LOS ANGELES – the Rubicon Project, the advertising technology company, reveals exclusive insight into emerging industry trends and market shifts that occurred in the second quarter of 2010, along with insights into what’s next for the digital ad landscape, in the tenth installment of its Online Advertising Market Report series. The report also includes excerpts from the well-attended panel, “Is All Inventory Created Equal?” hosted in June by the Rubicon Project during New York’s Internet Week.

Included within the report is the latest update on the Rubicon 20 Index, a measure of performance across a number of factors (including CPM, revenue and traffic volume) on a roster of twenty of the Web’s most heavily-trafficked properties. At the beginning of Q2, CPMs across the Rubicon 20 Index have risen by an average of 25 percent vs. Q1 2010. Overall, the Index has grown 47 percent, on a trend line basis, from the start of 2010 to the midpoint of the year.

Additional key forecasts and trends addressed in this report include:

- Growing online audiences beyond U.S. borders, and the correlating increase in advertisers’ digital budgets, led by significant growth in China and the Middle East;
- The evolving role of Google in the online display advertising market, from the perspective of publishers, agencies, and demand-side platforms (DSPs);
- Real-time bidding (RTB) and DSPs as means to increase efficiency of media spend, and the growing share of inventory flowing through non-direct channels;
- Privacy serving as a source of tension throughout the Internet ecosystem;
- Yield optimization as a result of data, science, network effect and automation.

“Ad spend and revenue have both been strong and growing in 2010. Given the proliferation of solution providers and industry players to the market, all working to increase the overall flow of revenue from offline to online, this increase is no surprise,” said Kara Weber, Vice President of Marketing at the Rubicon Project. “That said, it’s more important than ever for publishers to define their strategies to compete in a challenging market, taking advantage of new opportunities like RTB while fighting to protect the value they’ve created with high-quality content, well developed audiences and a carefully cultivated advertiser base.”

Also included in this report is market insight from industry leaders including Brian Morrissey, Digital Editor at Adweek; Marta Martinez, SVP of Operations and Business Development at MediaMath; Jon Beck, VP of Online Advertising and Business Development at the New York Daily News Online; Jason Kelly, VP Digital Strategy & Revenue Management at Time Inc. Digital; Bill Todd, GM of ValueClick; and Sean Kegelman, SVP of partnerships at VivaKi.

To access the full Q2 2010 Online Advertising Market Report, as well as past published reports for free, visit: http://www.rubiconproject.com/market-intelligence.

About the Rubicon Project

the Rubicon Project, the world leader in Yield Optimization technology, launched in 2007 with a mission to automate buying and selling across the $65 billion global online advertising industry. Powered by data-driven algorithms and pricing intelligence data, REVV, the company’s yield optimization platform, has optimized more than 750 billion ad transactions for more than 340 of the largest properties on the Internet. REVV helps premium Web publishers like NBC Universal, Time Inc., Gannett and CareerBuilder make more money by optimizing their ad space, eliminate unnecessary ad operations costs and protect their brands. The platform powers the REVV Marketplace, the world’s largest premium display advertising marketplace. More than 600 ad networks, exchanges and DSPs access premium inventory and audiences through the REVV Marketplace and its unparalleled reach of more than 500 million unique users. Headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in New York, Seattle, London, Paris, Hamburg and Sydney, the company is backed by $42 million in funding from Clearstone Venture Partners, Mayfield Fund, IDG Ventures and GE/NBC Universal’s Peacock Equity Fund.

LOS ANGELES – PhaseOne Communications, a leading Los Angeles-based research consultancy, defies convention with its unique analytical method that forecasts content effectiveness with pinpoint accuracy to provide improved communications and brand affinity for its clients.

In the U.S., organizations spend more than $150 billion annually on advertising. The advertising spend worldwide is expected to reach $500 billion by 2010, according to recent reports. As consumers become increasingly distracted by a constant barrage of television commercials, print ads and Internet banners, organizations have the growing challenge of reaching their audience with impactful messages amidst a tight economy and shrinking marketing and advertising budgets.

“The current environment has forced advertisers to campaign more wisely, with added pressure on getting their communications right the first time,” said PhaseOne Communications Chairman and CEO Jody Moxham.

“Advertisers are wary of taking risks and need higher assurance that their strategies are effectively and efficiently communicated. Usually, they begin with traditional methods, which involve scoring and feedback to test what elements of an ad best support the brand. Unlike the traditional method of learning ‘after the fact,’ our analysis is really valuable early in the process—prior to a launch—by forecasting consumer behavior and offering actionable communication solutions to resolve messaging issues before they hit the marketplace thereby increasing the odds for success.

“Right now advertisers can’t afford to wait and test a produced ad only to find it has failed to impact the audience and then be forced to start again. We partner with our clients to help them to select the strongest ideas and then work to perfect it,” she added.

While the PhaseOne methodology is based on a deeply-centered understanding of consumer behavior, the firm does not directly consult consumer opinion in its communications diagnosis. For more than 20 years, Moxham and her team of analysts, communications specialists and researchers have been refining and expanding a knowledge base that serves clients in diverse cultural and business markets around the world.

PhaseOne examines 297 different factors that influence the communications’ performance. With the ability to assess clients’ communications messages at various stages ranging from rough concepts to already produced advertising, PhaseOne’s analysts are able to determine which factors in the communications successfully drive performance and which factors are hindrances. The results of this process give the brand actionable steps to improve their communications effectiveness with the target audience.

PhaseOne helped a top brand introduction exceed sales goals. Its client in the consumer-packaged-goods industry introduced a new genre of product under an existing brand name that had a reputation for being non-innovative and dated. The advertisement needed to introduce the new product, overcome/change the reputation of the brand and reshape consumer behavior. The PhaseOne team helped the client and its ad agency to select and refine the advertisements that best aligned with the client’s strategy to introduce the product, create awareness for it, and drive sales. The overall result was that the advertisements’ success contributed to $100 million in sales during the product’s first year. Moreover, the new product was recognized by BrandWeek as a top brand introduction for that year.

About PhaseOne Communications

Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, PhaseOne Communications is a specialized research consultancy serving the communications needs of clients worldwide. PhaseOne transcends the conventions of market and communications research by bringing a validated methodology that breaks with tradition to accurately forecast target audience response and understanding across all cultures. In partnership with clients through hands-on collaboration, PhaseOne expertly melds the art and science of persuasion, bringing not only academic rigor, but also artistic sensibilities to its in-depth understanding of communications and targeted messaging for maximum impact. This PhaseOne precision guided communications process enables clients to achieve their business goals by getting their communications right the first time – and every time. More information about PhaseOne Communications is available at www.phaseone.net.

Networkers United Worldwide (www.nuworldwide.com) is a brand new community of social business networkers that share the same vision of helping each other in growing their businesses by referring business to one another, exchanging tips and ideas, educating, promoting and connecting with each other on a localized or global basis.

