NEW YORK – American Express OPEN launched SearchManager, a new product for small business owners that simplifies search engine advertising, an increasingly important way to find new customers and drive sales. SearchManager streamlines the way business owners can manage their online advertising and is powered by Clickable, an award-winning developer of online advertising solutions.

SearchManager provides immediate, single-point access to all major search engines, including Google Adwords, Yahoo! Search Marketing and Microsoft AdCenter – even Facebook Ads. By eliminating the hassle of multiple logins and interfaces, SearchManager enables business owners to more effectively manage their campaigns, which can help drive greater efficiency and ROI on their advertising investments.

“Our research has found that many entrepreneurs have yet to tap the power of search, as nearly three-quarters are not spending money on search engine marketing,” said Rob Ciccone, vice president, American Express OPEN. “We listened closely to business owners when developing SearchManager and designed it to address their need for a trusted, fully transparent partner that helps them market to prospective customers in an economical, more efficient way.”

Search engines are an increasingly influential resource for customers looking for products and services, and marketers are responding by reallocating budgets. According to Forrester Research’s US Interactive Marketing Forecast, search advertising leads the pack among interactive marketing tactics and is expected to grow 15 percent per year for then next four years.

But technical barriers, time constraints, and the perception that search advertising is too expensive and complex has kept many small businesses from exploring the opportunity and utilizing search management technologies to improve their listings on Google and other major search engines. SearchManager’s set of straightforward tools helps take the complexities out of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and provides small businesses easy management across ad networks.

SearchManager includes the following features and benefits:

- Tiered-solutions for customized assistance.
- SearchManager Pro is a self-managed solution for small business marketers who are currently doing search advertising, but are looking for a simple and more efficient bid management experience via a centralized dashboard.
- SearchManager Assist includes the same benefits as Pro, but also helps small business owners fully outsource or jumpstart their online marketing with the help of a dedicated PPC consultant to manage their campaign.
- Easy and intuitive. In one view, small businesses have a summary of campaigns via a straightforward dashboard, key metrics, and summary actions, with an analysis of results and advice on potential improvements;
- Ongoing campaign analysis. SearchManager provides users with continual feedback and analysis of campaigns with prioritized actions and alerts. This includes information about bids, budgeting, and even advice on optimizing ad copy;
- Full reporting capabilities. Small businesses know exactly where they stand each time they make changes to campaigns with full reporting of all key metrics and custom reports;
- Phone, online and in-person assistance. SearchManager offers users help via phone, live chat, and in-person assistance.

To introduce small businesses to SearchManager’s capabilities, American Express OPEN is offering a 30-day free trial, which includes full access to all features.

American Express OPEN is more than just card products

“OPEN has been extremely successful in providing helpful news, information and connections through OPEN Forum, our award-winning small business community. Now, we’re focused on leveraging the Internet in new ways to deliver new products and services that will help entrepreneurs run their companies,” said Ciccone.

SearchManager is the latest offering in a suite of comprehensive online business tools that complement OPEN’s card products for small businesses. Today, the OPEN business suite includes:

AcceptPay – A web-based tool that allows small business owners to accept online payments and electronically invoice customers – all in one place;
InsuranceEdge – An online portal that offers small business owners real-time, competitive quotes from some of the nation’s leading insurance carriers;
FX International Payments from American Express – A service that allows businesses to make international wire transfers;
SearchManager – An online solution that allows business owners to easily manage paid search campaigns across all major search ad networks, including Google Adwords, Yahoo! Search Marketing, Microsoft AdCenter, and even Facebook Ads – via a centralized dashboard.

About American Express OPEN®

American Express OPEN is the leading payment card issuer for small businesses in the United States and supports business owners with products and services to help them run and grow their businesses. This includes business charge and credit cards that deliver purchasing power, flexibility, rewards, savings on business services from an expanded lineup of partners and online tools and services designed to help improve profitability. Learn more at www.OPEN.com and connect with us at openforum.com and twitter.com/openforum.

American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at www.americanexpress.com and connect with us on www.facebook.com/americanexpress, www.twitter.com/americanexpress and www.youtube.com/americanexpress.

About Clickable

Clickable is a platform that makes online advertising simple, instant and profitableTM. It empowers beginners through professionals to maximize their advertising investment. Clickable makes you more efficient, effective, and confident. That’s why customers often say: “Clickable is like having a trusted advisor by your side ensuring success.” To learn more, visit www.Clickable.com.

The process of “disciplined imagination” used by AMA and DSI gives marketers a way to organize all of the uncertainty in the market and create possible stories or pictures of the future.

AMA’s CEO Dennis Dunlap challenged industry leaders to use the scenarios and be flexible enough to market in the moment while still planning for a continuum of possibilities.

“If you really want to be a strategic force within your organization, you have to live in today and tomorrow,” said Dunlap. “The marketers who will win in the new marketsphere will be the ones who systematically plan for future scenarios. They will identify not only the strategies and tactics best suited to the future, but also their role in navigating what they foresee.”

Marketing Luminaries Share Expertise

Chief Executive and Marketing Officers from Xerox Corporation, American Express and McDonald’s revealed their innovative leadership skills in navigating the marketing industry through today’s information age. The speakers discussed both the opportunities and challenges organizations face while building and maintaining a brand in both a local and global market.

Keynote speaker, Anne Mulcahy, Chairman and CEO, Xerox Corporation, followed Dunlap by offering her point of view on what really matters in today’s world of information. Named 2008 CEO of the Year by Chief Executive Magazine, Mulcahy said organizations must reach consumers who are living in a world of information overload. She noted that more than 4,000 new blogs were created while she was delivering her remarks at Mplanet.

“I think we can all agree that there is more information available to us than ever before,” Mulcahy said. “We spend more time sifting through it. It’s less reliable. And it’s all getting faster and more pervasive than ever – - not just by a little, but by a lot.”

Mulcahy said companies can make their message stand out in a sea of information by using technology for more personalization and by really listening to the customer.

“Staying in touch with customers used to be considered a ‘nice’ thing,” she said. “Today smart marketers know it is critical. We bring customers into our research and development labs. We open up their eyes and their minds to what is possible. We ask them to identify their ‘pain points’ and to dream along with us on how we can make their business problems disappear.”

