By Fiona Ramsay, marketingmagazine.co.uk, 20 February 2009, 12:21pm

Sage targets professionals with LinkedIn Kyrpton Factor ad deal

Business software company Sage has teamed up with social media network LinkedIn for a digital campaign in support of the Krypton Factor programme, which was brought back to ITV through an ad-funded deal with Sage.

To support Sage's national Business Brains campaign, Sage is running profile targeted advertising and sponsorship of the Startups & Small Business Answers section of LinkedIn.

LinkedIn created an advertising network in September to let partner publishers identify LinkedIn users for targeted ads. The network makes revenues not just from advertising but from subscriptions and job services.

Sage has launched an application embedded into the LinkedIn site which allows people on the social networking site to challenge their network on the Krypton Factor themed business brain training games on Sage's digital portal.

In the coming weeks, Sage will develop the campaign by engaging Linked-in members in discussion about the qualities that make someone a success in business.

The LinkedIn campaign will drive traffic directly to an interactive site at www.trainyourbusinessbrain.com. Users can watch video interviews with business brain Simon Woodroffe, founder of Yo! Sushi, take part in mental agility tests and watch Krypton Factor content.

Members of LinkedIn who take the tests will have exclusive access to a LinkedIn scoreboard and league table.

PHD brokered the deal with Sage and LinkedIn. Digital agency Chunk developed the creative for both the site and the display ads on LinkedIn.

In October, Sage announced a sponsorship agreement with ITV1 to fund the production of The Krypton Factor in the biggest advertising funded programme agreement on ITV primetime.