TORONTO – AOL announced the launch of Platform-A in Canada, offering advertisers access to one of the largest online advertising networks with the most comprehensive suite of marketing solutions and the Web’s best ad technologies. With this launch, Platform-A clients in Canada (http://www.platform-a.ca) now have a single point of contact to purchase and manage activity across Platform-A’s multiple digital marketing channels, improving the strategic impact of online campaigns.

Platform-A Canada aligns AOL’s existing Canadian advertising operations including: Advertising.com, one of Canada’s leading ad networks; and the AOL Canada media network, which includes AOL-owned properties and a number of third-party sites such as Canadian Driver, a leading online automotive magazine. This combination positions Platform-A’s ad network as the leader in Canada with an audience of 22.5 million unique visitors per month, reaching more than 93% of the online audience in Canada.*

“Today’s launch enables advertisers to leverage the strong Canadian presence established by the AOL Canada properties and popular niche sites, such as Engadget and TMZ.com from AOL’s MediaGlow publishing unit, which reach more than 10 million Canadians monthly,* in order to reach a highly engaged audience of online consumers,” said James Prudhomme, Senior Director, Platform-A Canada. “With the scale and reach of our network, Platform-A Canada offers a cost-effective way for marketers to reach their targeted audiences at scale through the delivery of highly engaging and effective advertising for maximum value and results, which is crucial in today’s economic environment.”

Platform-A Canada also offers industry-leading technologies and a suite of products and services for Canadian publishers, including ad serving solution ADTECH and Quigo’s AdSonar sponsored link network.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix, January 2009

About Platform-A

Platform-A, AOL’s advertising business, is the industry’s largest digital advertising platform, offering the most comprehensive suite of marketing solutions, powered by the Web’s best advertising technologies. Platform-A includes AOL’s leading media properties – AOL.com, AIM, MapQuest, and more – and Advertising.com’s third-party networks. Platform-A also includes TACODA’s audience insights and behavioral targeting; Quigo, a site and content-targeting solution; ADTECH, an international digital ad serving business; Third Screen Media, a mobile ad serving network; and buy.at, an affiliate marketing solution.

Platform-A currently has operations in the United States, Canada, nine countries across Europe, including Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and Japan through a joint venture with Mitsui. Learn more at http://www.platform-a.ca.

Although the concept of live banners has been around for some time, Immedium is believed to be one of the first tools that empowers marketers with the ability to edit and update the content of banner ads on the fly, without the need for technical skills. The technology paves the way for a host of new advertising applications that exploit the powerful animation and multimedia capabilities of authoring tools such as Adobe® Flash® with dynamic content that reflects the marketing opportunities of the moment.

“The response we’ve received from everyone that has seen Immedium is outstanding,” said Dennis Cookson, managing director of Studio Magenta, a visual communications firm established in 2003 to serve clients in Asia and around the world. “When they see how easily and quickly they can update the content of rich media ads they begin to imagine campaigns that were previously unthinkable.”

Immedium supports both manual updating of banner ad content using nothing more than a standard browser, and automated updating whereby ads are linked to an online database or RSS feed. “Distributing a banner ad with content driven by your database is the ultimate marketing tool,” said Cookson. “It’s maintenance-free, it’s always up to date, and it can run indefinitely, promoting any profile of your inventory.”

Examples of applications for Immedium include the promotion of last-minute flight bookings, hotel rooms, and other perishable products, advertisement of job vacancies, properties for sale, financial rates & offers, event countdowns, concert booking availability, online betting, and sports results. The platform includes metrics for measurement of ad & campaign performance, and being UnicodeTM compliant, supports ads in any language.

For information on using or licensing Immedium, visit www.immedium.net.

About Studio Magenta

Studio Magenta is a privately held Thai company serving a global market with customers in Asia, USA, and Europe. Providing advertising and marketing services for both print & digital media, Studio Magenta combines visual communications with innovative design and software skills to build new brands and help grow existing businesses.

Note: Adobe and Flash are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and other countries.

The outlook for newspaper publishers is grim. Their business model is broken and advertisers are bailing. Newspaper advertising revenues in the US declined 16.4% in 2008 to $37.9 billion. By 2012, spending will slide to $28.4 billion. Is there hope for this proud medium?

The Newspapers In Crisis report analyzes the trends that are contributing to a historic downslide in newspaper revenues and readership.

Newspaper circulation continues to deteriorate as people increasingly go online for news that is timelier and free. And the relatively high fixed costs of paper, printing and distribution show no signs of waning.

And there is little relief online, where newspaper revenues are dropping as well. eMarketer estimates that even Internet revenues dipped slightly in 2008, 0.4% to $3.15 billion

Key questions the “Newspapers in Crisis” report answers:

* How far and fast are newspaper revenues falling?
* What trends are contributing to decreased newspaper readership?
* Why are the younger readers abandoning newspapers?
* Are larger or smaller circ newspapers being hit hardest?
* Can online ad revenues make up for print ad shortfalls?
* Are alternative online content models working?
* And many others

Key Topics Covered:

* Executive Summary
* Newspaper Ad Revenues
* US Spending
* Advertising Revenues by Category
* Consumer Usage
* Circulation Trends
* Demographics of Online News Readers
* Newspaper Websites: Strengths and Weaknesses
* Content Strategies Online
* Advertising Strategies
* Average Advertising Network CPMs for US Websites in Select Industries, Q1 2008-Q3 2008
* APT from Yahoo!
* Revamped Sales Structures
* Mobile and Local Search
* Case Studies
* The Christian Science Monitor
* Lawrence Journal-World

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/0b9986/newspapers_in_cris

As the advertising industry tries to tap the growing number of people using social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, the answer may lie in a little box of Godiva chocolates. This is no ordinary box of bonbons. Although it has aroused the appetites of millions of people, it can never be eaten. Its ingredients do not consist of cocoa or milk, but of bits of code. This box of Godiva chocolates exists only on the Internet and was recently promoted by the famous chocolatier as part of a recent campaign through AdNectar.

Increasing Purchase Intent and Click-Through Rates

Recent studies conducted by an online brand ad metrics company, Vizu, show that AdNectar’s campaigns are truly paying off for brands using sponsored virtual items as marketing messages.  The company’s research shows that branded social gifts increased purchase intent, awareness and engagement while actually improving the user’s experience.  “Our study showed that AdNectar’s social gifting ad approach clearly drove purchase intent,” said Dan Beltramo, CEO of Vizu.

