ADNet delivers audio banner ads

NEWS ADNet International has reached an agreement with Infoseek and Yahoo to deliver sound-enabled banner adverts on their portal sites, according to US reports. Using ADNet's Active Banner media server, users will be able to click on an advert, which then launches RealNetworks' RealPlayer to play an audio message. The US-based company claims the audio adverts can increase ad responses by up to three times, but Noah Yasskin, analyst at Jupiter Communications, is sceptical. "This will not revolutionise the advertising industry. It will have limited appeal, and will not make people in the business market happy," he said. He claimed that not many business users have speakers on their PCs and those that do would not appreciate advertising jingles blaring out at them.