The group believes in the Giver’s Gain Principle. Give to people first, and in return you will get business back. It is a very simple law of attraction. The community was started on LinkedIn and Facebook just a few weeks ago and growing exponentially by the day. Our goal is to have over 500,000 members by March 2009 and 5,000,000 members by the end of the year.

“We are overwhelmed by its success and the quality of our members. The feedback we’re getting from our members is only positive for setting up such a great and needed platform for business referrals,” says founder Daniel Pansky.

The principle behind this was started in September 2008 when Victoria Blintser (Daniel’s wife) decided to expand her LinkedIn profile. Upon expanding her profile and setting up the business group, she is now considered one of the biggest success stories on LinkedIn. This has led to many opportunities including joint venture offers, consulting offers, radio appearances, and the offers just keep rolling in by the day. Four months ago I was a struggling Real Estate broker having problems finding the next deal in one of the toughest Real Estate markets in history. Today, four months later, my business is on turbo charge to where I can’t hire enough real estate agents fast enough. We are currently selling bulk portfolios, all thanks to the power of social business networking.

www.nuworldwide.com is absolutely Free to join and Free to use for the entire business community worldwide. Members can go ahead and utilize the NU Worldwide platform, or set up their own groups pertaining to their desired subject or business. The group offers free services to all their members such as tips, social business networking strategies, and guest moderators from the world’s top leaders in Social Business Networking.

NEW YORK – interCLICK, Inc. (the “Company”) (OTCBB: ICLK), the fastest growing advertising network in the US according to comScore*, announced today results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2008. Third quarter revenue of $5.76 million increased 65% compared to pro forma revenue for the third quarter ended September 30, 2007 of $3.49 million. Revenue exceeded the Company’s previously announced guidance. interCLICK’s 2008 third quarter revenue increased 23.2% sequentially compared to 2008 second quarter revenue of $4.67 million.

Gross profit for the 2008 third quarter was $1.79 million, a 31.1% gross margin representing a sequential increase of 415 basis points from the prior quarter’s 27% gross margin. Gross margin gains are attributable to high client retention, successful delivery of higher quality brand campaigns and improved supply chain management.

The Company’s 2008 third quarter operating loss from continuing operations was ($1.42) million, including $0.61 million in non-cash items such as stock-based compensation, intangible amortization and depreciation. This compares with a 2008 second quarter operating loss from continuing operations of ($2.30) million, including $0.66 million in non-cash items.

Meanwhile, as noted previously, the Company’s balance sheet has improved since the end of the 2008 third quarter as the Company has entered into a one-year $3.0 million revolving credit facility that is expected to support working capital requirements in the Company’s seasonally strong fourth quarter of its fiscal year as well as provide a foundation for continued growth in 2009.

“Despite a challenging period for companies relying on advertising spending, including many of our peers who provide Internet marketing services, interCLICK’s revenue growth has significantly outperformed its competitors as the Company has gained market share,” said Michael Mathews, interCLICK’s Chief Executive Officer. “At a time when companies are relentlessly focused on return on investment on their advertising budgets, interCLICK has been able to consistently deliver to our advertisers’ expectations.”

Business Outlook:

interCLICK reiterated its 2008 fourth quarter and full-year outlook. The Company expects fourth quarter revenue to exceed $6.5 million and 2008 full-year revenue to exceed $20.5 million.

For 2009, the Company expects revenue to grow by at least 60% from expected 2008 levels.

1) According to comScore Media Metrix, June 2008

About interCLICK

interCLICK, Inc., operates the interCLICK Network, an online ad network that combines advanced behavioral targeting with site by site reporting, allowing advertisers to identify and track their desired audience on an unprecedented level. interCLICK offers advanced proprietary demographic, behavioral, contextual, geographic and retargeting technologies across a network of name brand publishers to ensure the right message is delivered to a precise audience in a brand friendly environment. For more information about the interCLICK Network, visit http://www.interclick.com.

NEW YORK – Giving advertisers a cost-effective way to acquire brand intelligence that will help them increase ROI across the board, Sometrics (http://www.sometrics.com) unveiled new rich media ad units for the social web that will measure brand perception and ad effectiveness. The company made the announcement at the ad:tech digital marketing conference in New York.

The move expands the value of the social web for advertisers, by harnessing Sometrics’ targeting and measurement capabilities to turn highly engaging social ads into a resource for gaining insight a company can use to make all of its advertising (TV, print, online) more effective.

Sometrics’ new ad units let advertisers target video and other ads based on user demographics and social interests, within social networking and other community sites. Using incentives designed to appeal to the particular audience – like extra points for someone playing an online game – Sometrics encourages people to view the ad and to answer questions about the ad and the brand, ensuring a high level of engagement with the ad itself.

Those questions will measure brand awareness, attitude, favorability, purchase intent and brand preference. Sometrics will couple that brand perception data with user demographics like age, location and gender, along with interests and social actions – to give advertisers a significant amount of actionable intelligence that will help them better understand their audiences and identify which messages are successful.

“We’re giving advertisers the tools for improving ROI across all advertising at a time when every ad dollar spent must be strategic and achieve results,” said Ian Swanson, Sometrics co-founder and CEO. “There are two characteristics of the social web that make it a rich source of information for advertisers – the depth of demographic data we aggregate, and the level of attention that users already give the medium. We’re combining the power of both – using precision-targeting abilities to reach the right audiences, and using incentives to direct their attention our way to help us give advertisers insight that will help them forge stronger connections with their target audiences.”

The intelligence Sometrics provides includes traffic, demographic, social interest, social action, conversion details and brand perception data. It is custom-packaged in reports designed to make it easy for advertisers to make informed decisions about where, when and how to allocate advertising budgets to more effectively reach target audiences.

For product demos, contact Jennifer or Mickey at demo@sometrics.com.

About Sometrics

Sometrics is pioneering social intelligence – combining deep, relevant social analytics with precision-targeted ad managing/social branding capabilities to help developers and brands monetize the social web. Founded by developers, Sometrics is the first to tailor its analytics and ad managing solutions to focus on social networking platforms and applications. It provides the most relevant and effective audience analysis available, helping developers and brands better understand who’s doing what within the major social networking communities and ultra-targeted niche sites. While still in beta, Sometrics has more than 1,700 developers using its analytics tools across multiple social networks; some beta testers have reported 200 percent growth in traffic. Sometrics is the first recipient of capital from The Mail Room Fund, an investment consortium that combines big Hollywood (the William Morris Talent Agency) with Silicon Valley (Accel and Venrock). Its first funding round also included AT&T and Greycroft Partners. Sometrics is based in Los Angeles.

NEW YORK – At the SMX East Conference, Click Forensics™, Inc., the industry leader in scoring, auditing and managing traffic quality for the online advertising community, today announced a new feature for the Click Forensics for Advertisers™ solution which allows brands to identify and track organizations and individuals unlawfully using trademarked names for search marketing campaigns. The new feature produces updated reports on potential trademark abusers who use well-known brand names to generate Pay Per Click (PPC) traffic. Companies can use the new solution to more quickly take action to protect intellectual property and their own search marketing investments.