Additional program content:

* John Hayes, Global CMO, American Express, said, “The consumer is going through a massive shift in their behavior. People are redefining what’s possible, what’s real and what’s next.” Consumers today need to be heard and understood – and this generation of marketers must courageously step outside communication that is comfortable and continually adapt to consumers needs. “Our generation of marketers has the opportunity – no, make that the responsibility – to help lead our country back on the road to economic recovery. We create hope. We create a better tomorrow,” said Hayes.
* Mary Dillon, EVP and Global CMO, McDonald’s, brought the conversation about new technologies and innovation back to a central theme focusing on the brand promise. By focusing on the promise, Dillon said, “We put a stake in the ground and we crystallized what we stand for. Your brand promise needs to be a part of your company’s DNA so that it’s genuine, but also it must be aspirational. It’s your brand on its very best day…Think about your brand promise as a beacon that guides your actions.”

Throughout the day, break-out sessions of strategic forums and application spotlights emphasized specific issues in the marketing industry. John Aiello, CEO and Co-Founder of the SAVO group was joined by Joseph Galvin, VP and Research Director, Sirus Dicisions, to explain how winning marketing organizations are driving greater impact on sales and where to focus time and resources in 2009

Presentation Information and Interviews

To view a full listing of Mplanet speakers, please visit http://www.mplanet2009.com/speakers.shtml. For further information on AMA’s Future Role of Marketing in 2015 report, a session or to request an interview with AMA or a speaker, media may contact Christine Heath at christine.heath@fleishman.com or 312-932-2804.

About the American Marketing Association

The American Marketing Association is the largest marketing association in North America. It is a professional association for individuals involved in the practice, teaching and study of marketing worldwide. It is also the source that marketers turn to every day to deepen their marketing expertise, elevate their careers, and, ultimately, achieve better results. American Marketing Association members are connected to a network of experienced marketers nearly 40,000 strong.

For more information on the American Marketing Association or Mplanet 2009, please visit www.MarketingPower.com.

“Especially in today’s changing climate, marketing has the opportunity to create an enduring brand,” said Dennis Dunlap, CEO of American Marketing Association. “By bringing together our industry’s best and brightest to explore new strategies, media and tactics, Mplanet is helping to ensure marketing’s role in creating a brand’s long-term innovation and sustainability.”

Digital Marketing Lab Learnings

Mplanet, hosted in partnership with Wharton School and Bain & Company, commenced with a pre-conference digital marketing lab Monday afternoon where speakers explored the growing toolkit of digital marketing techniques, social media, mobile marketing technologies and next generation devices.

Stephanie Diamond, president of Digital Media Works, Inc., opened the Digital Marketing Lab. Discussing the importance of storytelling across multiple platforms, Diamond set the stage for the subsequent sessions that reviewed new methods for directly engaging customers and businesses when and where they want.

“Pick your tactics last,” counseled Diamond. “Start with your story and develop your strategy before launching any tactics.”

“There is no single formula when it comes to digital, the best thing you can do is question everything,” said presenter Julie Fleischer, vice president/group director of account planning and innovations with DIGITAS. Fleischer provided additional thoughts on the evolving art of marketing:

* Start thinking about digital marketing as a way to give consumers’ what they need and deliver it where they want it, whether on Facebook, Twitter, Second Life or through other digital media.
* Consider platforms beyond common digital and social media. Explore virtual worlds and gaming, digital advertising, and mobile marketing as targeted extensions to a campaign.
* Digital is still evolving, so what worked for one company or organization may not be exactly right for another.
* Stop thinking about marketing as filling the gaps of that traditional media puts out to consumers. Become the content with your digital marketing, whether with podcasts or videos on YouTube or elsewhere.

Toby Bloomberg, president of Bloomberg Marketing and blogger of MarketingDiva, also talked about the power of social media and the consumer to shape a brand. We are “returning our relationship with consumer back to the days when people knew their neighborhood merchants,” Bloomberg said, but customer opinions now spread more quickly and with reach beyond the neighborhood. Marketers must keep the powerful opinions of customers top of mind when trying to shape a brand top with social media efforts, she said.

“In today’s environment, digital marketing requires a new mindset that focuses on what’s right for the customer and the brand,” said Dunlap. “Empowered customers give brands greater credibility and reach.’”

Mplanet’s Keynote Speakers

During the next two days, Mplanet speakers – executive leaders from today’s most respected brands – will share new models and tools, research, case studies and best practices with attendees in “podium-free” sessions. Giving the opening address, Dunlap will review possible scenarios on the role of marketing in the organization in the year 2015 and the strategic implications for today’s marketing leaders.

Anne Mulcahy, Chairman and CEO of Xerox, will share her insights and vast experience on one of the most pressing issues that marketers face today: “Getting Heard in a Sea of Information.” Mulcahy will discuss smart technologies that leverage collaboration, automate information transmission and categorize data for getting your message to the right audiences amid the unprecedented volume of information.

RK Krishna Kumar, Chairman of Tata Coffee and Vice Chairman of Tata Tea and Indian Hotels of Tata Sons Ltd, offers his expertise in “Brands Without Borders: The New Marketing Imperative.” Helping to protect and promote the Tata brand in India and across the globe, Kumar will provide an international perspective on lessons learned working across product lines, customers and cultures.

Larry Grisolano, Senior Communications Strategist for the Obama Presidential Campaign, will reveal the “Marketing Story of the Year and What Marketers Can Take Away from It.” Grisolano will discuss his role in directing and supervising a sophisticated opinion research program that drove the groundbreaking success of the Obama Campaign and how marketers can create similar consumer loyalty online for their own brands.

Conference attendees will have even more opportunities to hear from great marketing minds. Other highlighted speakers include:

* John Hayes, CMO, American Express
* Mary Dillon, EVP & Global CMO, McDonald’s
* Stephen Quinn, EVP and CMO, Wal-Mart
* Michael Fasulo, CMO, Sony
* Cammie Dunaway, EVP Sales and Marketing, Nintendo

“Each speaker was specifically chosen because of the knowledge they bring to the marketing industry,” said Dunlap. “Collectively, the ideas and innovation at Mplanet demonstrate the coming age of marketers in this new marketsphere.”

Presentation Information and Interviews

To view a full listing of Mplanet speakers, please visit www.mplanet2009.com and http://www.mplanet2009.com/speakers.shtml. For further information on a session or to request an interview with AMA or a speaker, media may contact Christine Heath at christine.heath@fleishman.com.

