Double Fusion has entered into a partnership with social-networking site Cyworld to provide the site with permission-based brand messages.

The ads will be from startups as well as blue-chip communities, and will appear on the American version of the social-networking site Cyworld, which is based in Seoul, AdWeek reports. Cyworld lets its 20 million worldwide users create virtual 3-D mini-rooms where they can connect with others and settle in with branded furnishings, decor and digital gizmos. Cyworld is a closed, secure platform where users have to purchase adornments, and can also earn credits (known as acorns) for displaying advertisements or viewing them.

"We're trying to tie the virtual economy to advertising by not only giving users the opportunity to buy branded products but by paying them acorns to see other brand messages," said Jonathan Epstein, president and CEO of Double Fusion.

What Digital Fusion has going for it is a secure platform where advertisers can present their ads in protected channels. Cyworld has a reputation for privacy protection, and content is vetted by overseers who also help establish rules of community conduct.