In the Godiva study, those exposed to the AdNectar’s virtual chocolate were 20 percent more likely to purchase a real box of Godiva in the next six months than the control group that was not exposed.  This is particularly notable since most purchase intent studies of online campaigns barely break 2 percent lift according to Dynamic Logic, a leading advertising effectiveness company.

Effectively branding virtual items is not limited to well-known chocolate companies.  Method, a leading brand of eco-friendly home care products, recently launched a virtual goods campaign with AdNectar.  The results were even more impressive.
“Our campaign achieved a more than 60 percent lift in purchase intent,” said Gunther Lie, director of interactive marketing at Method. “AdNectar was very effective in driving traffic to our Facebook fan page as well as increasing awareness of the brand through the viral spread of our sponsored virtual items.”

According to AdNectar, the average click-through rate for its campaigns hovers around 0.8 percent and can reach up to 8 percent.  These clicks are generated by a hypertext link below the virtual item which directs users to the sponsor’s site of choice such as a landing page, home page or a pop-up video.  This CTR is significantly higher than the typical rates found on Facebook, which are in the range of 0.04 percent.

Preferred by User

Nir Eyal, CEO of AdNectar, believes the high purchase intent and click-through rates are a result of “user-generated targeting.”  Eyal said, “The users always know more than the marketer about what they and their friends like.  Virtual items let the users find our target audience for us.”  It is likely, for example, that a user, who voluntarily sends a virtual Sunkist soda (a recent AdNectar client) to another user, knows something about the person he or she is sending the virtual fizz to.  Eyal explains, “It is likely that the sender knows that the person being sent the virtual item, enjoys soda, loves the brand, or loves orangey goodness.  In any case, that’s a target customer for our client and is something you just can’t do with a traditional banner ad.  The best part is, it’s all voluntary.  The user chooses to send the virtual item because they enjoy doing so.  That’s why the AdNectar motto is ‘advertising people appreciate.’”

Virtual Goods Reach Tens of Millions Daily

Apparently, lots of users appreciate virtual items.  AdNectar reaches 50 million monthly unique users through its network of application partners and has agreements in place with 6 of the top 15 applications on Facebook.  The company believes virtual items are no longer a niche offering and estimates that 5 million virtual items are exchanged on Facebook every day, 90 percent of which are within the applications built on the social networks.
“Virtual items have become mainstream and are integral to many of the top social media applications,” said Eyal. “Users have come to expect them as a part of the social networking experience and they seek out better ways to communicate with friends.  AdNectar simply replaces what is are generally generic offerings, with branded virtual items that add to the user’s enjoyment while driving awareness and sales for advertisers.”

About AdNectar
AdNectar specializes in creating effective advertising that consumers appreciate.  By associating brands with virtual items, marketers are able to insert their brand message directly into the social media experiences.  AdNectar provides an integrated advertising platform that is more enjoyable for users, more effective for marketers and more profitable for publishers.  Headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, AdNectar is backed by highly regarded private and institutional investors including Battery Ventures.  For more information, visit www.adnectar.com.  Please direct media inquires for AdNectar to:  Nir Eyal, nir@adnectar.com, 917.279.8578

About Godiva Chocolatier

With production facilities in Belgium and the U.S., Godiva Chocolatier is recognized around the world as the leader in fine chocolates. From its famous truffles and shell-molded chocolate pieces to its European-style biscuits, gourmet coffees and hot cocoa, Godiva Chocolatier is dedicated to 75 years of excellence and innovation in the Belgian tradition.   Please direct media inquires for Godiva to:  Alison Brod Public Relations, Alana Radmin / Ellen Fobes, alana@alisonbrodpr.com / ellen@alisonbrodpr.com, 212.230.1800

About Method

Founded in 2000, method is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Today, method is the leading innovator of premium healthy home and personal care products. Method can be found in over 25,000 retail locations throughout the US, Canada, the UK and Australia. Major retailers include Target, Wegman’s, Costco, Duane Reade, Safeway, Waitrose (UK), Shopper’s Drug Mart (Canada) and Woolworths (Australia). method is a privately held company backed by high net worth individuals and a private equity firm.  Please direct media inquires for method to:  Rachel Goldberg, method public relations, Rachel@methodhome.com, 415.746.1764

About Vizu

Vizu is the leading online brand advertising measurement system. Their Ad Catalyst real-time measurement infrastructure for assessing ad campaign effectiveness provides powerful benefits for publishers and advertisers. Through the use of Ad Catalyst, clients gain actionable Brand Lift data on their online advertising campaigns, giving them a powerful advertising ROI metric. Vizu is a privately-held company based in San Francisco, CA, with backing from leading venture capital firms Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Greycroft Partners. For more information visit: www.vizu.com.  Please direct media inquires for Vizu to:  Ben Heskett, bhesket@vizu.com, 415.362.8498 ext 17.

BOSTON – The Strategy Analytics Wireless Media Lab report, “US Consumers Willing to Accept Mobile Advertising Despite Concerns Over Hidden Charges,” looks at willingness to accept mobile advertising, and questions what consumers want in return, identifying preferred modes of delivery.

Strategy Analytics found that the majority of mobile users would accept some form of mobile advertising as long as:

* no hidden charges are associated with participation,
* they receive something in return, and
* the level of intrusion is limited.

“Mobile barcodes and mobile coupons were the most preferred advertising models,” commented Paul Brown, Senior Analyst in Strategy Analytics User Experience Practice. “These methods were most appealing as they give the user direct choice over when and where they receive advertising.”

Kevin Nolan, Vice President at Strategy Analytics added, “On the whole, users associate mobile advertising with junk email. Therefore, if providers give advance, exclusive information, as well as other incentives, mobile users would accept mobile advertising.”

About Strategy Analytics

Strategy Analytics, Inc. provides timely and actionable market intelligence focused on opportunities and disruptive forces in the areas of Automotive Electronics and Entertainment, Broadband Connected Home, Mobile & Wireless Intelligent Systems and Virtual Worlds. Headquartered in Boston, MA, with offices in the UK, France, Germany, Japan, S. Korea and China, Strategy Analytics works with clients through annual multi-client services, management team workshops and custom consulting engagements. For more information, please visit http://www.strategyanalytics.com/

Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) posted $1.16 billion in 2008 revenue, notching 30% improvement over 2007.

