Q2 Ad Rate Card Features Industry's First 'Ad Wrap' Banner, Channel-based Ad
                  Program to Increase Ad Value for Marketers

    CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- In a pioneering effort to move
"beyond the banner," ZDNet, the world's undisputed leading source of computing
and Internet information, today rolled out its new innovative Web advertising
strategy.  ZDNet's advertising program provides marketers with valuable new
opportunities to expand reach to their target markets.
    Widely recognized as one of the most successful in the industry, ZDNet's
advertising program now features in its Q2 rate card a channel-based
program that lets advertisers deliver ads directly to their target
markets.  ZDNet has also enhanced its forward-thinking "beyond the banner" ad
program, introducing the industry's first "ad wrap" banner -- the first
Web-based ad to wrap around the entire length of the editorial, offering
advertisers the opportunity to exclusively sponsor targeted areas of the
site.  In addition, ZDNet will provide a wider range of  creative
sponsorship programs, such as sponsorship of HealthyPC.Com.'s new Zip2
service.
    "Advertisers are attracted to ZDNet because we offer a wide range of
flexible banner options which allow them to target specific audiences by
targeting specific areas of the site, whether by channel, magazine, or
magazine bundle.  Coupled with this, our innovations in the Web-based
advertising arena, such as our exclusive ad wrap banners, truly
demonstrates our ability to provide marketers with creative options and
solutions not available anywhere else on the Web," said Jim Savage, ZDNet's
vice president and general manager.  "The success of our advertising
program, along with our ranking as the Web's number one computing site
according to PC-Meter, enables marketers to reap the full benefits of
advertising on our site."
    Led by Kenneth C. Evans, director, advertising sales and market
development, ZDNet's advertising team, consisting of representatives from
both ZDNet and Softbank Interactive Marketing, has established and
maintained leadership in the Web advertising marketplace by innovating a
wide range of "beyond the banner" advertising advancements, measurement
techniques, and online reporting functions.
    "ZDNet's emphasis on providing advertisers with creative solutions to
fulfill virtually all their marketing needs distinguishes it apart from
other Web-based advertising programs," said Evans.  "We are continually
modifying our advertising program in response to industry developments and
advertiser feedback.  As a result, we've clearly gained the confidence of
advertisers.  We have approximately 110 advertisers signed on to date; we're
averaging one million impressions per sale; ad space regularly sells out;
and advertisers are now signing for six-to-twelve month periods."

    Channel Based Advertising Strategy
    ZDNet's "Channels" Web strategy makes its content accessible to a broader
audience of computer buyers, and lets advertisers target key markets based on
topic-centric categories as highlighted in the site's popular content areas.
Advertisers now have the option to develop ad banners that rotate throughout
the site and in ZDNet's ten content areas, or "narrowcast" their message by
selecting specific ZDNet channels.  ZDNet channels include:
ZDNet News, ZDNet Products, Whole Web Catalog, ZDNet Software Library,
ZDNet At Home, ZDNet Mac, HealthyPC.Com, ZDNet Community Center, ZDNet
Games, and ZDNet Computer Shopper NetBuyer.  ZDNet advertisers can now
also purchase space on ZDTV's The Site.com, an integrated Web site with
interactive and multimedia elements designed to complement the television
show "The Site," on MSNBC.

    "Beyond the Banner" Advertising Opportunities
    As the foundation of ZDNet's advertising program, "Beyond the Banner"
provides one of the Web's most dynamic advertising offerings.  Along with
ZDNet's exclusive "ad wrap" banners, creative sponsorship opportunities
include ZDNet Custom Microsites.  These exclusive, customized minisites
let advertisers brand specific areas of the ZDNet Web site.  Working with
ZDNet's advertising team, marketers can tailor a branded area to generate
leads, gather critical market data, or communicate a targeted message to
key audiences.  These branded content areas are developed as a complement
to ZDNet's ad banner program and are priced according to the scope of the
microsite.
    ZDNet also offers "exclusive sponsorship" of key content areas where
advertisers can enjoy unique co-branding opportunities.  By working with
the ZDNet advertising team, a company can sole-sponsor high-traffic or
specialized content areas on ZDNet with their targeted message on ad
banners.
    ZDNet content is now available as a designated technology channel on the
newest version of the PointCast Network(TM).  As a result, ZDNet's Q2 rate
card now also offers advertisers the opportunity to purchase banner ads which
rotate through the ZDNet site and commercials on the PointCast Network,
guaranteeing an additional audience of more than one million computer users.
To further extend reach to target markets, advertisers can also sponsor
ZDNet's popular email services, which enjoy a healthy membership of over one
million registered users.  ZDNet's email services include:  ZDNet AnchorDesk,
ZDNet Update, PCMagazine Online Alert, PCWeek Direct, The Windows Sources Top
Five List, Shoppers' Guide Tips, and Personal Shopper.

    ZDNet Advertising Milestones
    ZDNet brought unmatched advertising sales experience to the Web when it
introduced its first Web ad sales program in early 1995, and has enjoyed
substantial growth -- consistently ranking in the top ten on advertising
sales reports from Jupiter Communications and Simba Information, Inc.

    ZDNet Advertising Program Overview
    ZDNet offers more than 100,000 pages of frequently updated computer news
and information, and receives millions of page requests each week from
hundreds of thousands of unique users.  The ZDNet advertising program is
based on a per-impression model.  Package prices range from $35 to $80 CPM
monthly or $27 to $54 CPM quarterly, and targets six key online audiences:
PC business buyers, Macintosh business buyers, direct channel buyers, home
computer users, Internet enthusiasts, and the European market.  ZDNet
advertising buys include banners on the Web site's home page and channel,
and on a packaged set of ZDNet online publications.  ZDNet was one of the
early participants in the Web site auditing program run by I/PRO, a
leading developer of Internet measuring standards, and is the only
independent computing site to publish I/PRO results.
    ZDNet's current roster of advertisers includes prominent computer
companies, as well as early adopting non-computer companies that recognize
the value of the audience that follows the computer industry.  Some of
ZDNet advertisers include: Computer Discount Warehouse, Hewlett-Packard,
IBM, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems and US Robotics.  A full Advertisers
Index with links is accessible from the ZDNet home page and provides
access to other key ZDNet advertising information, including the Q2 rate
card and regional sales contacts.
    For more information about online advertising on the ZDNet site, marketers
can contact Ken Evans, director advertising, sales and market development, at
617/225-3450 or kevans@zd.com.

    About ZDNet
    Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Ziff-Davis' ZDNet division develops and
maintains the ZDNet Web site (http://www.zdnet.com), the Internet's undisputed
source for the most authoritative and comprehensive information on
computing and the Internet.  ZDNet combines groundbreaking, interactive
technology with editorial from Ziff-Davis' worldwide network of
journalists to produce original, compelling content and create communities
of common interests in computing.  ZDNet is the Webs number one computing
site according to PC-Meter, the Neilsen-like survey of Web usage.
    Ziff-Davis, Inc., a Softbank company, is the leading provider of
special-interest content about the Internet and computing.  The quality
and quantity of this content attracts the largest and most powerful
audience of early adopters and opinion leaders in both the business and
consumer markets.  Ziff-Davis enables advertisers to reach this audience
effectively and efficiently through an integrated system of print, online
and broadcast media.

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