About the American Marketing Association

The American Marketing Association is the largest marketing association in North America. It is a professional association for individuals involved in the practice, teaching and study of marketing worldwide. It is also the source that marketers turn to every day to deepen their marketing expertise, elevate their careers, and, ultimately, achieve better results. American Marketing Association members are connected to a network of experienced marketers nearly 40,000 strong.

For more information on the American Marketing Association, please visit www.MarketingPower.com.

On top of OgilvyOne ITOP’s existing platform, the joint venture will utilize the award winning Open AdStream® ad management technology, enhanced specifically for the Chinese market. OgilvyOne ITOP’s existing ad network covers key categories like IT & Telecommunications, Fashion & Entertainment, and Business & Finance and provides mid to large scale advertisers high quality targeted ad placements and audiences.

Utilizing the latest technology, ITOP 24/7 will pioneer the shift from traditional staff based advertising service to the use of internet advertising platforms, creating a more cost effective and robust advertising channel. OgilvyOne ITOP currently reaches up to 100m daily page views across its network of sites. OgilvyOne ITOP, whose current clients in China include IBM, China Unicom, Microsoft, and Daphne, is a solution for both small and large scale companies looking to maximize ROI. ITOP 24/7 will offer unique insight into the growing Chinese online market.

“24/7 Real Media is a pioneer in its category and a proven leader with more than ten years experience in running ad networks globally. They’re an excellent choice for us to partner with; providing our clients with the best breed of ad management technology,” commented Chris Reitermann, President of OgilvyOne China, “With the onset of the financial crisis, many more clients require effectiveness and measurement from their marketing campaigns, providing increased opportunity for a company like ITOP 24/7 that focuses on online marketing offers more targeted results and better ROI.”

Reitermann adds, “ITOP 24/7 is a venture that will enable us to bring marketing technology with scalability and effectiveness to our own business and our clients’. This type of business is just forming in China, but we are confident that it will become more platform-driven in the future. We also see a trend with advertisers asking for more vertical and niche sites as a part of the media mix. ITOP 24/7 enables advertisers to effectively reach audiences across a broad range of smaller sites.”

“Our relationship with OgilvyOne extends 24/7 Real Media’s reach into China and ITOP 24/7 will give Chinese advertisers an ad network that provides enhanced ROI, transparency and measurability,” said David J. Moore, Chairman and Founder of 24/7 Real Media, Inc. “We are looking forward to building a new ad network paradigm in China with ITOP 24/7.”

ITOP 24/7 targeting services will significantly increase the performance and ROI of online campaigns, enabling advertisers to connect with potential consumers through contextual matching. The combination of advertising service and targeting platforms, along with the extensive network power of Ogilvy, provides unparalleled exposure to advertisers in China.

About 24/7 Real Media, Inc.

24/7 Real Media, Inc. a WPP company (NASDAQ: WPPGY), is the leading global digital marketing company, empowering advertisers and publishers to engage their target audiences with greater precision, transparency and ROI. Using its award winning ad serving, targeting, tracking and analytics platform, powerful search marketing technology and global network of specialized Web sites, the company has turned the art of reaching audiences across virtually any digital medium into a measurable science. The company is headquartered in New York, with 18 offices in 12 countries throughout North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region.

For more information, please visit www.247realmedia.com. 24/7 Real Media: The Science of Digital Marketing.

24/7 Real Media is a member of the NAI and adheres to the NAI privacy principles that have been applauded by the FTC. These principles are designed to help ensure Internet user privacy. For more information about online data collection associated with ad serving, including online preference marketing and an opportunity to opt-out of 24/7 Real Media cookies, go to: www.networkadvertising.org.

About ITOP and OgilvyOne Worldwide

ITOP, a precision marketing department of OgilvyOne Worldwide, established in January 2008, began providing contextual advertising services in August 2008. ITOP’s contextual advertising platform supports multi ad formats, publishing, and contains an iWord and iTopic targeting engine as well as bidding systems; becoming 1 of only 4 contextual matching engine providers in Chinese. ITOP receives around 100 million daily PVs from selected reliable media partners in the ITOP platform and gains more than 200 thousand clicks per day via this inventory.

OgilvyOne Worldwide is the strongest, most experienced and most highly awarded one-to-one marketing network in the world, with over 110 offices in 56 countries. It provides clients with a full range of direct, consulting and interactive services to deliver profitable customer relationships. The roster of clients is equally balanced between global clients including American Express, Cisco, Coca-Cola Company, DHL, GlaxoSmithKline, IBM, Nestlé, SAP and Unilever, and leading clients in our local markets. OgilvyOne Worldwide is a unit of The Ogilvy Group, which is part of WPP Group plc (NASDAQ: WPPGY), one of the world’s largest communications services groups.

“The sheer volume of submissions coupled with the extraordinary level of creativity that cut across such a wide swath of platforms and technologies speaks to the vitality of the interactive advertising industry,” said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB. “Interactive advertising is breaking new ground in engaging consumers in ways that we had not even dreamed of, and the pace of change will only continue to accelerate.”

This year, submissions jumped by nearly 40 percent, and were sent in from hundreds of leading agencies, representing traditional advertising agencies and native digital shops which entered work across virtually every major vertical industry.

The gala’s ultimate honor, Best in Show, went to TEQUILA\ and Nissan for its “Rogue Launch.” TEQUILA\ and Nissan took home additional honors for digital video, digital integration and VOD and interactive television, winning golds in all three categories. “The Rogue Launch” was based on consumer insights geared to Generation X males who wanted to still feel “in the game” and tap into a sense of playfulness. The campaign was credited as the most successful new car launch in Nissan’s history.

Goodby Silverstein & Partners, last year’s Best in Show agency winner, won two golds this year in Product Launch and Business-to-Business for its campaign “Adobe Layer Tennis” for the launch of Adobe’s Creative Suite 3. And in a testament to the breadth and variety of brands’ interactive campaigns, some marketers were honored in multiple categories for work with different agencies. BMW, for example, was honored for its work with three different agencies—Dotglu, JOGO Media and GSD&M Idea City across the categories of Direct Response and Lead Generation, In-Game Advertising and Social Marketing, respectively.