Trademark infringement in Pay Per Click is a growing and highly-visible problem on content networks and major search engines such as Google, Yahoo! and MSN. Perpetrators commonly register domains containing well-known brand names and then display ads on them that generate traffic and PPC ad revenue. Consumers often see the results when mistyping a web site URL only to find themselves on a different web site with lots of ads and pop-ups.

“The Trademark Use report from Click Forensics is another powerful weapon in the battle to improve search advertising traffic quality,” said Mike Brown, Vice President of Internet Marketing for VEGAS.com, the official Vegas travel site. “It allows advertisers to more quickly identify and stop trademark infringement online, which helps boost the performance of pay per click advertising initiatives.”

The Trademark Use report works by identifying registered domains using trademarked names. It is a feature of the Click Forensics for Advertisers solution, which uses patent-pending analytics and live campaign data from the Click Fraud Network™ to identify and filter out sources of click fraud and poor quality traffic before it affects online advertising campaigns. Similar to a spam filter, Click Forensics for Advertisers delivers regular updates on new sites and sources perpetrating click fraud, trademark infringement or those sending bad traffic to clients and members.

“The impact of trademark infringement in search advertising goes beyond consumer annoyance,” said Paul Pellman, CEO of Click Forensics. “It’s affecting the advertising budgets of major brands as they’re forced to spend more money to get the high-quality search traffic that is rightly theirs. We’re helping to change that by giving brands a tool they can use to fight back.”

For more information on Click Forensics for Advertisers and its new Trademark Infringement reporting feature, visit www.clickforensics.com.

About Click Forensics, Inc.

Click Forensics is the industry leader in scoring, auditing and improving traffic quality for the online advertising community. Click Forensics provides traffic quality management solutions for online advertisers, publishers, and ad networks. The company also publishes the Click Fraud Index™, the top independent source of industry click fraud data. Click Forensics is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and is privately held with funding from Sierra Ventures, Austin Ventures and Shasta Ventures. More information on Click Forensics and its offerings is available at www.ClickForensics.com.

Click Forensics, Click Forensics for Advertisers, FACTr, Click Fraud Index and Click Fraud Network are trademarks of Click Forensics, Inc. All other company and product names mentioned are used only for identification and may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

SAN FRANCISCO – Federated Media Publishing (FM), a next-generation media and publishing company, today launched an overhauled self-service ad platform for small and medium sized business marketers. The new platform allows marketers to access FM’s premium content and offers total flexibility and control over advertising efforts. The platform’s new features give marketers complete control over their ad buy and help make the most efficient use of their advertising budgets.

“With the new functionality available in the self-service ad platform, marketers with smaller budgets have the same access to our sites that Fortune 500 brand advertisers enjoy,” said John Battelle, founder, chairman and CEO of Federated Media. “Conversational media is where consumers congregate, form opinions and make purchasing decisions. It’s not just major brands that need to be here; it’s everybody.”

Marketers now have access to a fully-featured campaign planner complete with transparent site lists, real-time inventory availability, and an ad creative upload tool. Marketers also have the flexibility to buy on a site-specific basis, across categories, or based on the desired audience demographic. And, marketers can choose to purchase on either a CPM basis or on a flat rate basis.

“As the editor of Small Business Trends, a go-to resource for the entrepreneurial crowd, I’m proud that FM is reaching out to the SMB market with their new ad platform,” said Anita Campbell. “There is no question that FM has some of the best content, and therefore some of the most valuable readers, on the Web. Now small business marketers have the ability to target FM’s premium content and the audience that goes along with it.”

FM has also unveiled the Online Marketing Idea Exchange, an online community where advertisers, developers, and the wider marketing community can get or contribute advice, solicit or offer professional help, or simply share ideas on how small to mid-sized businesses can more effectively engage customers online. During the first month, FM is offering an ad creative giveaway where entrants will be eligible to win an ad creative makeover. The Online Marketing Idea Exchange features sections including Community Engagement, Publisher Engagement, Brand Building, Ad Creative Studio, as well as a Resources section with everything from a Glossary to FAQs.

For more, or to try out the new platform, please visit: http://advertisers.federatedmedia.net.

About Federated Media

At FM, we believe great voices attract great audiences. We’re in the business of supporting those voices by connecting them to great marketers, as well as providing a suite of services that let authors focus on what they do best: make compelling media. In so doing, we are creating federations of respected voices that prosper on their own terms. Current federations include Sports, Technology, Automotive, Business & Marketing, Media & Entertainment, Video Gaming, Graphics Arts, News 2.0, Lifestyle, Parenting and Green. For more information, please go to http://www.federatedmedia.net.

LOS ANGELES – the Rubicon Project, an advertising technology company, celebrates a momentous first year pioneering the category of Ad Network Optimization. The company optimizes website publishers’ unsold ad space across ad networks to ensure they make the most money possible, eliminates the hassles of ad network management and protects their brand when selling through these critical channels.

STATISTICS

Each quarter the company has consistently shattered its revenue, impression, reach and publisher revenue lift goals. Highlights from the first 12 months include:

* 55 billion total ad impressions optimized;
* Currently optimizing 12 billion ads monthly;
* Active customer base of 1,300 publishers;
* Healthy roster of Internet’s largest properties including 4 of 5 top newspaper publishers;
* Ties established with more than 280 top ad networks;
* Most major ad networks are working with the Rubicon Project today, including International networks in Asia, Europe, Australia and Latin America;
* Revenue lift ranging from of 30-300% for publishers;
* 250% revenue growth from Q2 to Q3.

TECHNOLOGY & CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT:

To achieve its mission to automate the online advertising industry, the Rubicon Project set out to create a superior technology platform to optimize the relationship between publishers and ad networks. In today’s fragmented market it was a massive undertaking:

* Launched industry-first Smart Matching™ (patent pending) technology platform;
* Created Certified Ad Space™ program, ensuring safety and accuracy for agencies and advertisers when buying media through ad networks;
* Developed Brand Protection solution to address three top issues plaguing large publishers: ad quality, ad network serving speed and channel conflict.

• Channel Conflict: the Rubicon Project developed a program to alleviate the stress of channel conflict by creating qualified anonymous inventory based solely on channel, demography, geography and other premium factors without guaranteeing inventory by brand name.

• Ad Quality Protection for Publishers: Three-fold approach: proprietary technology; dedicated policing team that works with ad networks to match ads top referred quality settings; and a dedicated ad quality protection team led by our Ad Quality Czar that diligently reviews ads.

• Ad Network Ad Serving Speed Monitoring: Slow ad serving speeds cost publishers money, which is why the Rubicon Project system monitors each network for serving speeds. When an ad network experiences slow serving times they are automatically paused until performance improves, minimizing the brand and user experience impact slow ads can have for websites.