The U.S. market made up an estimated 57% of the global tally; combined geographies are forecast to grow at 19% in 2009.

Revenue attached to audiovisual verticals including professional video, video advertising, video advertising networks, CMS platforms, online music spins, UGV and podcasting totaled $550 million, or 47.3% of total billings.

Professional video (including advertising) remains the most penetrated and lucrative audiovisual vertical, with 76.2% of views delivered through CDN contracts. Going the other way, 20.4% of lower margin UGV volume was handled by CDNs, plus another 31.7% of online music radio spins and track plays.

Commercial market (retail and transit) value attending the delivery of audiovisual content (including self-hosted networks and CDN) was equivalent to $886 million in 2008, with bandwidth making up 60% of billable costs.

Bandwidth fees as a percentage of CDN contract value are forecast to tack downward through 2010. The report analyzes historical and current pricing and pricing models by contract type, including volume and rate alternatives.

Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) posted $1.16 billion in 2008 revenue, notching 30% improvement over 2007.

The U.S. market made up an estimated 57% of the global tally; combined geographies are forecast to grow at 19% in 2009.

Revenue attached to audiovisual verticals including professional video, video advertising, video advertising networks, CMS platforms, online music spins, UGV and podcasting totaled $550 million, or 47.3% of total billings, according to CDN Account Verticals and Revenue Performance 2006 – 2010, a rigorous analytics report published by AccuStream iMedia Research.

Professional video (including advertising) remains the most penetrated and lucrative audiovisual vertical, with 76.2% of views delivered through CDN contracts.

Going the other way, 20.4% of lower margin UGV volume was handled by CDNs, plus another 31.7% of online music radio spins and track plays.

Large media combines such as Google’s YouTube, AOL, Real Networks, Amazon, Yahoo and Comcast approach bandwidth provisioning as a core infrastructure precondition, taking that potential revenue base off the table.

Commercial market (retail and transit) value attending the delivery of audiovisual content (including self-hosted networks and CDN) was equivalent to $886 million in 2008, with bandwidth making up 60% of billable costs.

Bandwidth fees as a percentage of CDN contract value are forecast to tack downward through 2010. The report analyzes historical and current pricing and pricing models by contract type, including volume and rate alternatives.

Total media servers in deployment rose by 56.7% in 2008. Year end ’08 accounts under contract grew by 25% to 8,496.

Monthly recurring revenue (MRR) for the CDN group rose 1.8% in 2008 to $6,735, as the market pivots toward revenue growth linked more tightly to ROI-driven, value-added applications, reducing exposure to bandwidth commoditization.

Akamai (MRR up 21.4%) and Limelight Networks (MRR up 18.7%) significantly exceeded the CDN group MRR average.

“CDN content verticals and markets of opportunity are expanding as online experiences are transformed through a broadband medium powered by reach, scale and accountability,” commented research director Paul A. Palumbo.

“The infrastructure and application sophistication necessary to deliver broadband media continues to return healthy 50% – 65+% gross margins,” he added.

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/9c23e1/cdn_account_vertic

- ExactTarget Continues Record Growth with More Than 50 Percent Increase in ’08 Revenue
1,000+ New Clients, Expanded Multi-Channel E-Marketing Platform Highlight Historic Year
ExactTarget, a leading provider of on-demand email and one-to-one marketing solutions, announced today it posted record-setting annual performance in 2008, boosting revenue by more than 50 percent and adding more than 1,000 new direct clients.
The growth of the integrated e-marketing provider marks the continuation of 32 consecutive quarters of growth and 12 consecutive quarters of profitability for the company that added industry powerhouses including Advance Auto Parts, Priceline.com and Trip Advisor to its client list during the year.

NEW YORK – Zoom Media & Marketing (Zoom), a leading provider of targeted & digital out-of-home media and promotional programs for brand advertisers in the United States announced that it has raised $30 million through the sale of a minority equity position in the company with a Series A financing to ABS Capital Partners, a leading later-stage growth company investor. The proceeds will be used to continue to expand the Company’s digital networks and make strategic acquisitions.

“Digital trumps everything and given the sea change occurring in media, this is the ideal time to expand our digital offerings” said François de Gaspé Beaubien, Chairman & CEO of Zoom Media & Marketing. “We are extremely pleased to welcome ABS as a partner. They have been a pioneer in digital Out Of Home networks and we are fortunate to be able to rely on their backing and expertise as we continue to grow.”

Zoom operates digital media networks in over 2,500 venues, including extensive operations across the top 90 DMAs in the United States as well as having static indoor billboard advertising in over 8,000 venues across North America. Zoom is the clear market leader in fitness and nightlife industries, broadcasting customized video programming, television advertising, digital signage communications and promotional venue content through digital displays in gyms and bar/restaurant environments. Zoom provides a variety of highly targeted advertising opportunities for brand marketers. Zoom will continue to expand its digital footprint across the US and Canada as well as acquire enterprises which bolster its leadership position in its verticals.

“We have followed Zoom’s progress and have been impressed by its solid growth and marketplace recognition,” said Deric Emry, General Partner at ABS Capital Partners. “The Company’s digital approach enables Zoom to address the rapidly increasing number of advertisers who, dissatisfied with their returns on other traditional media, embrace their targeting abilities within their high dwell environments.”

“The combination of ABS Capital and Zoom establishes us as a key consolidator in the digital OOH industry and by far the leading digital media networks in the fitness, bowling, family entertainment and nightlife industries,” states Dennis Roche, President of Zoom Media and Marketing’s U.S. business. “With this partnership we can now expand our existing sizable digital base and offer our advertisers a comprehensive and seamless digital strat­egy for reaching active lifestyle audiences across multiple venue categories. Our objective will be to continue to grow our leadership position in our chosen verticals through acquisitions and build outs over the next 18 months as we offer advertisers programs that are dynamic, flexible, and, importantly, truly national in scope.”

GCA Savvian acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Zoom.