The MIXX Awards are the only juried advertising competition that evaluates all critical components of the interactive marketing mix, including strategy, creative, execution and results. To view the complete gallery of the MIXX Winners please visit: www.mixx-awards.com/gallery

The Complete List of 2008 MIXX Award Winners:
Best in Show

Nissan and TEQUILA\ for “Rogue Launch”

Brand Awareness and Positioning
GOLD: American Express OPEN and Digitas for “OPEN Forum”

SILVER: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! and BlockDot for “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Now You Know Better!”

BRONZE: U.S. Army and Universal McCann for “U.S. Army Halo 3 Experience”

Product Launch
GOLD: Adobe Creative Suite 3 and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners for “Adobe Layer Tennis”

SILVER: Verizon and Campfire for “My Home 2.0”

BRONZE: P&G/Downy and Digitas for “Discovering Radiance”

Direct Response and Lead Generation
GOLD: ING of the Americas and BBDO Atlanta for “ING Numbers”

SILVER: BMW North America and Dotglu for “1 Series Interactive Launch”

BRONZE: McDonald’s and OMD for “Dollar Menunaires”

Business-to-Business
GOLD: Adobe Creative Suite 3 and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners for “Adobe Layer Tennis”

SILVER: Dell and T3 for “Times Square We believe: in small business”

BRONZE: Motorola and BBDO New York for “Cityscape”

Public Service/Not-for-Profit
GOLD: The Ad Council / U.S. Department of Justice / National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Merkley + Partners for “Think Before You Post”

SILVER: The Bridgespan Group and Sapient Interactive for “One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference”

BRONZE: Roundabout Theatre Company and Situation Marketing for “Sunday in the Park with George – Connect: The Dot Project”

Search Marketing
GOLD: Honda Certified Used Cars and RPA for “Custom Search Program”

SILVER: Covad Communications and Geary Interactive for “Localized Search Campaign”

BRONZE: Adobe Systems Incorporated and Adobe Search Marketing for “AIR/RIA”

Super-Rich Media
GOLD: Apple Inc. and TBWA\Media Arts Lab for “ Don’t Give Up”

SILVER: Apple Inc. and TBWA\Media Arts Lab for “Banging, Knocking & Hiding”

BRONZE: HBO and Deep Focus for “Flight of the Conchords”

Multicultural
GOLD: U.S. Army and Sensis for “Leaders Among Us”

SILVER: The Home Depot and The Vidal Partnership for “Colores Origenes “Mixer” Campaign”

Widget Marketing
GOLD: Honda Civic and RPA for “Honda Civic Tour: Panic at the Disco”

SILVER: Kimberly-Clark and MindShare for “Huggies Baby Countdown”

BRONZE: Samsung and Cheil Worldwide for “Juke by Samsung”

In-Game Advertising
GOLD: BMW and JOGO Media for “BMW M3 Challenge”

SILVER: Nissan and OMD for “Forza 2”

BRONZE: The Coca-Cola Company and MediaVest for “Sprite NBA Gaming”

Digital Video
GOLD:

Nissan and TEQUILA\ for “Rogue Launch”

SILVER: Neutrogena and Tribal DDB Worldwide for “The Wave Power Cleanser”

BRONZE: Microsoft Small Business Products and Cole & Weber United for “Microsoft Small Business Summit”

Social Marketing
GOLD: Alberto-Culver Company and Carat for “Extreme Style by VO5”

SILVER: BMW and GSD&M Idea City for “1 Series – Facebook Graffiti Contest”

BRONZE: Verizon and Campfire for “My Home 2.0”

International Award
GOLD: Vodafone and OgilvyOne Worldwide, Athens for “Livefeeds”

SILVER: Air New Zealand and Host for “Home Sweet As”

BRONZE: Coke Europe and Sapient Interactive for “Coke Burn Alter Ego”

Mobile Platforms
GOLD: Virgin Atlantic Airways and McKinney for “ Love from Above”

SILVER: MasterCard Worldwide and MRM Worldwide for “Peyton Pep Talks with Peyton Manning”

VOD and Interactive Television
GOLD:

Nissan and TEQUILA\ for “Rogue Launch”

SILVER: AXE and BrightLine iTV for “Art of Skin Contact”

BRONZE: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! and BrightLine iTV for ”Sprays in the City”

Brand Destination Site
GOLD: MasterCard Worldwide and MRM Worldwide for “Priceless.com”

SILVER: American Airlines and TM Advertising for “AAdvantage Milestones”

BRONZE:
Pabst Brewing Company and Cole & Weber United for “The Tales of Colt 45”

Digital Integration

GOLD:

Nissan and TEQUILA\ for “Rogue Launch”

SILVER:

Liberty Mutual and Hill Holliday for “The Responsibility Project”

BRONZE:

ING of the Americas and BBDO Atlanta for “ING Numbers”

Cross-Platform Integration
GOLD: Liberty Mutual and Hill Holliday for “The Responsibility Project”

SILVER: ING of the Americas and BBDO Atlanta for “ING Numbers”

BRONZE: Verizon and Campfire for “My Home 2.0”

MIXX 2008 Judges:

Marketers:

* Cheryl Guerin – VP, Global Digital Marketing, MasterCard Worldwide
* Jenny Howell – Manager of Interactive Marketing, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
* Carole Irgang – SVP, Integrated Marketing Communications, Kraft Foods
* Carol Kruse – VP, Global Interactive Marketing, The Coca-Cola Company
* Tim Murphy – Senior Director Digital Marketing, Anheuser-Busch
* David Roman – VP, WW Marketing Communications, Personal Systems Group, Hewlett-Packard Company
* Debbie Jo Severin – VP, Marketing, Covad Communications Group, Inc.

