Kontraband managing director Richard Spalding said Ad2One was appointed on the basis of its sales strategy and understanding of Kontraband's core audience of 18 to 34-year-old males.
In the past, Kontraband has used various agencies, including w00t!media and DBM, to handle its advertising. Spalding said both agencies would continue to represent Kontraband for virals. Ad2One has been briefed to negotiate sponsorship and display deals for the site, covering formats such as button, banner and skyscraper ads, site takeovers and channel sponsorships.
Spalding said channel sponsorships were the most lucrative advertising format and he was eager to develop this area. Among the deals already landed was a recent sponsorship agreement with Lucozade.
Last November, Kontraband set up a global viral seeding agency called The Seventh Chamber to enable clients to distribute viral messages through Kontraband.com. Ad2One will also be responsible for negotiating all The Seventh Chamber's future commercial deals.
Kontraband receives more than 500,000 visits per day, according to comScore. The Seventh Chamber employs full-time bloggers and forum participants to generate buzz for viral campaigns in addition to tracking campaigns globally. It reaches more than 40 million unique users every month and has handled campaigns for Heineken and Sony.
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