AdSociety enters Exclusive Partnership in Asia with adReady,

A Leading US Advertising Solutions Provider,

 to create New rich media advertising space on the Internet

Both companies will introduce streaming audio and video advertising to bring motion to idle cursors

Hong Kong, August 8, 2001 - AdSociety, the first pan-Asian broadband advertising, marketing, and sales network, and a majority-owned joint venture of PCCW (SEHK: 0008, NYSE: PCW [ADR]) has signed a pan-Asian exclusive partnership with adReady, a leading edge Internet advertising technology company based in the US.

Under the agreement, AdSociety will gain exclusive rights in Asia Pacific to offer adReady's flagship product, adPointer, an user-responsive advertising format to advertisers in Asia. Through AdSociety, adPointer is available for all Asian advertisers’ and offers advertising closer to the user’s fingertips and creating the next wave in online advertising in Asia.  

The concept of the adPointer works by placing advertising messages where users are most likely to respond. Unlike pop-ups or other potentially annoying Web ad delivery vehicles, adPointer only delivers an advertising message when the user has paused to reflect on what was found. According to adReady, the positioning of the interactive ad is key to the success of the tool, and has proven its effectiveness in driving consumers to related sites, increasing click-through and conversions rates.

Through proprietary code that detects when a user’s cursor is stationary on a Web page, adPointer places a postage-sized pop-up ad on the idle cursor position. The size, shape, location and the duration of the ad itself are all variable to advertisers’ requirements. Ads and messages can be clicked through, and the technology is able to deliver rich media or streaming audio and visual ads in the form of pop-ups, movie clips, interstitials, or simple links to any Web page, without requiring any plug-ins. 

Rich Media ad formats is forecast to account to approximately 26 percent of all online advertising media by 2004. Presently adPointer is enabled in more then 1,000 sites, and has a market reach of more then 15% of top tier sites.  In recent months adPointer has worked with top advertisers like Ford, SAP, WorldCom, and Visa.  adPointer has proven that the size of ad is not the only factor in the success of the campaign, but timing and location are just as important.

“We are very excited to have partnered with adReady to bring adPointer to Asia on an exclusive arrangement. This represents the best in leading edge ad technology and has been touted as the marketing cure for eventual banner burnout.  This and other innovative products that AdSociety already have in our portfolio are exactly what advertisers are constantly looking for these days to create captivating new media advertising campaigns. What is so unique about adPointer technology is that it creates new advertising space on Web sites that does not get in the user’s way,” said Miriam Tong, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, Business Development Group, The AdSociety Group.

“We believe technology should not be cumbersome but user-friendly, and we aim at making our solutions extremely plug-and-play and adaptable to advertisers’ messages as their creativity allows them. Our mission is to help advertisers reach specific audiences when they're most open to marketing messages, and to help publishers increase ad revenues by expanding their Virtual Real Estate on their most popular browser destinations. Our partnership with AdSociety will help us further our cause in Asia, as through AdSociety’s vast network of member sites in the region, we will be better enabled to tap into this lucrative market,” said Samer Hanini, CEO, adReady.

About adReady

adReady Inc. (www.adReady.com), based in New Jersey, is a leading provider of innovative marketing and advertising solutions. adReady provides creative new vehicles that seamlessly enhance and fortify the interactive branding mission of the Internet. The adPointer, adReady’s flagship product, is a high impact, premier branding, communication and information tool designed to strengthen marketing strategies and increase click-through rates.

About The AdSociety Group

The AdSociety Group, a majority-owned joint venture of PCCW (SEHK : 0008, NYSE : PCW [ADR]), and the first pan-Asian broadband and wireless advertising, marketing and sales network.  AdSociety currently provides advertising, marketing and sales services to PCCW-related companies as well as provides pioneering online, broadband and wireless marketing solutions and services to marketers and to over 1,300 member websites.

Headquartered in Hong Kong, AdSociety has offices and joint ventures established in Beijing, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo and New York City and currently employs over 120 media professionals with a proven track record in pioneering advertising sales for broadcast television and the Internet in Asia.

AdSociety's joint venture and strategic partners include Tokyu Agency Inc. (a Tokyu Group company and affiliate of the Tokyu Corp. [TSE : 9005]),  LG Advertising [SEO : 35000] (a LG Group company),  Cyber Communications Inc. (a joint venture between Dentsu Inc. and SOFTBANK Corp. [TSE : 9984]), L90 Inc. [NASDAQ : LNTY],  Interactive Media ContentSuite AG (a Axel Springer Verlag company [DE : 550135]),  SkyGo Inc. (a Vanguard Investee),  E-Book Systems Inc. (a Creative Technology [NASDAQ : CREAF] Investee),  AdClick (a KT Internet company - an affiliate of Korea Telecom [NYSE : KTC]),  e-Brilliant (a Brilliant Digital Entertainment Inc. company [AMEX : BDE]),  VideoBanner.com (a TSC Capital Group investee),  Media Genesis (an IconMediaLab company [STO : ICON.ST]), Australia Media Holdings (a SportsWorld company [LSE : SWD.L]) and  B2BWorks.  More information on AdSociety can be found at www.AdSociety.com.

For further information, please contact:

Samantha Chan                                                                    

Director of Corporate Communications

AdSociety Limited

Tel: +852 2509 2236                                                                

Email: Samantha.chan@adsociety.com      

Desiree Lim/Susanna Muk                                                    

Ogilvy PR Worldwide

Tel: +852-2884-8248/2884-8584                                               

Email: Desiree.lim@ogilvy.com/Susanna.muk@ogilvy.com

Samer Hanini

Tel: +973.642.6668                                            

Email: samer@adready.com