Agencies:

* Marty Cooke – Chief Creative Officer, SS+K
* Jean-Philippe Maheu – Chief Digital Officer, Ogilvy North America
* Hans Neubert – Executive Creative Director, Avenue A | Razorfish
* Michael Prieve – Chief Creative Officer, Doremus New York
* Alan Schulman – SVP, Executive Creative Director, Executive Director of User Experience, imc2
* Baba Shetty – EVP Chief Media Officer, Hill Holliday
* Joanne Zaiac – President, Digitas, New York

Publishers:

* Heidi Browning – SVP, Client Solutions, FOX Interactive Media
* Mark D’Arcy – Chief Creative Officer, Time Warner Global Media Group
* Jane Grenier – VP, CondéNet
* Wonya Lucas – EVP & Chief Marketing Officer, Discovery Communications
* Suzie Reider – Director of Advertising, YouTube
* David Sturman – Chief Technology Officer for Massive (a Microsoft company)
* Lauren Wiener – SVP, Meredith Interactive Media

MIXX Awards Sponsors:
Adweek Media
Brightcove.com
Broadband Enterprises
Comcast Spotlight
Forbes.com
International Data Group (IDG)
Microsoft Advertising
Terra Networks
Traffiq
ValueClick Media
Yahoo!

About the IAB:

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 375 leading media and technology companies who are responsible for selling 86% of online advertising in the United States. On behalf of its members, the IAB is dedicated to the growth of the interactive advertising marketplace, of interactive’s share of total marketing spend, and of its members’ share of total marketing spend. The IAB educates marketers, agencies, media companies and the wider business community about the value of interactive advertising. Working with its member companies, the IAB evaluates and recommends standards and practices and fields critical research on interactive advertising. Founded in 1996, the IAB is headquartered in New York City with a Public Policy office in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.iab.net.

CHICAGO – The American Marketing Association announces the return of Mplanet, an industry-leading event for the world’s most influential marketing leaders and academics to share new ideas, innovations and proven strategies in today’s challenging marketing environment. The American Marketing Association, the largest marketing association in North America for individuals and organizations involved in the practice, teaching and study of marketing worldwide, will host the conference in partnership with The Wharton School and Bain & Company.

“This techno-driven, borderless world has created many new challenges and consumers are becoming resistant to traditional marketing,” said Dennis Dunlap, Chief Executive Officer of the American Marketing Association. “From rapidly changing computing and communication platforms to a weakening economy, today’s marketing leaders need fresh insights to improve performance and to drive results within their organizations.”

To help marketers navigate the magnitude and pace of change in this new environment, Mplanet 2009 will explore four core themes:

* Brand Building in a Digital World
* Connecting with Empowered Customers
* Marketing Mix in a Fragmented World
* Global Marketing on a Borderless Planet

Speakers from the World’s Best Brands

The marketing event will feature executive leaders from today’s most respected brands. Top CEOs, CMOs and other marketing executives and luminaries will share innovative practices and actionable takeaways in three different types of “podium-free” sessions:

* Perspectives – Trends, knowledge and experiences from C- level leaders and luminaries.
* Forums – Strategic-oriented dialogue on niche topics from leading marketing minds.
* Spotlights – Tools, techniques and takeaways from subject matter experts.

Headlining the marketing event are two keynote speakers. Anne Mulcahy, Chairman and CEO of Xerox will share her insights and vast experience on one of the most pressing issues that marketers face today: “Getting Heard in a Sea of Information.” Mulcahy was recently named the first female CEO of the Year by Chief Executive Magazine.

RK Krishna Kumar, Chairman of Tata Coffee and Vice Chairman of Tata Tea and Indian Hotels of Tata Sons Ltd, will also share his expertise in a keynote address on “Brands Without Borders: The New Marketing Imperative.” In his role helping to protect and promote the Tata brand in India and across the globe, Kumar will provide an international perspective on lessons learned working across product lines, borders and customer segments.

Mplanet attendees will also have the opportunity to hear from today’s best marketing minds. Other highlight speakers include:

* Mary Dillon, EVP & Global CMO, McDonald’s
* John Hayes, CMO, American Express
* Stephen Quinn, EVP and CMO, Wal-Mart
* Michael Fasulo, CMO, Sony
* Cammie Dunaway, EVP Sales and Marketing, Nintendo
* Jon Iwata, SVP Marketing & Communications, IBM
* Michael Mendenhall, SVP and CMO, Hewlett-Packard
* Mark Addicks, SVP and CMO, General Mills
* Julie Fasone-Holder, SVP, Chief Marketing Sales and Reputation Officer, Dow Chemical

“The decision to bring back Mplanet was based entirely on the response we received from the first event. Eighty-two percent of our attendees said they would recommend Mplanet,” said Dennis Dunlap, Chief Executive Officer of the American Marketing Association. “From our keynote speakers to the conference content and our strategic partners, Mplanet 2009 will deliver on American Marketing Association’s commitment to remain a marketing advocate, thought leader and resource for marketing professionals.”

Registration

To register for Mplanet, please visit www.mplanet2009.com or by phone at 800-AMA-1150.

About the American Marketing Association

The American Marketing Association is the largest marketing association in North America. It is a professional association for individuals and organizations involved in the practice, teaching and study of marketing worldwide. It is also the source that marketers turn to every day to deepen their marketing expertise, elevate their careers, and, ultimately, achieve better results. American Marketing Association members are connected to a network of experienced marketers nearly 25,000 strong.

American Marketing Association offers highly acclaimed Training Series, professional conferences and Hot Topic events focused on the immediate needs of marketers, as well as trends shaping the future. American Marketing Association’s website, MarketingPower.com, is the everyday connection to marketing information, articles, case studies, best practices and a robust job board. Additionally, the American Marketing Association is the source for the field’s top magazines and journals, including Marketing News.

For more information, visit our website at www.marketingpower.com.

BOSTON – Quattro Wireless (www.quattrowireless.com), North America’s best performing mobile ad network, and uLocate Communications (www.ulocate.com), the world’s leading publisher of mobile location-based services, today announced a partnership that will present brands with unprecedented advertising opportunities to target and serve iPhone owners through an industry-first location-based advertising service. The deal extends Quattro’s In-App Network by leveraging uLocate’s WHERE™ application to deliver location-based overlays for Quattro’s innovative iPhone ad units. In addition, Quattro and uLocate will develop new ad-sponsorships for location-based keyword search, Widgets and Map options within WHERE.

WHERE, one of the most popular location-based applications in Apple’s iPhone App Store, will utilize Quattro’s dynamic ad serving platform to enable highly targeted in-application ads to be served to iPhone users based on contextual, demographic, behavioral and location information. WHERE’s location-based service will be added to Quattro’s industry leading Video, Call, In-Application, iTunes and Popover iPhone ad units. Under the deal, ad inventory for the WHERE application on the iPhone is available exclusively through the Quattro In-App Network and for Quattro’s flagship advertisers such as Toyota, Herbal Essences, Sony, Comcast and LionsGate.