CORPORATE MILESTONES

In addition to technology and customer growth the company also experienced many exciting corporate milestones:

* Raised $22 million in capital. In January, the Rubicon Project announced a series B round led by Mayfield Fund, a $15 million follow-on to the $6 million financing led by Clearstone Venture Partners in October 2007. Additional investors include IDG Ventures Asia, Matt Coffin, Founding CEO of LowerMyBills.com and Jarl Mohn.
* Introduced CNET Chairman Jarl Mohn to the company’s Board of Directors;
* Grew team from 8 A++ employees to 65 passionate entrepreneurs in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York;
* Issued the industry’s first ad network optimization market reports.

the Rubicon Project have also won a number of prestigious awards:

* AlwaysOn OnMedia 100 winner, honoring the top private game-changing players in the marketing, branding, advertising, and public relations industries;
* AlwaysOn’s Global 250 winner, honoring top emerging private companies that are creating new business opportunities in the global technology industries;
* Winner of PriceWaterhouseCooper’s Entretech Entrepreneurship Award;
* Finalist for three American Business Awards: Best New Company; Best New Product or Service; and Most Innovative Company;
* #24 on Fast Company’s Fast 50 Top Reader’s favorite list;
* Awarded Favorite Startup at TwiistUp, Los Angeles’ premier emerging technology event.

What’s in store for the Rubicon Project in 2009?

* Primary focus on technology advancements, including:

• Algorithms and math to further improve monetization for publishers and ad networks;
• Global Infrastructure development;
• Intelligent data solutions to help ad networks create more effective campaigns.

* Growth, growth, and growth:

• International expansion;
• Key partnerships to grow the Rubicon Project’s technology platform;
• Strategic acquisitions.

QUOTES

Frank Addante, CEO and Founder of the Rubicon Project

“When we started this company over a year ago, many were predicting that ad networks were going to be a thing of the past. We saw ad networks as an important part of the online advertising ecosystem. They provide increased efficiency for advertisers.” Said Frank Addante, CEO and Founder, “Today, ad networks are critical sales channels for websites. They are here to stay and stronger than ever. We’re here to help website publishers maximize the value of this channel through our Ad Network Optimization service.”

Jarl Mohn, Board member and investor

“I was really impressed by how much the team at the Rubicon Project has accomplished in such a short period of time. The strides that have been made toward solving such a massive industry headache are significant. The combination of Frank Addante’s experience building and running companies, the industry knowledge of the employees and the overwhelming interest in their service by major International brands made it an easy decision to become an investor and get involved. the Rubicon Project is the company that is building the ultimate monetization technology for online advertising.”

Sumant Mandal, Managing Director, Clearstone Venture Partners (Series A investor)

“As a VC that previously invested in prior industry game-changers like Overture and PayPal, among others, I always look for a great team, coupled with real market insight into a massive pain point to determine where to invest next. the Rubicon Project identified an industry pain point that wasn’t being addressed – how to help publishers make more money from their ad inventory without investing more resources and time. This need is even more relevant today than a year ago when the company began taking on customers. As advertising budgets come under increased scrutiny and the economic climate becomes less forgiving, ensuring publishers are able to maximize potential ad inventory revenues has become a ‘must have’ versus a ‘nice to have’. The team at the Rubicon Project has been phenomenal to work with and have built a world-class execution engine. I look forward to seeing what they accomplish the next 12 months.”

Major Newspaper Publisher

“Maximizing revenue streams to support our news business is more important than ever. the Rubicon Project manages all of our network relationships and takes on the responsibility of ensuring every piece of unsold inventory has a paid advertisement in it. This allows us to focus on our direct sales efforts while they focus on working with ad networks, allocating and optimizing ad inventory and flagging potential ad quality issues. These are just a few of the functions that Rubicon performs. Their efforts have saved our team countless hours of time and frustration all while bringing us an increase in yield from new ad network relationships and allowing us to work on other vital components of our business.”

Greg Liberman, President and Chief Operating Officer, Spark Networks®

“Spark Networks® (AMEX:LOV) is a publicly-traded company with more than 30 targeted online singles communities – such as JDate®.com, BlackSingles.com® and ChristianMingle®.com – in our portfolio. Although the vast majority of our revenue is derived from subscription sales, advertising has become an increasingly important component of our strategy. While our in-house ad sales team focuses on making sales and super-serving our direct advertising partners, efficiently monetizing remnant inventory for multiple properties can be a challenge. That is why we turned to the Rubicon Project. the Rubicon Project helps us manage and optimize network advertising for many of our large communities, ensuring the right network ads show in the right places at the right times.”

About the Rubicon Project

In 2007, the Rubicon Project started on a mission to automate the fractured $45 billion global online advertising industry. Responding to one of the largest problems plaguing website publishers today, the team pioneered the category of Ad Network Optimization (ANO) to provide publishers with a solution that makes them the most money possible by optimizing unsold ad space across ad networks, eliminating the hassles of ad network management and protecting their brands when selling through these critical channels. Using its $22 million in funding, the company is investing heavily in the development of its patent-pending Smart Matching™ technology. This unique predictive technology takes advantage of billions of pieces of proprietary market data to match every ad impression to the best money-making opportunities from ad networks.

In just one year, the company has built a healthy roster of 1300 active customers, and optimizes more than 12 billion ads each month across 280 of the top ad networks. Currently reaching more than 240 million unique Internet users, the Rubicon Project is one of the largest sources of ad inventory and reach on the Internet and a critical source of intelligent ad space and targeted reach for ad networks across the globe. Based in Los Angeles, the company is backed by Mayfield Fund, Clearstone Venture Partners and IDG Ventures. Demand More from your Unsold Ad Space: www.rubiconproject.com.

NEW YORK – KickApps (www.kickapps.com), the industry’s leading on-demand social media, video player and widget platform, today announced that it has made it extremely easy for web publishers to add video advertising into their editorial and user-generated videos using the KickApps Widget & Video Player Studio. With drag-and-drop ease, it is now possible to add translucent overlay, interstititial, pre- and post-roll video, and other new video advertising formats to all KickApps powered video players. As part of this new feature, KickApps supports out-of-the-box integration from Google AdSense for Video, Scanscout, Adap.tv, and 24/7 Real Media. Support for DoubleClick’s DART and others will follow shortly.

Online video has emerged as one of the most engaging applications on the web today and advertising budgets are following suit. Recent research conducted by Bain & Company in coordination with the Interactive Advertising Bureau finds that video advertising is garnering an average CPM of $43, with demand for video inventory outstripping supply.

KickApps customers that have bought out the advertising inventory from their KickApps powered social media and video websites will be able to access these new advertising features. Integrating video ads is a simple three-step process:

1) Create a custom video player using the KickApps Widgets and Video Player Studio

2) Select from a list of modules of ad networks or pre- and post-roll

3) Provide the ad network’s publisher ID number or the URL of a Flash video file

“As social media and online video become a greater part of every web publisher’s website, technical and business complexity should be replaced with efficiency and a easy path to revenue generation,” said Alex Blum, CEO of KickApps. “We’ve applied this principle throughout the KickApps Platform, making it incredibly easy to create compelling social media and video experiences, and now making it easier than ever for web publishers to monetize video on their websites. With the enhancements we’ve made over the last few months to the Platform and the KickApps Widget & Video Player Studio, every web publisher and designer is just a few clicks away from being a social media rockstar.”