About Zoom Media & Marketing

Zoom Media & Marketing operates indoor networks in over 10,000 venues including fitness centers, indoor soccer facilities, bowling centers, family entertainment centers, restaurants and nightclubs that reach active consumers. Zoom also has an in-house event marketing and promotion department that constructs custom media placements and marketing programs. With over 25,000 digital screens and over 55,000 billboard locations Zoom reaches over 100 million monthly viewers. Zoom is owned by the de Gaspé Beaubien family. For more information, please visit www.zoommedia.com

About ABS Capital Partners

Founded in 1990, ABS Capital Partners has established a strong track record for investing in later-stage growth companies. With $1.5 billion under management, ABS Capital helps companies choose the growth initiatives that build the greatest long-term value. ABS Capital has partnered with numerous portfolio companies to achieve successful outcomes, including over 40 initial public offerings and acquisitions by market leaders like CBS Corporation, EMC Corporation, LabCorp and Pitney Bowes Inc. For more information, please visit www.abscapital.com.

About GCA Savvian

GCA Savvian is a leading investment bank serving growth companies through its merger and acquisition advisory and capital market financing services. GCA Savvian professionals cover a broad array of industries, including the technology, media, communications, healthcare, business services, financial technology and consumer commerce sectors. GCA Savvian, a listed company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, has offices in San Francisco, Chicago, Menlo Park, New York, and Tokyo. For more information, please visit: www.gcasavvian.com.

Plan Includes Targeting AOL News for the First Time

NEW YORK – AOL’s Platform-A  announced a 2009 strategic partnership with Scottrade, a leading branch-supported online investment firm that offers a full line of investment products, online trading services and market research tools to help investors take control of their financial future. This year’s partnership extends Scottrade’s Platform-A relationship to reach consumers via advertising and distribution solutions within MediaGlow’s financial-related content properties, such as AOL Money & Finance, Walletpop.com, Bloggingstocks.com, and AOL News. As part of the deal, Scottrade has also been included as a Featured Broker on AOL Money & Finance.

“Platform-A is pleased to build on our existing relationship with Scottrade in 2009, and we’re looking forward to delivering the scale and efficiency that Scottrade has come to expect from our advertising solutions,” said Greg Coleman, President of Platform-A. “We’re pleased that Scottrade is utilizing the consumer reach of both AOL Money & Finance and, for the first time, AOL News. The combined reach of MediaGlow’s leading properties will allow Scottrade to reach even more consumers with a strong brand message at a time when consumers are seeking reliable news and information so they can make their own investing decisions.”

“Scottrade saw strong results in 2008 working with Platform-A, so we’re eager to strengthen our advertising relationship this year,” said Chris Moloney, Scottrade chief marketing officer. “By targeting consumers in both AOL Money & Finance and AOL News, we have a strong opportunity to reach consumers who are actively interested in sound investment information.”

Scottrade is targeting media on leading sites within MediaGlow, AOL’s recently formed publishing business that lets marketers leverage branding opportunities across more than 70 high-quality publishing assets. Scottrade’s media rotation will focus on:

* AOL Money & Finance: AOL Money & Finance reaches more than 16 million monthly unique visitors, and more than 509 million monthly page views representing growth of nearly 52% year-over-year.* In 2008, AOL Money & Finance, http://money.aol.com/, launched real-time quotes on its stock pages, a new financial video hub, and upgraded many of its investing and portfolio management tools. AOL Money & Finance currently features CNBC video content and continues to add more video content partners.
* Walletpop.com: Walletpop, http://www.walletpop.com, is a blog that provides information about savings, retirement, budgeting, insurance and more to provide a comprehensive resource for consumers so that they can mange their personal finance needs.
* Bloggingstocks.com: Bloggingstocks.com is one of the leading financial blogs on the Web, which delivers daily commentary, thought-provoking analysis and in-depth coverage of financial news of the day on the top S&P 500 stocks. BloggingStocks.com, http://www.bloggingstocks.com/, has been named to SmartMoney Magazine’s Power 30 investment blogs.
* AOL News: AOL News, http://www.news.aol.com, is one of the top online news sites. AOL News seen significant growth, with page views up 82% year-over-year in January, unique visitors up 16%, and total minutes spent online up 22%.*

In 2009, MediaGlow is expected to increase its offerings with the creation of more than 30 editorially curated sites. MediaGlow joins Platform-A, the industry’s largest domestic digital advertising platform, and People Networks, the company’s social media unit, as the third core business for AOL, signaling the completion of the company’s transformation to an advertising-supported business.

Platform A was established by integrating AOL’s advertising business, Advertising.com, TACODA, Quigo and others to provide marketers with an efficient, effective means to leverage display, video, mobile, contextual, affiliate and search marketing solutions at scale. The mission of Platform-A is to enable marketers to reach their targeted audiences at scale through delivery of highly engaging and effective advertising for maximum value and results.

* According to January 2009 comScore Media Metrix data.

About Platform-A

Platform-A, AOL’s advertising business, reaching 91%* of the U.S. Internet audience, is the industry’s largest digital advertising platform. Platform-A offers the most comprehensive suite of marketing solutions, powered by the Web’s best advertising technologies. Platform-A includes AOL’s leading media properties – AOL.com, AIM, MapQuest, and more – and Advertising.com’s third-party networks. Platform-A also includes TACODA’s audience insights and behavioral targeting; Quigo, a site- and content-targeting solution; ADTECH, an international digital ad serving business; Third Screen Media, a mobile ad serving network; and buy.at, an affiliate marketing solution. Platform-A currently has operations in the United States, nine countries across Europe, including Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and Japan through a joint venture with Mitsui. Learn more at http://www.platform-a.com.

About Scottrade

As a leading online investment firm, Scottrade offers a full line of investment products, online trading services and market research tools to help investors take control of their financial future. Scottrade provides customers the convenience of buying many stocks online at just $7 per trade and the support of the largest branch network among online investment firms, with more than 375 nationwide branch offices. Named Highest in Investor Satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates, Scottrade is dedicated to exceptional customer service and unprecedented value. Scottrade is also one of FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America. For more information, visit www.scottrade.com.

* According to January 2009 comScore Media Metrix data.

WALTHAM, Mass. – The Onion, “America’s Finest News Source,” has selected Quattro Wireless, mobile’s trusted ad network, for an exclusive mobile advertising and publishing partnership.