WHERE helps users connect with the people, places and things around them by delivering geographically relevant retail, business and event information, as well as entertainment content. By contextualizing advertising with location through a consumer’s proximity and active search, Quattro and uLocate will create a premium and unprecedented advertising opportunity for brand marketers to elevate the mobile ad market. By example, Quattro and WHERE will enable rich advertising opportunity with:

Search-To-Map Keyword Advertising whereby search results can be paired with contextual advertisements–i.e. Walgreen’s could purchase the keywords “headache” and “Advil” to drive consumers to the closest store.

Widget Sponsorship allows multi-product or multi-channel brands such as Wal-Mart or Staples to highlight their store locations on the widget map home page and provide product specials.

WHERE™ Widget Banners inside BuddyBeacon and Local Search will be targeted to user behavior and widget type as well as provide full “Click To” functionality–ie. Click-To-Maps or Click-To-Video–to extend the interactive advertising experience.

“Our iPhone-exclusive partnership with uLocate is the latest example of Quattro’s leadership in providing advertisers and publishers with unsurpassed access to iPhone users and unprecedented premium advertising opportunities,” said Andrew Miller, CEO of Quattro Wireless. “Quattro has the largest network of adapted Publisher web sites for the iPhone–ranging from NFL to CollegeHumor.com to CBS News–and the addition of WHERE adds a sought after location element and cements our reputation as the go-to partner for brands that want to target the coveted iPhone market.”

“The popularity of WHERE among iPhone users makes it an ideal platform for brands seeking innovative ways to reach a highly relevant and receptive audience,” said Walt Doyle, CEO, uLocate Communications. “Together with Quattro Wireless, we are offering an unprecedented level of context to advertisers as we leverage the power of location to deliver the right message at precisely the right time.”

“Coupling Quattro with location-based service WHERE creates a compelling advertising opportunity on the iPhone. Being able to place one of my client’s ads in front of a consumer headed to a Wal-Mart or a Walgreens is a premium opportunity for Brand in Hand and its clients,” said John Hadl, CEO of Brand In Hand whose clients include Procter & Gamble, American Express and Essurance. “By adding proximity of a consumer’s location to a brand’s media placement, we can invest in media much closer to a moment of truth, a sale.”

A tutorial for the advertising units available through Quattro and WHERE is available at www.QuattroWireless.com.

About Quattro Wireless

Quattro Wireless is North America’s best performing mobile advertising network, specializing in taking wired assets to the wireless world. With the industry’s only pre- and post-click technology platform, Quattro provides category leading Publishers and Premium branded advertisers with a turnkey solution to extend their internet offering to the mobile web. Publishers leverage Quattro’s proprietary mobilization technology and interactive feature set to launch dynamic, ad supported mobile web versions of their wired web sites. Advertisers partner with Quattro to design, develop and serve targeted and interactive campaigns to the highly engaged Quattro Network audience. Quattro Wireless was founded in 2006 by proven mobile pioneers and is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more information, please visit http://www.quattrowireless.com.

About WHERETM

WHERE, a service of uLocate Communications, connects consumers with people, places and things through the power of location. Whether finding friends in a crowded city, locating the lowest gas prices, satisfying a craving for a latte or scoring tickets to a local show, it’s all about navigating your world. WHERE lets consumers personalize their mobile experience while exploring and sharing interests with friends. Whatever your pursuits, WHERE delivers the best in local information from Eventful, Yelp, GasBuddy, Zipcar, ShopLocal, Starbucks, Buddy Beacon® and more.

Available on most major carriers including Alltel, AT&T, Boost, Helio, metroPCS and Sprint, the WHERE platform channels the power of location to the latest mobile devices including Nokia, BlackBerry and the iPhone. For more information, please visit www.where.com.

Automotive
Agency: OMD / Client: Nissan Live Sets on Yahoo Music
Agency: Organic, Inc / Client: Jeep Patriot
Agency: Rubin Postaer and Associates / Client: Honda Certified Used Car (HCUC)

Business-to-Business
Agency: Cadient Group / Client: AstraZenica
Agency: OgilvyOne, San Francisco / Client: Barclays Global Investors
Agency: Brief Attention Span Communications / Client: Serena Software, Inc.

Financial Services
Agency: Organic, inc / Client: Bank of America
Agency: Proximity Canada / Client: Royal Bank of Canada
Agency: Smartmoney.com / Client: Genworth Financial

Food/Beverage
Agency: Atmosphere BBDO / Client: Anheuser-Busch/Bud Light
Agency: Element79 / Client: Gatorade
Agency: space150/Modern Media / Client: International Dairy Queen

Media & Entertainment
Agency: Digitas / Client: American Express and AOL Music, “Tour Tracker”
Agency: Tribal DDB / Client: Nokia
Agency: Tribal DDB / Client: Pepsi-Cola North America

Retail/Consumer Products and Services
Agency: Atmosphere BBDO / Client: Target
Agency: MediaVest / Client: Wal-Mart
Agency: Ryan iDirect / Client: Unilever/Dove, “Dove Reality Diaries”

Technology
Agency: Cheil Worldwide / Client: Samsung Telecommunications America/Juke
Agency: IBM / Client: IBM WebSphere
Agency: Javelin Directo / Client: AT&T U-verse

Travel
Agency: Avenue A | Razorfish / Client: Westin Hotels & Resorts
Agency: Digitas / Client: Holiday Inn Express, “The Smart Show”
Agency: RGM / Client: Bombay Sapphire/JustLuxé, “Create Your Summer Escape”

Standard, Flash or Rich Media Banner
Agency: A&E Television / Client: Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels
Agency: IAC Advertising Solutions / Client: Bacardi
Agency: MS3 Marketing / Client: Castrol SYNTEC

Standard, Flash or Rich Media Expandable Banner or Overpage Unit
Agency: Juxt Interactive / Client: Coca-Cola Co./Coke Zero
Agency: Liquid / Client: Paramount/The Spiderwick Chronicles
Agency: Unicast / Client: Warner Brothers/Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Homepage Takeover/Sponsorship
Agency: AvatarLabs / Client: Sony Pictures/Pineapple Express
Agency: AvatarLabs / Client: Walt Disney Pictures/Wall-E
Agency: The Visionaire Group / Client: Universal Pictures/Wanted

