AFTER a year of planning, K2 Interactive Asia Inc. and Filipino blogger Abe Olandres are launching an advertising network for Filipino blogs, INQ7.net has learned.Philippine-based communications agency K2 Interactive currently serves various clients including Ayala, Glaxo-Smith Kline, SM Prime Holdings, HSBC, Jollibee, MTV Philippines, Mead Johnson and Unilever, according to Olandres who is also founder of Pinoy Top Blogs. With this portfolio, Olandres said the ad network will allow K2 Interactive to extend some of the traditional advertising money to top blogs--online multimedia journals--in the country. "K2 Interactive has their own list of clients doing ads for television and print. So they're extending their advertising packages to bloggers," he said in a telephone interview. In a blog entry, Olandres noted that Pinoy Top Blogs was established a year ago to show there was enough traffic in the Philippine blogosphere for advertisers. "This traffic is a good venue to advertise aside from mainstream media (MSM). The people at K2 have recognized this potential and are willing to take the risk to become the sales representative of Pinoy bloggers. I think this is a major step for us Pinoy bloggers and I am closely coordinating with them to make this a successful one," he added. Olandres said the K2 Interactive will soon run an ad campaign with one of its clients next month. He said the local ad network aims to sign up the top Filipino blogs and package them for targeted online ad campaigns. "This is actually similar to what John Battelle is doing on Federated Media," he added. Olandres said the ad network signed up at least 15 blogs this week. He aims to target 50 blogs by next week. Reacting to the news, Filipino professional blogger Angelo Racoma, said this initiative "makes sense [because it will] pour in ad money to people who are read and who are credible." "This is just what the local blogosphere needs in order to move forward with pro-blogging," Racoma added. Racoma is among the first local bloggers to sign up. Olandres said the ad network is looking at inviting Filipino blogs that focus on niche topics, have a loyal subscriber base, have consistently high visitor traffic, and are credible. A formal gathering will be organized in time for the signing of agreement with K2 Interactive in a month, he said. | 