As an exclusive publisher in the Quattro Mobile Ad Network, The Onion will leverage Quattro’s full-service Ad Sales and Operations, as well as their technology platform in order to publish daily news and entertainment to a mobile audience. By adding The Onion’s dedicated 6 million readers with Quattro’s dynamic targeting technology, the partnership creates compelling opportunities for marketers and agencies.

“The Onion is a news and entertainment leader and a perfect fit within the trusted and premier Quattro network. We are thrilled to have The Onion as an exclusive partner,” said Lars Albright, Vice President of Business Development at Quattro Wireless. “And, with the power of Quattro’s technology and network association, The Onion can extend their reach beyond web and print and realize the power of the mobile web.”

Through Quattro’s platform, The Onion’s web content has been dynamically configured with the layout and navigation specifically adapted for all types of mobile handsets. Additionally, the mobile site has been designed to support audio feeds for The Onion Radio News network.

Said Steve Hannah, CEO of The Onion, the leading satirical publishing company in the U.S.: “Our partnership with Quattro should move us ever closer to our sole goal in business: Total domination of the nation’s—and, for that matter, the world’s—digital media channels. Teaming up with Quattro pretty much finishes the job.”

About Quattro Wireless

Quattro Wireless, mobile’s trusted ad network, leverages sophisticated technology and exclusive premier partnerships to create unrivaled reach, consumer engagement and efficiency for today’s marketers and advertisers. Quattro is dedicated to delivering service excellence and turnkey solutions to optimize digital performance across all channels (mobile web, SMS, applications, video) and platforms (iPhone, Blackberry and Android). Fortune 500 brands and direct marketing leaders seek Quattro’s global reach, dynamic targeting, advertising innovation and transparent practice. Category-leading publishers leverage Quattro’s proprietary platform to realize the economic power of the mobile web. Quattro Wireless was founded in 2006 by proven mobile pioneers and is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more information, please visit www.quattrowireless.com.

FALLS CHURCH, Va. – 1105 Government Information Group, the leading provider of integrated information and media for the government information technology (IT) market, announced that it is promoting FOSE 2009 and the GovSec, U.S. Law Conference and Exhibition via social networking initiatives. Utilizing Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as well as other blogs and Web forums, FOSE and GovSec, U.S. Law are reaching federal IT managers, creating excitement about the events, and educating previous/prospective attendees about educational opportunities and featured exhibits.

FOSE – the largest trade show for government technology professionals – is co-located this year with GovSec, U.S. Law. The events are scheduled for March 10-12, 2009 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.

“Social networking initiatives are changing the communications landscape and redefining how citizens interact with government,” said Christina Condos, Vice President of Events for 1105 Government Information Group. “We are connecting with hundreds of new and existing show attendees through online communities. Once there, attendees are not only sharing information about the scheduled events, but are also understanding new ways to use social networking initiatives to improve their relationships with taxpayers, vendors, and customers.”

Below are a list of social networking sites with links to information about FOSE and GovSec, U.S. Law:

* LinkedIn http://tinyurl.com/clxkz5

* Twitter http://www.twitter.com/FOSE2009

* Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Washington-DC/FOSE-2009/50718708094

“Social networking sites meet customers where they live and work – on the Internet,” said Mitch Arnowitz, Managing Director, Tuvel Communications. “1105 Government Information Group is truly an early adopter of this technology, helping federal IT managers to understand the benefits of social networking through practical application.”

Since 1976, FOSE has been in the forefront of the government technology revolution, contributing to many technological and creative developments that have helped shape public and private sector initiatives. FOSE remains the premier meeting and solutions marketplace for government technology and program management professionals. Featuring groundbreaking education, smart solutions, and unparalleled networking events and programs, FOSE brings together an audience that shares a passion for computing and technology.

For information on all the conference program and exhibitors participating at FOSE 2009, please visit: http://www.fose.com or for information about GovSec, U.S. Law, please visit http://www.govsecinfo.com/. To register as press for both events, contact A.J. Guenther at 571-323-2585, ext. 2130 or aj@connellyworks.com.

About GovSec (March 11-12, 2009 www.govsecinfo.com)

GovSec is the premier conference and exposition for government security. Established in 2002, GovSec features tools, systems, and products that meet the comprehensive security needs of federal, state, and local governments and the U.S. military, including: asset protection; cyber and information protection; and the integration of these critical functions. The 2009 theme, “convergence of physical and logical security” will optimize the event’s co-location with FOSE and explore how physical and IT security can be enhanced by collaboration.

About U.S. Law (March 11-12, 2009 www.govsecinfo.com)

The U.S. Law Enforcement Conference and Exposition provides an unparalleled forum that drives federal, state, and local interaction within the law enforcement communities and offers products and solutions that meet the ever-changing needs and roles of today’s law enforcement agencies. U.S. Law addresses the needs of federal law enforcement and promotes collaboration and coordination between those officers and state and local police. Additionally, this year’s program will focus on public safety IT and how agencies across the nation can better coordinate and collaborate through advancements in IT, information sharing, and interoperable communications. The event also provides state and local officers with insight on how homeland security concerns will affect local jurisdictions and offers them valuable tools to meet these challenges.

About 1105 Government Information Group

1105 Government Information Group is the leading provider of integrated information and media for the government information technology market. Our comprehensive portfolio of print, online, event, custom media and research products distinctively serves the information needs of the government IT buying team—agency executives, program managers, IT managers and systems integrators—across all segments of federal, state and local government. Flagship news and information brands include Defense Systems, Federal Computer Week, FEND, GCN, and Washington Technology. Flagship events include the Federal 100, FOSE, GCN Awards, Government Leadership Summit, GovSec, U.S. Law, Washington Technology Top 100 and a series of conferences focused on collaboration, networking and education. www.1105govinfo.com

NEW YORK – Ringleader Digital, the only mobile third-party ad-serving network, announced a partnership with EyeWonder, Inc., a leading innovator in interactive digital advertising technologies and services. The partnership features collaboration between Ringleader Digital and EyeWonder to develop rich media and video solutions across Ringleader Digital’s third-party advertising network. The agreement provides a flexible platform to address the emerging market for mobile advertising in rich media applications and services.

