and as noted in the announcement:

ITOP 24/7 will pioneer the shift from traditional staff based advertising service to the use of internet advertising platforms, creating a more cost effective and robust advertising channel.

Given OgilvyOne ITOP already receives up to 100m daily page views across the network, and its current clients in China include IBM, China Unicom and Microsoft, ITOP 24/7 will be launching with a solid platform for success.

Rene LeMerle is the VP of Marketing at ineedhits.com, a leading provider of results driven Search Engine Marketing services.