Sony Endorses Weblogs With Site Integration Sponsorship

Indicating increased validation of the weblog medium by major marketers, Sony Electronics has signed a deal with Gawker Media to become the exclusive launch sponsor of Lifehacker, a software version of Gizmodo, Gawker Media's gadget review weblog. It is the electronic giant's first foray into weblog sponsorship and, to date, the largest consumer electronics company to make a weblog media buy. Audi, Nike, GE, AT&T, Disney, Viacom and Hewlett Packard have all, previously, used the weblog medium.

Sony's site integration sponsorship of Lifehacker will include the integration of the Sony logo with the Lifehacker masthead, as well as standard IAB ad units. The buy also includes Gizmodo, Gawker Media's gadget title. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Edited by Gina Trapani, a blogger best known for Scribbling.net, a personal journal with the occasional foray into technology, Lifehacker reviews software downloads, spam filters, virus killers, spyware, cleaners, search engines, email applications, internet phones and general productivity tips.

In addition to the launch of Lifehacker, Gawker Media, today, also launches urban chic travel weblog, Gridskipper, with Cheaptickets as its site integration launch sponsor. Gridskipper is edited by Andrew Krucoff, a former guest writer on both Gawker and Fleshbot, two other Gawker Media titles. Both deals were put together by interactive business development agency BlackInc Ventures.

Gawker Media consists of Gawker, Gizmodo, Wonkette, Defamer, Fleshbot, Jalopnik, Kotaku, Screenhead and weblog aggregator Kinja.

With the addition of Lifehacker and Gridskipper, the group now has 11 titles which, according to Gawker Media, serve up more than 30 million page impressions per month. Published by Nick Denton, the group last week received seven nominations for Bloggies, a sort of weblog equivalent of the Oscars, including two for best weblog.