Demand for rich media continues to expand rapidly, with industry analyst Screen Digest projecting that the market will reach $2.79 billion by 2012*. The mobile video market also continues to grow, with The Nielsen Company reporting 24% annual growth in subscriptions to mobile video, increasing to 16.4 million customers in Q3 2008**. Additionally, the growing ubiquity of mobile handsets with multimedia support is central to driving rich media demand. Advertisers, logically, are turning their attention to rich media to reach mobile users in a meaningful and impactful manner.

“As we build on our leadership position as the premier provider of interactive digital advertising, it is essential that we continue to expand the display devices we serve,” said John Vincent, CEO of EyeWonder, Inc. “Integration with Ringleader Digital provides us with a powerful gateway to the untapped mobile rich media advertising market.”

“iPhones and other leading-edge smart phones are enabling users to enjoy the full benefits of rich media, which is creating new avenues to reach mobile consumers,” said Bob Walczak, CEO of Ringleader Digital. “We are excited to partner with EyeWonder, one of the leaders in the space, to offer dynamic and engaging rich media ad solutions for advertisers and publishers. Our third-party On-Demand Network enables rapid integration with technologies from EyeWonder and other industry leaders while also providing the true access to any publisher across any mobile ad environment.”

Ringleader Digital’s third-party ad serving network enables rapid integration with leading-edge technologies and new applications that will continue to enhance mobile advertising which in turn enables brands and agencies to extend their advertisements to mobile while also maintaining a dashboard view of both mobile and online advertising campaigns.

About Ringleader Digital

As the next-generation mobile advertising network, Ringleader Digital brings the online advertising experience to mobile—fulfilling the potential and promise of the mobile Web. Ringleader’s device-agnostic network is the only third-party mobile ad service, and is the first to specifically target ads by device functionality. Ringleader simplifies advertising transactions and delivery by providing brands and publishers the ability to seamlessly and simultaneously distribute ad campaigns across any mobile digital platform. With this unprecedented control, publishers maximize the revenue potential for ad campaigns while brands and advertisers can finally track and audit every element of a campaign’s effectiveness. Ringleader is based in New York City. For more information please visit www.ringleaderdigital.com.

About EyeWonder, Inc.

EyeWonder, Inc., is the pioneering interactive digital advertising provider, extending the reach of online rich media and interactive video ads to digital device displays. Through its superior technology, products and services, EyeWonder empowers advertisers, advertising agencies and content publishers with the ability to create, build, deliver, track and optimize interactive advertising campaigns proven to drive industry-leading results. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A., EyeWonder Inc., has domestic offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Los Angeles and Detroit. International offices are located in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Australia. For more information on the company’s interactive digital advertising solutions or its global office network, please visit http://www.eyewonder.com.

*“Mobile Media Advertising Opportunities: The Market for Advertising on TV, Video, and Games,” Screen Digest, April 2008

**“Tuned into the Phone: Mobile Video Use in the U.S. and Abroad,” The Nielsen Company, January 2009

SAN FRANCISCO – Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) unveiled its first global advertising campaign, entitled “More people go with Visa,” reflecting the company’s evolution to a single, global company. The new campaign enables Visa to align its worldwide marketing under a single theme that highlights the superior value Visa delivers versus cash and checks – including more security, more control and more convenience. The campaign also enables Visa to achieve cost efficiencies by consolidating its global marketing efforts. The “More people go with Visa” campaign will debut today globally; television advertising launches in the United States on March 4.

The “More people go with Visa” campaign focuses on Visa’s core growth strategy – migrating consumer and business spending from cash and checks to a better form of electronic payment, Visa. The campaign establishes a single global marketing message that will be executed locally for maximum relevance, delivering Visa’s global message in an efficient and cost-effective way.

“Visa gives people the ability to take action – the actions that are most important to them,” said Antonio Lucio, chief marketing officer of Visa Inc. “The ‘More people go with Visa’ campaign is an invitation to make the most out of life every day, a powerful message. It’s not about spending more, it’s about using Visa for those things that are important to you every day.”

By focusing on encouraging Visa usage over cash and checks, the campaign helps grow the payments business of Visa’s financial institution clients. At the same time, it better enables them to focus their marketing efforts on differentiating their Visa products from those of competitors while strengthening their customer relationships. The campaign also supports Visa merchant partners by promoting the convenience of using electronic payments in key merchant categories like restaurants and online music, among others.

The “More people go with Visa” campaign is both optimistic yet grounded in the reality that people are seeking to live both in the moment and within their means. It recognizes that, even in uncertain times, people want to move forward and highlights that Visa helps them do so by offering a range of payment products, by empowering financial literacy, and by providing money management tools. (For more information on these products and other management tools, please visit www.visa.com/goresponsibly.)

“Underpinning the campaign is a simple and universal assertion that is fundamental to Visa’s view of the world and how we operate as a company,” added Lucio. “Simply put, this campaign is an invitation that reflects Visa’s belief that our products are for anyone who wants to go. And when they go, Visa offers them a better way to go, confidently, conveniently, safely and responsibly.”

Campaign Overview

The “More people go with Visa” platform is relevant across all geographic regions and demographics, and will be used to promote the vast product choices that Visa offers, as well as the Visa brand itself. The campaign is well suited for traditional and new media, and will strongly support Visa’s global sponsorship properties and merchant marketing programs.

In the United States, two national television spots – “Let’s go” and “Aquarium” – will premier on March 4 during “American Idol” on FOX. “Let’s go,” which will introduce the campaign, portrays an optimistic view of life that focuses on the possibilities of a new day – from stepping outside your comfort zone to challenging yourself to do things differently – and positions Visa as the brand to help consumers achieve their dreams and ambitions. “Aquarium,” celebrates moments where Visa’s debit product, the Visa Check Card, allows cardholders to experience the beauty of every day. In this spot, viewers are told the story of a father-daughter trip to the Aquarium viewed through the eyes of the child.

Visa’s international markets will launch with a television commercial named “Gofesto.” The spot, which will be customized by each Visa region, takes viewers on a journey across the globe showing different people from different places enjoying what the world has to offer – from experiencing the great outdoors to taking simple trips to the supermarket. The spot reminds cardholders that life is not about collecting possessions, but more importantly, about collecting experiences.

