Press Release: Ask Jeeves Is Banner Free in 2003

BayArea.com: Ask Jeeves Giving up Banner Ads

DMNews: Ask Jeeves Dumps Traditional Banner Ad Unit

Ask Jeeves is giving up the "banner" in favor of paid search placement and interactive display ads the company is calling "Branded Response" ads. Quoting the press release:

In 2003, Ask Jeeves will focus on its core offerings including Branded Response and Premier Listings. These advertising units provide marketers a way to deliver their branding and text-based advertising to consumers within a relevant search environment. Branded Response helps marketers reach a highly targeted audience on Ask Jeeves' results page while generating brand awareness through use of graphics and images. This unit is unique to Ask Jeeves and enjoys click-rates as high as 25 percent. Premier Listings are keyword targeted, text-based advertising units that appear under the heading "featured sponsor" at the top of Ask Jeeves' results page.

UPDATE: Ask Jeeves UK to retain banners