About KickApps

KickApps provides on-demand social media, online video and widget applications that enable web publishers and marketers to grow, engage and monetize online audiences. Its SaaS platform includes social networking, user-generated content, programmable video players, drag-and-drop widget building, WidgeADs™ and other applications that are tightly integrated with robust media moderation, member management and reporting. The KickApps Platform seamlessly integrates with any website using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, feeds, Widgets and APIs (REST and SOAP). Customers include: SOAPnet, CW Television, Guinness World Records, Scripps Network Interactive, HBO, Cinemax, Cox Television, the Phoenix Suns, the New York Knicks, the New York Rangers and thousands of other sites. For more information, visit www.kickapps.com and www.kickdeveloper.com.

PALO ALTO, CA – Gigya, the leading social technologies company, announced its Levis® widget campaign, co-created with Avenue A|Razorfish, has been named by the Interactive Advertising Bureau as a finalist for the 2008 MIXX Awards in the category “Widget Marketing Campaign.” Avenue A| Razorfish and Gigya partnered to conceptualize, design, and execute this widget advertising campaign for Levi Strauss & Co®. The final Gold, Silver and Bronze winners will be announced at the MIXX Awards Gala on the evening of September 23, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza Times Square Hotel in New York City.

“We are excited that our Levis campaign created with Avenue A|Razorfish has been recognized by the IAB,” said Ben Pashman, VP of Sales & Business Development at Gigya. “This is a great validation of Avenue A’s vision, of widgets as effective ad vehicles and of the vital role Gigya is playing in this emerging industry.”

The coveted MIXX Awards is judged by an independent panel of highly recognized representatives of the entire interactive advertising network – brand marketers with direct control over many of the largest advertising budgets in the country, major media company executives and advertising agency experts who create campaigns for the world’s most powerful brands. The intense scrutiny of the judging process ensures that the finalist and winning campaigns truly reflect the industry’s best work. With two intensive phases of judging by some of the most demanding marketing executives, winning a MIXX Award is the highest recognition in Interactive Advertising.

Levis® 23/501 Campaign Specifics
Levi Strauss & Co.’s ® advertising agency Avenue A|Razorfish used Gigya’s full-service solution for design, production and distribution. Gigya collaborated with Avenue A|Razorfish to design and develop an innovative, high-impact widget, featuring one-click scrolling through a gallery of 23/501 product shots. An anticipation-building countdown timer ticked off the hours, minutes and seconds to product availability, and store location information was put at the users’ fingertips. The widget also incorporated a soundtrack of fresh hip-hop tracks from Sony’s Jive Records, chosen specifically to appeal to the 23/501 target demographic and add to the widget’s perceived value. The campaign focused exclusively on driving widget installs to the social network profile pages of the target. Gigya incorporated its Wildfire platform, enabling the widget to be easily grabbed and shared, and distributed the widget on its network, focusing exclusively on sites frequented by young urban males.

“We are honored that our Levi’s® 23/501 campaign is a finalist and will be showcased at the 2008 MIXX Awards,” said Rob Toledo, Senior Account Director at Avenue A | Razorfish. “Gigya helped make this campaign a success with their comprehensive widget solution which encompassed concept design, distribution and tracking. This campaign effectively engaged our target audience and generated buzz around the Levi’s® 23/501 Limited Edition Collection, which ultimately sold out in less than 50 seconds.”

About Gigya
Gigya gives people the power to socialize and share content across the web, providing content companies with powerful tools for increasing audience reach and engagement. Reaching more than 150 million people each month, Gigya’s technology platform includes world-class sharing, analytics and monetization features. The company’s APIs simplify access to more than 50 unique web platforms, distributing content across the social web and bringing users’ social graphs to any site. Millions of people each day use Gigya to engage with their friends and with content from publisher and advertiser clients like CNET, DoubleClick, Electronic Arts, Levis, MTV, RockYou, Toyota, Unilever and Walmart.

As online publishers continue to experience growth rates of 20-30% in ad revenue, the race to create new advertising opportunities has left publishers with an excess of inventory which they are selling through ad networks at up to 90% discounts versus direct sales rates. The study finds the trend particularly foreboding for branded online publishers who traditionally earn between $10-20 CPM (the industry term for the cost per 1,000 ad impressions advertisers pay) and therefore risk severe price erosion.

“Online publishers are producing more inventory than the market demands, and risk devaluing the premium nature of their brands, particularly in light of ad networks growth and their dramatically lower pricing,” said John Frelinghuysen, a partner in Bain’s Global Media Practice and study author. “Building more effective relationships between publishers and ad networks is critical. In the longer-term, both parties will benefit from gains in ad network CPMs.”

The reason for the rapid growth in the use of ad networks is two-fold:

• Interviews with online publishers, conducted as part of the study, indicate that the lack of adequate pricing tools and inventory management discipline contributed to the growth in available ad space. This is causing publishers to seek out ways to sell large inventories of unsold ads. Publishers often lack basic information on realized prices and inventory sold by client and channel, limiting management’s ability to make effective decisions.

• Large marketers continue to shift significant portions of their advertising budgets online and view ad networks as an effective way to achieve greater buying scale and drive down CPMs.

“What this benchmark study tells the industry is that there is a need for more sophisticated yield management on the part of premium publishers, for stronger partnerships between publishers and ad networks, for development of best practices, and more focus on the value of interactive advertising.” said Sherrill Mane, senior vice president, Industry Services of the IAB. “Our industry is at an important juncture and now is the time for publishers to adopt strategic approaches to the use of ad networks who themselves have become critical players in the digital ecosystem.”

Another important finding of the study is that publishers who actively manage and use multiple ad networks can achieve higher revenues on display ads sold via networks. The benchmarking study finds publishers vary in their adoption of ad networks, the approaches used and the results attained but overall finds that the keys for success for online publishers are having dedicated staff, better tools and metrics that allow constant vigilance in managing ad pricing, reported sell rates and channel conflicts.

The authors of the benchmarking study offer recommendations to both publishers and ad networks to pursue steps toward higher realized pricing and enhancing mutual benefits of collaboration. These include:

• Publishers must become more disciplined in managing ad inventory and deploy improved methods and tools to enhance yield management

• Ad networks should partner more closely with publishers to enhance the value of the relationship for both parties.

Other key findings from the benchmarking study include:

• Overall, online publisher revenues grew by a healthy 32% in 2007 versus 2006, yet ad network revenues grew more rapidly (in excess of 50%), as marketers boosted online spending.

• High demand for premium video inventory resulted in CPMs 2-3 times greater than display ads on average.