In the coming weeks, Visa will roll out a series of print advertisements focusing on the benefits of the Visa Check Card.

Visa has also created an array of digital extensions that provide consumers with tools and information to experience life – enhanced by the “More people go with Visa” campaign. Rich media banner advertisements will provide live video feeds of people taking action from six major cities around the world including Buenos Aires, New York and Ho Chi Minh City. Using Google Maps functionality, other banners will deliver local merchant recommendations based on user preference and time of day. Visa also has created a microsite for the campaign (www.visa.com/globaladvertising) that allows consumers to submit pictures and provides recommendations on different experiences to try, along with merchant offers.

Business Evolution

This campaign launch follows less than a year after the company’s historic initial public offering (IPO) and reorganization. The alignment of six Visa regions into a single, global company has enabled Visa, Inc. to realize the efficiencies, streamlined strategy and decision-making globally that was anticipated at the time of the IPO.

The campaign is part of a broader effort to reorganize the company’s marketing efforts through which Visa consolidated its global media buying and global creative advertising under a single holding company. This consolidation will deliver significant operational efficiencies as well as reductions in fees and production expenses – thus maximizing the effectiveness of its marketing expense.

To view Visa’s new campaign, visit www.visa.com/globaladvertising.

About Visa Inc.

Visa Inc. operates the world’s largest retail electronic payments network providing processing services and payment product platforms. This includes consumer credit, debit, prepaid and commercial payments, which are offered under the Visa, Visa Electron, Interlink and PLUS brands. Visa enjoys unsurpassed acceptance around the world, and Visa/PLUS is one of the world’s largest global ATM networks, offering cash access in local currency in more than 170 countries. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.

There is no question that the Internet is now a mainstream medium. In 2009, the US Internet population will grow to nearly 200 million users, or 65% of the total population. By 2013, 221 million people will be online, nearly 70% of the population.

The demographics of the US Internet population are evolving to reflect the offline population. More women are coming online, and so are more users ages 35 and older.

Daily Internet usage among nearly all demographic groups is climbing. Average time spent online by US adults shot up to 14 hours per week in 2008, compared with 11 hours in 2007. Nearly two-thirds of adults claim they go online every day, the majority for more than one hour.

Key questions the “US Internet Users” report answers:

* What does the US Internet population look like?
* Is there still room for growth?
* How has the economy affected Internet use?
* How confident are users in their Internet skills?
* How does the mobile Internet fit in?
* And many others

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/7c62c1/us_internet_users

That jump in mobile search usage is nearly double the increase in users who said they accessed mobile websites generally. “Mobile search represents a utility for information anytime and anywhere,” says senior analyst Jeff Orr. “With a few keywords, one can quickly identify movie times, the discography of a musical artist, recommendations for a local eatery and so much more.”

Some types of content accessed via mobile phones rose in popularity from 2007 to 2008. These included news, game downloads, music downloads, and especially video downloads. A significantly lower percentage in 2008 reported downloading a ringtone than the prior year, while the interest in location information, social networking and sports remained about the same.

“Use of the mobile phone goes well beyond voice calls,” says Orr. “A significant percentage of respondents say they use their handset for mobile email and web access, reflecting the broader access to inexpensive or all-you-can-eat mobile data services in the US.”

The surveys, each of which sampled more than 1000 mobile phone users in the United States aged 14-59 and across a wide range of demographic profiles, were conducted in November 2007 and December 2008. They queried users’ preferences with regard to a variety of mobile email and web usage questions.

“US Mobile Email and Mobile Web Access Trends” (http://www.abiresearch.com/products/research_brief/Consumer_Mobility_Research_Brief/129) compares results of the two surveys, and includes survey methodology, responses laid out in charts with additional summaries and analysis, and respondent classification/demographics.

It is one of a series of Research Briefs comparing the results of ABI Research’s 2007 and 2008 consumer mobile content surveys. Other titles in the series cover blogging and social networking, embedded cameras and navigation functionality, mobile music, mobile phone purchasing, mobile TV and video viewing, and smartphone feature and usage trends.

They are all included in the firm’s “The Mobile Consumer” Research Service (http://www.abiresearch.com/products/service/The_Mobile_Consumer_Research_Service).

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of emerging trends in global connectivity. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advise thousands of decision makers through research and advisory services in seven key practice areas. Est. 1990. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced the release of the final version of its Audience Reach Measurement Guidelines at its Annual Leadership Meeting, Ecosystem 2.0: Brands Battle Back, in Orlando, Florida. These guidelines provide clear, consistent definitions of key metrics and create a single standard for measuring Web audience sizes. The guidelines are the result of a major industry-wide initiative led by the IAB and included the participation of publishers, agencies and auditing organizations.

These new guidelines:

* Define key industry metrics such as unique users, unique cookies, unique browsers, visits and time spent.
* Establish a framework for all measurement providers to have their methodologies audited, providing greater certainty for the industry.
* Foster greater accuracy and reliability of all forms of online audience measurement, whether based on server data, online panels or user registration.

Marketers, agencies and online publishers rely on audience metrics reported by vendors that use a variety of methodologies. Transparency into these methodologies and clear definitions of commonly used terms are critical to the ongoing growth of interactive media as marketers increase their investment in interactive media.

“Establishing a broad industry consensus in favor of these guidelines is critical to ensuring that they gain traction in the marketplace,” said Joe Laszlo, Director of Research at the IAB. “As providers of measurement data adopt the guidelines, marketers can be increasingly confident they are planning their campaigns based on sound, reliable data.”

“Effective interactive advertising campaigns rely on accurate audience measurement,” said Kate Downey, director of audience analytics and insights, The Wall Street Journal Digital Network. “These guidelines provide accountability in audience measurement for marketers, agencies and other industry stakeholders.”

“By issuing these guidelines, the IAB has given measurement organizations across the industry a set of rigorous and consistent guidelines to help ensure standardized measurements of unique cookies, unique devices, or unique users,” said George Ivie, CEO and Executive Director of the Media Rating Council (MRC). “This is an important and commendable step towards full accountability.”

To review the complete guidelines, please go to www.iab.net/audiencemeasurement.

About the IAB:

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 400 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.