Content Integration
Agency: Digitas / Client: American Express OPEN
Agency: Monster Worldwide Inc. / Client: PBS/Military.com
Agency: Sojern / Client: Delta Air Lines/E-Ticket

Standalone E-mail
Agency: Digitas / Client: American Express and DailyCandy, “Local Deals”
Agency: Merkle Inc. / Client: Corporate Express
Agency: Yesmail / Client: HP

E-mail Campaign
Agency: Moxie Interactive / Client: Verizon Wireless
Agency: Smith-Harmon Inc. / Client: REI
Agency: Tribal DDB / Client: Pepsi-Cola North America, “Pepsi Stuff Insider”

Search Campaign
Agency: 90octane / Client: Globus Family of Brands
Agency: Bigmouthmedia / Client: Hilton Hotels
Agency: Stinson Partners / Client: Costa Cruise Lines

Video Appearing in a Banner, Pre-Roll, Interstitial or In-Stream Unit
Agency: A&E Television / Client: A&E Television
Agency: TM Advertising/Janimation/EyeWonder – Client: Superpages.com
Agency: VML / Client: Dr Pepper

Standalone Video (Not Principally Deployed on YouTube)
Agency: AKQA / Client: AOL News, “Where Are They Now?”
Agency: Enlighten / Client: Bioré, “Let’s Face It”
Agency: Vibrant Media / Client: Unilever, “Blondes vs. Brunettes”

YouTube Video Ad
Agency: Element79 / Client: Gatorade, “Ball Girl”
Agency: Intuit / Client: TurboTax, “Ping Pong and Taxes Made Easy”
Agency: KulaVortex.com / Client: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, “28 Seconds Later”

Rich Media Campaign
Agency: A&E Television / Client: Paranormal State
Agency: Avenue A | Razorfish/Euro RSCG Worldwide / Client: Nabisco/Ritz, “Open for Fun”
Agency: PointRoll/Armchair Media/Turf / Client: College Board

Contest/Promotion/Sweepstakes
Agency: Dailey / Client: Intuit/TurboTax, “Tax Rap”
Agency: Exopolis/MMA Creative Group / Client: Roxy and Schick Quattro, “Follow Your Heart”
Agency: Liquid Advertising / Client: After Dark Films, “Miss Horrorfest”

Campaign in Social Media
Agency: Avenue A | Razorfish / Client: Washington Mutual
Agency: McCann Erickson / Client: VeriSign Inc.
Agency: Sapient / Client: Coca-Cola Co./Burn

Mobile or Wireless Campaign
Agency: Ad Infuse/Mindshare/Phonevalley / Client: Strongbow Cider, “Flirtogram”
Agency: AKQA / Client: Nike, “PHOTOiD”
Agency: Moxie Interactive / Client: Twentieth Century Fox/Jumper

Use of Gaming
Agency: AKQA / Client: McDonald’s
Agency: MS3 Marketing / Client: Colgate Palmolive/Speed Stick 24/7
Agency: Play/Denuo / Client: General Motors/Buick

Use of Widgets
Agency: Cheil Worldwide / Client: Samsung/Juke
Agency: Euro RSCG 4D / Client: iShares
Agency: Mediaedge:cia/Mindshare / Client: Ford/Sync

Viral Campaign
Agency: Brief Attention Span Communications / Client: Serena Software, Inc., “Just @#$% It” and “Go @#$% Yourself”
Agency: Element79 / Client: Gatorade, “Ball Girl”
Agency: McKinney / Client: Virgin Mobile, “Promiscuous Text”

Advertising/Promotion Web Site or Microsite
Agency: 65 Media / Client: Twentieth Century Fox/The Simpsons Movie
Agency: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners / Client: Adobe Creative Suite 3, “Adobe Layer Tennis”
Agency: Q Interactive / Client: UPS, “UPS Whiteboard Headquarters”

SAN MATEO, Calif. & NEW YORK & LONDON – AdMob, the world’s largest mobile advertising marketplace, announced today that it has launched a global iPhone ad marketplace with new interactive advertising formats that take advantage of the device’s capabilities and mobile context. The new ads include Brand and Performance formats that will function in both the browser environment as well as native applications built for the iPhone. AdMob also announced that it will give $1 million in advertising to developers to promote their iPhone applications, sites and services.

AdMob is launching the developer program to fuel the growth of a new wave of mobile publishers. AdMob has fielded strong demand from advertisers for iPhone ads. As part of the program, AdMob will give $1 million to developers to promote their applications and services. The program is available worldwide. Beginning today, developers can apply to be included in the program at http://admob.com/iphone.

“AdMob has seen enormous growth in both our iPhone traffic and advertiser interest. This new class of device, led by the iPhone, is pivotal to the future of mobile browsing and of mobile media business models,” said Omar Hamoui, CEO and Founder of AdMob. “We are excited to leverage our platform to take advantage of the uniquely mobile connected experiences that the iPhone makes possible.”

AdMob’s new iPhone ads are available immediately to advertisers on www.admob.com and through AdMob’s sales organization. The ads blend graphical display with one of eight iPhone-specific actions. These actions take advantage of the integration of applications on the iPhone to provide one-click access to:

* iTunes: open the iTunes store and purchase music or video content from iTunes
* App Store: visit the App Store and download applications
* Audio: listen to recorded or streaming audio content
* Video: view video and share video with friends
* Call: initiate a voice call
* Maps: launch maps and display relevant locations near that user’s location
* Web: visit iPhone websites
* Custom: interactive user experiences

For video examples of the ads, visit http://www.admob.com/iphone/video.html.

Launch Advertisers and Publishers who are currently working with the new ad formats include:

Brand Advertisers: Ford, Electronic Arts, Land Rover, Jaguar and Universal Pictures “The Mummy”

Performance Advertisers: vsnax, Stitcher, Loopt and Shozu

Publishers: AccuWeather.com, MovieTickets.com, Mippin, Flirtomatic and Loopt

“The iPhone audience represents the most influential and affluent demographic of mobile phone users,” said Brian Bos, Senior Vice President, Convergence Director for Mindshare, ad agency for the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands. “AdMob has leveraged its mobile expertise to deliver these users rich, interactive and engaging ads that Ford is excited to utilize to reach these consumers.”