• Most publishers in the study lack information to closely measure the impact of cross-platform sales, though most indicate focus on using cross-platform to drive volume, not price.

The Digital Pricing Study was developed as a benchmark to explore the impact of online ad intermediaries on ad rates, profitability and ad inventory management for media companies (publishers). The study methodology included executive interviews and in-depth analysis of proprietary company data, including direct, ad network and cross-platform sales, pricing (CPMs) and impressions volume for seven leading online media publishers. The selection criteria included having leading brands, publishing premium content, and selling advertising on a national basis. To view the complete study, please go to www.iab.net/digital_pricing_research.

IDG TechNetwork Ad Director Dan Shaw explained, “ Today around 30% of UK IT users and buyers visit sites outside the largest 50 (Source : Hitwise April 2008 ) These sites are growing in share and importance and have highly engaged audiences who visit these sites due to a strong sense of loyalty and because they find the content highly relevant and useful. The IDG TechNetwork makes executing campaigns into these sites simple and effective and acts as a complement to the direct relationships marketers they have with the larger sites”

Recent IAB figures show that 40% of all online advertising is channelled through networks (Source: IAB online research July-Dec 2007) but until now these have tended to be broad based and limited in their ability to target vertical niches. Unlike large advertisng networks that aggregate and sell remnant inventory, the vertical ad networks powered by Adify will enable IDG TechNetwork to focus on selling high value, branded and targeted advertising programmes, generating additional revenue across the network.The IDG TechNetwork is the first vertical network delivering extended reach to IT professionals and users and focuses on the ‘long tail’ that has grown in share of the UK audience.

Christian Harris, owner and founder of BIOSMagazine.co.uk highlighted the benefits to his company of the partnership. “We have limited resources to pitch advertising budgets from the big IT clients and agencies but collectively and in partnership with IDG we are able to get onto campaigns without incurring the cost and challenges of running our own sales team. For a small business such as ours it leaves us free to do what we are good at – developing compelling content and at the same time receive ad revenues to enable us to further grow our business.”

At launch The IDG TechNetwork has over 45 sites live which already represents in excess of 5,000,000 UK ad impressions per month. Partner sites already committed include Edugeek, Bios magazine, Financial Sector Technology, Retail Systems, Spiceworks, Technology Bites, System Management News, Data Center Knowledge, and Digital Inspiration.

Mediacom signed the first campaign to go live on the TechNetwork for Dell. Chris Pullon, Media Planner on the account, said: “The IDG TechNetwork has allowed us to take Dell’s message to an untapped audience. The internet has led to a fragmented number of sites, and it is important we explore routes to reach those buyers. Mediacom has always sought new opportunities to allow our clients to gain the broadest reach and the TechNetwork will give us one further option when planning for clients”.

IDG joins Adify’s existing global partners such as Time Warner, NBC Universal, The Guardian and Reuters. Adify is the world’s leading solution for creating, managing and commercialising vertical ad networks used by over 100 network builders and thousands of website publishers worldwide.

Commenting on the IDGTechNetwork Emmet Geaney, Senior Account Manager, Adify said, “We are delighted to have been chosen to enable the creation of the UK’s first technical vertical network. Our platform links selected partner sites into a unique advertising offering which maximises the opportunities presented by an ever fragmenting online audience, whist efficiently managing all back office complexities. The pace of take up that the IDG TechNetwork has already demonstrated from both partner sites and advertisers is extremely impressive – and this network looks to swiftly become an established and highly credible option for both the brand and agency advertising communities.”

IDG has gained a strong reputation for the growth and development their own sites such as pcadvisor.co.uk and Techworld.com and is now sharing its experience in content delivery, site design and sales representation skills with many smaller sites. Qualifying sites are required to successfully pass through rigorous selection criteria. Potential sites are evaluated for quality, originality and objectivity of editorial content as well as meeting design and commercial criteria in order to ensure that the network consists of first class partners who can deliver strong and effective marketing solutions.

Only the IDG TechNetwork specifically concentrates on reaching technology buyers in their favoured media environments. As the premier advertising network operated by an established technology publisher, its expert understanding of optimising enterprise, SMB and consumer technology sites ultimately gives these more focussed web players a distinct competitive advantage.

Partner sites signing up to the TechNetwork will benefit from being part of a high-quality vertical network. With an exclusive focus on the technology market, IDG is well positioned to represent these quality sites to key agencies and clients – all sites will have the IDG seal of approval (checked for content, design and independence), ensuring advertisements appear only on credible sites. Member sites will also gain access to IDG best practices (such as SEO) through regular seminars and briefings

Agencies and advertisers benefit in the same way. Because this is a vertical network that is fully transparent, agencies can now plan campaigns and increase the number of sites included while still dealing with just one point of contact.

Advertisers can target specific sites and channels, concentrate on contextual content and editorial focus, and even eliminate specific sites from their programs.

About International Data Group (IDG)

International Data Group (IDG) is the world’s leading technology media, events, and research company. IDG’s online network includes more than 450 Web sites spanning business technology, consumer technology, digital entertainment, and video games worldwide. IDG publishes more than 300 magazines and newspapers in 85 countries including CIO, CSO, Computerworld, GamePro, InfoWorld, Macworld, Network World, and PC Advisor. IDG’s lead-generation service, IDG Connect, matches technology companies with an audience of engaged, high-quality IT professionals, influencers, and decision makers.

IDG is a leading producer of more than 750 technology-related events including Macworld Conference & Expo, LinuxWorld Conference & Expo, Entertainment for All Expo (E for All), DEMO, and IDC Directions. IDC, a subsidiary of IDG, is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events. Over 900 IDC analysts in more than 90 countries provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends.

Additional information about IDG, a privately held company, is available at www.idg.com. Note: All product and company names are trademarks of their respective companies.

About Adify

Adify Corporation is the premier vertical ad network management company and an independent, wholly-owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises, one of the nation’s leading media companies and providers of automotive services.

GlamX Allows Publishers and Brand Advertisers To Optimize Vertical Ad Inventory Across The Glam Publisher Network

BRISBANE, CA and NEW YORK, NY—July 9, 2008—Glam Media, (www.GlamMedia.com), the pioneer of vertical content networks and number one in reach for women online, today announced the launch of GlamX Ad Exchange, the Web’s first vertical ad exchange for display inventory placement and targeted brand advertising.

GlamX Ad Exchange enables advertisers to target by audience, content and placement effectively connecting publishers, advertisers, agencies and networks in one innovative platform. “By maximizing the exchange of open inventory between publishers and advertisers in a fast and efficient vertical ad exchange, GlamX delivers the efficiency our agencies and Glam Publisher Network partners have wanted online for a long time,” said Fernando Ruarte, CTO for Glam Media.

