ZDNet introduces innovative "Flash Skyscraper" ads: Freeagent.com, Macromedia, Palm, Inc., and Sun Microsystems are first to embrace cutting-edge advertising program

San Francisco, CA - August, 2000 -

Raising the bar for innovation in Web advertising, ZDNet (NYSE: ZDZ), which operates the world's leading network of Web sites for people who want to buy, use, and learn about technology, today announced its innovative Flash Skyscraper marketing program. Powered by Macromedia Flash and Generator, ZDNet Flash Skyscrapers provide marketers the ability to convey their full campaign message using animation, user-initiated sound, and a large plot of virtual real estate on high-traffic parts of the ZDNet site. Macromedia and FreeAgent.com, Palm, Inc., and Sun Microsystems have signed on as the first to take advantage of the powerful new ad implementation, which can be viewed on the ZDNet home page (www.zdnet.com).

ZDNet has forged a reputation within the marketing community as one of the premier Web advertising innovators," said Barry Briggs, president of ZDNet US. ZDNet has more advertisers now than ever before, due in part to a range of cutting-edge, results-oriented marketing programs and solutions developed by our creative and technology departments. The Flash Skyscraper is the latest implementation in our mission to help marketers maximize their messaging to their target audiences via innovative, high impact ad units."

ZDNet is a pioneer in innovative online advertising implementation. The dynamic ZDNet Flash Skyscrapers replace ZDNet's proprietary dhtml-based "extramercial," the first ever ad program to take advantage of the three-inch-wide column of unused space to the right of Internet pages, launched last year by ZDNet Now, it is using Macromedia Flash technology to animate the ads in that space. In addition to Macromedia, ZDNet teamed with NetXposure, an expert developer of data-driven, dynamic Web content technologies, to host, tune and maintain the Macromedia Generator application and templates, which make it possible to run the ZDNet Skyscraper ads.

The vast majority of Web users have the technology means to view the Flash ads. To run Flash ads, users must have Flash software installed in their Web browsers. In June 2000, NPD Research, the parent company of Media Metrix, conducted a study to determine what percentage of Web browsers have Flash pre-installed. The results show that 92% of Web users can experience Flash content without having to download and install a player.

"One of our prerequisites to rolling out new ad implementations is the ease with which our users can view the ads," Briggs added. "Macromedia Flash technology has reached the point where it requires little, if any, effort on the part of the user, enabling us to get our advertisers maximum exposure for their campaigns. Skyscrapers invite user interactivity -- the more a person clicks through on an ad, the more information will be presented which can include real-time news and product prices."

"Macromedia Flash is the perfect technology for ZDNet'S Skyscraper ads because Flash content is scalable, effective, and takes up very little bandwidth," said Eric Wittman, Director of Flash Product Marketing at Macromedia. "Understanding the potential impact of these ads, we have signed on as one of the first companies to advertise."

"ZDNet's animated Skyscraper is the type of forward-thinking innovation that we support," says Devin Donnelly, president of NetXposure. "We specialize in providing the highest traffic sites on the Internet -- like ZDNet -- with scalable, dynamic and interactive solutions that provide a richer Web experience."

Over the past several years ZDNet has been widely recognized for its work and innovation in the creation of interactive ad units. ZDNet is the recipient of The 1998 Tenagra Internet Marketing Excellence Award for the ZDNet Extramercial and the 1998 American Business Press CEBA award for Excellence in Interactive Advertising. More recently ZDNet received two Gold (first place) awards in The Web Marketing Association's 1999 Internet Advertising competition for its Hewlett-Packard Extramercial and the Push: Crash and Burn microsite created during COMDEX 1998.

NetXposure, in addition to developing innovative e-commerce technology, helps create successful customer-conscious e-commerce solutions for business-to-business and retail customers. Founded in 1995 in Portland, Oregon, NetXposure is also a Macromedia Generator Premier Partner.

ZDNet (NYSE: ZDZ, www.zdnet.com) operates the world's leading network of Web sites for people who want to buy, use, and learn about technology, which are produced through local operations in 22 countries, and in 14 languages. Winner of the Computer Press Association's Best Overall Online Site Award for two consecutive years, ZDNet Sites consistently ranks among the top 20 Web properties in the United States in unique visitor reach, and the top 15 among the "At Work" audience, according to Media Metrix. ZDNet'S headquarters are in San Francisco.