These partners join thousands of existing advertisers and publishers across the AdMob network that have leveraged AdMob’s initial iPhone advertising solution over the last 11 months.

“The iPhone allows us to provide users of MovieTickets.com a new level of mobile experience,” said Joel Cohen, Executive Vice President and General Manager of MovieTickets.com. “AdMob worked with publishers to build ad formats that fit well with our site, iphone.movietickets.com, fit well with our business model. They have been a great partner as we build out our mobile services.”

AdMob is no stranger to iPhone advertising, having pioneered its first iPhone-specific ad unit in September 2007. AdMob served 51.8 million iPhone ads in June 2008 alone, a 30% month-over-month increase versus May, and has served 249 million ads to iPhone users since launch. More than 1,000 of AdMob’s 5,500 publishers served iPhone ads in June. AdMob’s new iPhone network will be available across this existing traffic base.

About AdMob

AdMob is the world’s largest and highest quality mobile advertising marketplace, serving more than 3.5 billion mobile banner and text ads per month. Founded in January 2006, AdMob allows advertisers to reach their customers on the mobile Web and enables publishers to increase the value of their mobile sites. AdMob offers both advertisers and publishers the ability to leverage targeted and personalized advertising in more than 160 countries. Sample Q2 AdMob customers include MTV, Marriott, Jaguar, P&G, American Express, Adidas, Electronic Arts, MSN, Paramount Pictures, Warner Home Video and many more.

To learn more about AdMob, visit www.admob.com.

San Mateo – July 10, 2008 – AdMob, the world’s largest mobile advertising marketplace, today released metrics on their iPhone ad unit. The company has seen an explosive increase in traffic over the past few months, faster then the rate of mobile browsing worldwide.
- Since the announcement of the iPhone ad network back in July 2007, AdMob as served over 249 million advertisements worldwide.
- AdMob’s iPhone network served 51.8 million ads in June Worldwide, a 32 percent increase from the 39.1 million ads served in May.
- AdMob served 34 million ads in the US in June, up by 31 percent from the 25.9 million ads in May.
- The most traffic on the iPhone has come from the following countries in order of magnitude – United States, Philippines, United Kingdom and France (see chart below).
- Major advertisers that have run iPhone ads exclusively with AdMob include Land Rover, Jaguar and Fox (see video links below).

Video: Jaguar ad and Landing Page: http://www.vimeo.com/828648
Land Rover iPhone Landing Page: http://awwdev.com/LandRover
- Popular consumer features of the iPhone advertisements include the store locator with integration of Google maps, and click to call and click to play video.

“The usage patterns on next generation devices are terrifically exciting – we served nearly a quarter-billion ads on the iPhone in its first year in the market. We expect that the iPhone and devices like it will be an enormous catalyst for the mobile media business.” said AdMob CEO Omar Hamoui.
The iPhone ads leverage AdMob’s targeting capabilities, enabling advertisers to reach users based on their behavior and demographics. Initial data show users hitting typical mobile sites, including weather, news, entertainment and sports.

About AdMob
AdMob is the world’s largest and highest quality mobile advertising marketplace, serving more than 3.5 billion mobile banner and text ads per month. Founded in January 2006, AdMob allows advertisers to reach their customers on the mobile Web and enables publishers to increase the value of their mobile sites. AdMob offers both advertisers and
publishers the ability to leverage targeted and personalized advertising in more than 160 countries. Sample Q2 AdMob customers include MTV, Marriott, Jaguar, P&G, American Express, Adidas, Electronic Arts, MSN, Paramount Pictures, Warner Home Video and many more.
AdMob’s global mobile metrics report has become a standard by which the mobile Internet is being measured. A free copy of the report can be accessed by visiting www.admob.com/metrics.
To learn more about AdMob, visit www.admob.com.

NEW YORK, NY, — Azoogle.com, Inc. (www.AzoogleAds.com), an online performance-based advertising network, announced its expansion into the European marketplace through a charter agreement with 77Agency, a leading independent New Media Marketing agency based in London.

The partnership allows AzoogleAds to significantly expand its reach into the European marketplace and increase the number of non-US advertisers in its current Network. By leveraging 77Agency’s advertiser relationships, AzoogleAds’ publishers will now have access to international advertising inventory in such key sectors as the financial services, retail, media, travel and leisure markets.

This partnership will enable AzoogleAds’ current publishers to opt-in to receive international Web advertising inventory that provides them with increased monetization abilities. In addition, AzoogleAds’ online tracking, analytics and fraud protection will continue to ensure strong results for new and current advertisers.

“AzoogleAds is uniquely capable of providing our advertisers with targeted distribution,” said Marco Corsaro of 77Agency. “They have a publisher base with breadth and depth, and a commitment to the highest possible industry standards. In addition, this agreement allows 77Agency to establish a presence in North America. For these reasons, we are very enthusiastic about this partnership.”

“Partnering with 77Agency represents a new phase in our expansion plans both in North America and abroad,” says Don Mathis, President of AzoogleAds. “As we look to grow the business, there will be a strong focus on providing publishers with additional monetization capabilities and advertisers with highly targeted, high-quality traffic.”

About AzoogleAds:
AzoogleAds (www.AzoogleAds.com), founded in 2000, is a leading Performance-based Ad Network, specializing in customer acquisition and conversion. Utilizing its proprietary display optimization/ targeting and search technologies, and leveraging a network of tens of thousands of publishers, AzoogleAds generates the highest volumes of quality traffic for its advertising partners. A pioneer in the online performance marketing industry, AzoogleAds brings an intense focus on achieving the highest ROI yield, and scales its solutions by leveraging vast quantities of data, its proprietary technologies, and its unparalleled industry expertise.

AzoogleAds is headquartered in New York, with offices in Toronto and San Francisco. They are members of the IAB, Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), the American Marketing Association, Shop.Org, the DMA and the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee. The company is privately held and backed by private equity firms TA Associates and Stripes Group.

About 77Agency:
77Agency, established in 2003, with offices in London, Milan, Madrid, Riga and Kievis a leading and independent, pan-European New Media Marketing agency supplying specialist services to the on-line marketplace. 77Agency’s clients include American Express, Disney and Estee Lauder.