The GlamX Ad Exchange is the first vertical display advertising marketplace bringing together quality advertisers that want mass reach with professional publishers. GlamX brings ease to buying display advertising quickly and efficiently and brings increased value from available ad inventory. Media planners and buyers can set campaign goals and attributes creating increased return on investment for their brand ads. Publishers get an additional source of revenue by improving their sell through and offering additional ad inventory.

With this announcement, Glam now offers publishers, agencies and brand advertisers a full set of digital advertising services with the Glam Evolution Ad Services platform: Glam Digital Primetime™ for premium display and video ads; Glam Interactive Solutions for custom brand engagement campaigns; and now GlamX Ad Exchange for all other brand ads, below the fold and non-primetime remnant ads. “GlamX Ad Exchange compliments the Glam Evolution Ad Services platform by allowing members of Glam Media’s Publisher Network to optimize their non-primetime inventory while simultaneously helping advertisers reach their intended audience.

Everyone wins.” said Ryan Roslansky, VP of Products for Glam Media. The GlamX Ad Exchange is designed specifically to allow members of Glam Media’s Publisher Network to make additional ad inventory available to Glam approved brand advertisers, agencies and trusted ad networks. Advertisers can reach a highly targeted and engaged audience with secondary ads that provide far better reach.

GlamX is an open exchange, allowing brands to bid for different targets and optimize their spending in a fully transparent environment. Unlike broader ad exchanges and ad networks, GlamX is the first vertical exchange that brings audience focus and channel context to display ads. GlamX can target and deliver ad inventory by audience, content, primetime, page placement and context on the Glam Publisher Network.

Agencies and brand advertisers using GlamX then gain access to impact and audience profile analysis, ad target analysis, brand metrics and audience segmentation effectiveness metrics—all of which can be used to improve allocation of advertising budgets across campaigns. In addition, Glam Evolution’s Digital Primetime targeting and new audience behavior reporting capabilities combined with Glam Media’s reach of more of 42 million unique monthly visitors in the US and 77 million global uniques will both maximize monetization and provide valuable insight on brand awareness.

The GlamX beta is available immediately to select digital agencies and publishers in the Glam Publisher Network. GlamX will be available to all agencies in Q4 of 2008.

The Glam Publisher Network was formed in November 2005 with 12 initial charter members and has grown over to become the largest distributed vertical content network and category leader in women on the Web today. Glam facilitates the building of businesses for its hundreds of publishers by allowing them to focus on creating content and engaging their audiences while Glam Media’s vertical network connects branded display advertisers with the online audiences of 500+ Web sites and blogs in the Glam Publisher Network.

Glam’s vertical content network is five channels today including Living; Fashion & Beauty; Entertainment; Health & Wellness and Family. Curated from hundreds of sites in the Glam Media Publisher Network, each channel offers a distinctive blend of original editorial, syndicated and media partner content created by trendsetting insiders and experts. Glam Media interfaces with a network of partners to provide a host of media services such as display and video advertising, content syndication, advertorials, search and other applications.

About Glam Media
Glam Media pioneered the vertical content network model and is the fastest growing Top 20 Media Company in the US. With a total reach of 42 million unique monthly visitors in the US and 77 million global uniques (comScore Media Metrix), Glam Media provides a compelling mix of fresh, original content created in-house on its owned & operated web sites and the carefully curated Glam Publishing Network of more than 500 popular and influential lifestyle Web sites, blogs and magazines. For premium national brand advertisers, Glam Media offers an unprecedented array of reach and targeting that are singularly attractive to both upscale and aspirational consumers. Glam Media is backed by Hubert Burda Media, GLG Partners, Accel Partners, DAG Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Walden Venture Capital and Information Capital. Glam Media is based in New York City and Brisbane, California.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — July 8, 2008 — Smaller businesses have quickly come to understand that if they want to be part of the rapidly expanding world of online video and television advertising, they need to be very innovative in creating and distributing ads in ways that maximize limited advertising budgets. Several early adopters have already discovered an easy and inexpensive new way to test the television waters: creating ads with SpotMixer (www.SpotMixer.com) — either from scratch or by using assets from radio or online video ads they’ve already created — and distributing them via the Google TV Ads™ program.

SpotMixer offers any business on a budget options to create and distribute their own TV ads. They can either go directly to SpotMixer.com to create a new ad, or if they prefer, they can submit a request for a project bid through Google’s TV Ad Creation Marketplace, which is accessible through an advertiser’s Google AdWords™ account interface. After collaborating with SpotMixer to produce a television ad at an affordable package cost, marketers can then work directly with Google’s simple and efficient online interface to place the ad. Advertisers can upload their ad to the Google TV Ads program; select the dayparts, programs and channels on which they want their ad distributed; set a budget; and view detailed tracking and measurement reports to analyze the performance of their ad once it runs. For more information, visit http://www.google.com/adwords/tvads.

To stretch their ad budgets further, customers can also use SpotMixer to re-purpose components from radio or online video ads they’ve already created, and incorporate them into new television spots. For example, audio from a previously created radio ad can be reused and modified into a television ad by simply adding video, photography and text elements. Of the SpotMixer customers who have created television ads, all of them have used existing assets from other ads, and 80% of them have used audio originally created for a radio ad as the voice-over component. SpotMixer’s easy-to-use tools guide users through the entire process, eliminating the need to re-do creative they already own and like. The average television ad takes less than 30 minutes to create from start to finish. And, businesses can “try before they buy,” since SpotMixer offers them unlimited free ad creation on the SpotMixer site.

Pat Holman, an entrepreneur in Pleasant Grove, Utah, who is launching a teleconferencing service called ParleyConnect.com, discovered SpotMixer through the Google TV Ads’ Ad Creation Marketplace, and quickly recognized the opportunity to inexpensively turn a radio ad he’d already made into a television spot to test on national TV. “I found out how much buying television ads through a media buyer can cost, and knew this would be the only way I could get in to the television environment,” said Holman. “I’m not a creative person, but SpotMixer made the tools simple enough that I was even impressed with myself. For ParleyConnect, I could pick out a template and add photos and video that matched the feel of the radio ad. SpotMixer is appealing because I’m new at this, and if a particular ad doesn’t work, I can quickly and easily change parts of it and test it in a broadcast environment inexpensively. Since SpotMixer charges one monthly fee, I can experiment with as many ads as I want. It gives you more control over your destiny.”

The SpotMixer Platform for business is based on One True Media’s groundbreaking self-service video creation and distribution technology — the leading online video creation software used by millions of consumers to produce and share professional-quality online video. SpotMixer offers step-by-step tools that enable any business to produce its own professional-quality ads and distribute them to targeted audiences with just a few clicks. For example, advertisers can upload and mix their own videos and photos, incorporate licensed music from SpotMixer’s extensive music library, and utilize a range of industry-appropriate templates, audio mixing, and call-to-action tools provided by SpotMixer without investing in expensive and resource-draining video production ventures. Designed specifically for the needs of small and medium businesses, SpotMixer is the answer for marketers who want to take advantage of this more effective means of reaching consumers online, via radio, and now, through television ads.

