This paper examines online marketing and advertising practices. We show that two distinct models coexist on the Internet. Stemming from traditional media, the first one considers the Internet as yet another medium made of mass audience platforms. The second model has followed the development of electronic commerce; it has grown up by harnessing budgets dedicated to direct marketing. This model lays emphasis on the effective behavior of the consumer. We show that this ambivalence of online marketing enlightens tensions and dynamics of innovation within the commercial Web.