Pushing the envelope: CaptureQuest makes online advertising "pop". (Tech Talk).

You've got mail" -- that familiar signal of incoming recipes from Aunt Mae or reports from management -- may now call attention to the hottest trend in advertising, Popmercials[TM]. And Provo-based CaptureQuest is the one pushing the envelope.

As an emerging leader of Popmercial[TM]

According to clients like Toyota, Citibank and Compaq, CaptureQuest's strategy is exactly what advertisers are looking for.

Two years ago, CaptureQuest founders set out to develop more effective online advertising tools. "We saw banner ads weren't working, and we looked ahead as to what type of media might regain the user base's attention. We came up with the concept of the Popmercial[TM], and the company grew from there," says Tyler Thompson, CEO and president of CaptureQuest.

Company co-founder Andrew Smith says CaptureQuest's initial focus was on the technology, developing a patent-pending system that compresses the rich audio/visual media of a television commercial, adds direct-response "mouse-over" marketing tools, and makes it all accessible via e-mail and web-based browsers.

The company offers a suite of services packaged as its Adaptive Media System[TM], which includes creative production, online distribution, and campaign management that enables advertisers to track details, such as how many people view the ads, how they interact with them, and what return on investment the ads generate.

Kevin Gull, vice president of advertising and client services, explains, "It's not our intention to compete with advertising agencies. In fact, we've positioned ourselves as a partner to the agency."

To support that claim, CaptureQuest has developed an ASP tool that enables advertising agencies to "private label" its Popmercial[TM] and tracking technologies. "This allows agencies to maintain control of the creative direction and client relationship, while providing value-added technology," says Gull.

"Everybody's looking for more accountability in advertising. Traditional advertising is difficult to measure. Our online strategy has provided meaningful metrics to better justify campaigns," says Smith.

It seems CaptureQuest's formula is working. In just two years, the company has grown from four employees to 20. More than 85 percent of its clients are return customers. Its first quarter 2002 bookings have already exceeded total billings for 2001.

"I believe we've been successful for a couple reasons. Although online advertising has taken a beating over the last couple years, the fact is, it was a $10 billion market last year, and it's expected to grow by another couple billion this year. There is plenty of money to be spent in this sector -- the question is how to do that effectively. Unlike pop-ups and banners, we provide a medium that captivates people's attention and drives them toward some sort of action," says Thompson.

Heather Beers is a Salt Lake City-based freelance writer.