“SpotMixer’s strategic vision is to make all kinds of advertising — online, radio and television — as easy and affordable as possible, giving smaller enterprises just as great a chance to be successful with television ads as larger companies with big budgets to outsource their ads,” said Mark Moore, CEO of One True Media, which owns and operates SpotMixer. “We firmly believe SpotMixer has the best and most comprehensive tool set to allow any size business to enter the TV ad environment quickly and affordably. We’re also very excited to work with Google to help advertisers reach their target markets using Google TV Ads’ cost-efficient and measurable distribution and reporting platform.”
About SpotMixer

SpotMixer, a service of One True Media, helps small and medium sized businesses cost-effectively join the online video marketing revolution by offering tools for online video and TV ad creation, distribution and analytics. The first and most respected name in Web-based video creation for consumers, One True Media has leveraged its Web-based technology and marketing expertise to launch the service, which lets business customers easily self-produce, distribute and measure the effectiveness of online video ads. SpotMixer has built sophistication, creative capabilities and ease of use into its platform, with a simple, yet comprehensive template that allows business owners to make professional quality video ads with just a few clicks. SpotMixer is headquartered in Redwood City, CA. For more information about SpotMixer, please visit www.SpotMixer.com.

Irvine, Calif. — June 26, 2008 — Specific Media, the largest independent online advertising network, announced today that it will host an insightful evening of political discussion surrounding emerging interactive marketing trends. Renowned campaign strategist and political consultant Matthew Dowd will join Specific Media as a guest speaker at the private event held at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. on July 8, 2008. If interested in receiving an invitation to this event, please contact events@specificmedia.com.

The symposium will feature critical insight into how creative political marketers are increasingly shifting their advertising budgets online to reach and engage more potential voters. As part of the program, Specific Media, the political segment’s leading network, will highlight how it enables top political marketers to target up to 165 unique political audience profiles online through its new, innovative technologies.

“Recent estimates show that online advertising from political campaigns and advocacy groups will reach a record-setting $50 million this year amid national and local elections,” said Dowd. “I welcome the opportunity to join Specific Media to discuss some of the trends we are seeing as the campaign process moves online at a rapid pace. Attendees will gain an understanding of how to make the best use of their online advertising dollars in an increasingly wired world.”

According to recent industry surveys, more than half of all U.S. voters get political information from the Internet, most of them searching for terms related to issues such as “healthcare,” “economy” or “war in Iraq.” However, to date, campaign managers have largely targeted their ads based on candidates’ names, thus failing to connect with the most responsive – and undecided –- segments of the political electorate. Specific Media plans to use the evening’s forum to explain how to avoid this pitfall and others.

“2008 marks an important year in advertising, as political campaigns and advocacy groups are set to increase their online spending to groundbreaking new levels,” said Tim Vanderhook, CEO and co-founder of Specific Media. “To avoid wasting advertising dollars, campaign marketers need a better understanding about how people obtain information around important issues. With this forum, we hope to shed new light on online behaviors, and in the process help political marketers more directly reach their key constituents.”

About Matthew Dowd

Matthew Dowd has been a campaign strategist in races throughout the country. In 30 years, Dowd has worked for Democrats such as the late Sen. Lloyd Bentsen and Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock, and Republicans including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and President George W. Bush, for whom he was chief strategist in 2004. He currently serves as a political contributor for the ABC television network.

About Specific Media

Specific Media, the advertising industry’s largest independent online advertising network, enables advertisers to target consumers throughout North America and Western Europe based on demographics, behaviors, geographic locations and/or the contextual relevance of websites visited. Specific Media works with many of the Fortune 500 brands including seven of the top 10 companies. The company’s Premium Network reaches more than 225 million consumers globally each month. Since 1999, Specific Media has connected advertisers with target audiences across consumer branded publishers. Visit www.specificmedia.com

NEW YORK – APRIL 8, 2008 – Collective Media, a leading online advertising network specializing in premium publishers and advertisers, today released the results of its 2nd annual Ad Network Study. The study was designed and executed to better understand the role and value of online advertising networks for both interactive agencies and advertisers while illustrating the change in industry trends from 2007 to 2008.

Key findings from the 2008 Ad Network Study include:

* All Ad Networks Are Not Created Equal. 89.2% of respondents do not believe all ad networks are alike and the leading differentiators are inventory quality, targeting abilities and site transparency; leading one to suppose that even in a crowded marketplace, agencies and advertisers believe that there is room for innovation and differentiation.
* Image and Perception. 96% of study respondents have either maintained or improved their perspective on ad networks since last year’s study.
* Vertical ad networks. Nearly 50% of respondents would be likely/very likely to buy a brand-name vertical ad network vs. a generic vertical ad network. Vertical ad networks backed by recognized, brand-name publishers prove to be even more desirable. 82% of respondents plan to use a vertical ad network in 2008.
* Increase in ad network spending. Agencies and advertisers will spend more on ad networks in 2008 vs. 2007. 75% of respondents will spend 5% or more of their overall online advertising budget on ad networks in 2008. More than 25% of agencies and advertisers will spend 15% or more on ad networks in 2008.

Several findings are in contrast to last year’s results, which cited reach and efficiency as the key reasons to use ad networks as opposed to this year where targeting is the leading motivation. Furthermore, the study validates the vertical ad network trend and underscores the industry’s desire for vertical, branded networks backed by recognized, brand-name publishers.

“We’re excited about the results in this year’s study as it confirms for us a significant trend we have been seeing; that more and more advertisers are turning to ad networks for their branding campaigns,” said Joe Apprendi, CEO of Collective Media. “This along with the stated importance of inventory quality and targeting ability show the growing importance of ad networks in the online media plan.”

“The ad network model continues to evolve under a basic principle; the more information that we have on our audience and the more control and transparency we have of our operational systems will create greater efficiencies for the advertiser”, stated Steven Ustaris, Group Media Director at Carat. “It is good to see that networks that evolve in this manner and listen to what is important to advertisers are positioned to garner a larger a portion of advertising budgets.”

To obtain a copy of the study, visit www.collective-media.com

Approximately 200 completed surveys were received from online media decision makers at both agencies and advertisers in the United States, including marketing vice presidents and online marketing directors from Fortune 1000 brands, and media directors and media planners from leading interactive agencies. Surveys were completed from January 22 through February 18, 2008.

About Collective Media
Collective Media is a leading online advertising network specializing in audience targeting, optimization and reporting solutions to increase relevancy and yield for both publishers and advertisers, reaching more than 150 million unique users monthly. Collective is comprised exclusively of high quality, brand-name publishers offering the largest network of online news sites in addition to a wide selection of sites in every content category. Collective’s innovative approach enables both brand and direct advertisers to achieve superior results through sophisticated audience targeting technology, including contextual, behavioral, geographic and re-targeting. Founded in 2005, Collective Media is headquartered in New York City with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Boston, Chicago and Detroit. Visit Collective at www.collective-media.com.