Reston, VA. – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, reported the results of the first study of its cross-media panel of PC and mobile Internet users in the U.S., finding that  light PC Internet users are 30 percent more likely than heavy PC Internet users to use their mobile devices to  access Internet content. In total, 42 million people used their mobile devices in October 2008 to access news and information content on the Internet, an increase of 57 percent from October 2007.

The study found that 15.2 percent of light PC Internet users accessed news and information on their mobile device at least once per week, compared to a lower 11.7 percent of heavy PC Internet users. For the purposes of this study, comScore defined “heavy” PC Internet users as those who viewed, on average, 6,701 pages in the month, and “light” users as those who viewed, on average, 1,104 pages in the month.  Twenty percent of PC Internet users in the cross-media panel were classified as heavy users, and accounted for 43 percent of overall page views, while 50 percent were light users and accounted for 18 percent of page views. The balance was classified as medium users.

“The findings affirm that mobile Internet users comprise a substantial segment of the population, and suggest that a significant portion of these people are using mobile to supplement their at-home online media diet,” said Brandon Starkoff, VP/Mobile Activation Director at media agency Starcom USA – which helps some of the country’s most prominent marketers place the right ad messages in front of the right audiences. “Understanding these emerging mobile behavior patterns is valuable to marketers looking for opportunities to increase scale and deliver valuable consumer experiences.”

The study also found that mobile Internet users are more likely to be male (58 percent) and to be 18 to 44 years of age. Possibly reflecting this demographic skew, heavy mobile Internet users show a high engagement with Web sites that provide information that is appealing to people with more active lifestyles:

·         Regional / local content
·         Entertainment
·         Sports information

In contrast, light mobile Internet users are heavier users of the PC to access Internet content and are heavily engaged with the following types of Internet content:

·         Education
·         Conversational Media
·         Travel
·         Business / Finance
·         Retail

The study was conducted using a sample of individuals who were members of comScore’s PC panel of online users and who were also participants in comScore’s monthly mobile survey.  The findings above represent digital media usage for the three-month average ending October 2008.

About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/boilerplate.

- Gannett Co., Inc. Announces Quarterly Dividend
Gannett’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of 4 cents per share, payable on April 1, 2009 to shareholders of record as of the close of business March 6, 2009. This is a reduction from the first quarter dividend rate of 40 cents per share.
“Today’s action by the Board is another prudent response to the full-fledged recessions in the U.S. and UK and the continuing difficulties in the credit markets,” said Craig A. Dubow, chairman, president and chief executive officer.
“The reallocation of more than $325 million of free cash flow annually to pay down debt will further strengthen our balance sheet, provide us with even more financial flexibility and position us well to continue to seize opportunities for growth. This dividend represents the 163rd consecutive dividend paid by the company since 1967.”

The U.S. market made up an estimated 57% of the global tally; combined geographies are forecast to grow at 19% in 2009.

Revenue attached to audiovisual verticals including professional video, video advertising, video advertising networks, CMS platforms, online music spins, UGV and podcasting totaled $550 million, or 47.3% of total billings, according to CDN Account Verticals and Revenue Performance 2006 – 2010, a rigorous analytics report published by AccuStream iMedia Research.

Professional video (including advertising) remains the most penetrated and lucrative audiovisual vertical, with 76.2% of views delivered through CDN contracts.

Going the other way, 20.4% of lower margin UGV volume was handled by CDNs, plus another 31.7% of online music radio spins and track plays.

Large media combines such as Google’s YouTube, AOL, Real Networks, Amazon, Yahoo and Comcast approach bandwidth provisioning as a core infrastructure precondition, taking that potential revenue base off the table.

Commercial market (retail and transit) value attending the delivery of audiovisual content (including self-hosted networks and CDN) was equivalent to $886 million in 2008, with bandwidth making up 60% of billable costs.

Bandwidth fees as a percentage of CDN contract value are forecast to tack downward through 2010. The report analyzes historical and current pricing and pricing models by contract type, including volume and rate alternatives.

Total media servers in deployment rose by 56.7% in 2008. Year end ’08 accounts under contract grew by 25% to 8,496.

Monthly recurring revenue (MRR) for the CDN group rose 1.8% in 2008 to $6,735, as the market pivots toward revenue growth linked more tightly to ROI-driven, value-added applications, reducing exposure to bandwidth commoditization.

Akamai (MRR up 21.4%) and Limelight Networks (MRR up 18.7%) significantly exceeded the CDN group MRR average.

“CDN content verticals and markets of opportunity are expanding as online experiences are transformed through a broadband medium powered by reach, scale and accountability,” commented research director Paul A. Palumbo.

“The infrastructure and application sophistication necessary to deliver broadband media continues to return healthy 50% – 65+% gross margins,” he added.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and the American Association of Advertising Agencies(4A’s) announced agreement on actions that will reduce the costs and complexity of buying and selling interactive advertising. The announcement was made at the IAB’s Annual Meeting, Ecosystem 2.0: Brands Battle Back.

The two industry associations joined forces to create the 4A’s/IAB Reinvention Task Force to focus on the following three areas:

* Standardization in business document formats. The recent E- Business Interactive Standards, a beta release of an XML-based solution for automating the transfer of business documents, standardizes order information including requests for proposals, insertion orders, and invoices between advertising agencies and media companies. Beta testing partners will be implementing and refining this solution throughout 2009. www.iab.net/ebiz
* Updating the 4A’s/IAB Standard Terms and Conditions. As interactive has grown and changed, so have the contractual requirements. The IAB and 4A’s are committed to updating the current standard Terms and Conditions language in 2009 to reflect the current operational and marketplace environment.
* Improving automated exchange of impression and other metric data for discrepancy resolution and billing. Solving the discrepancy problem is a top priority for both agencies and publishers, and a method for detecting discrepancies during a campaign is essential.

“The timing of these initiatives could not be more important for our industry,” said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB. “We must re-double our focus on costs as we continue to revolutionize the business of marketing. These efforts will only enhance the value of interactive for all stakeholders and consumers.”

“At a time when agencies and media companies are evolving the nature of their relationships and their businesses, the Reinvention Task Force is a critical step in improving the most fundamental elements of how we operate,” said Nancy Hill, President and CEO of the 4A’s. “These solutions will help drive revenue and allow all partners to more effectively scale operations.”

Though publishers and agencies have been developing sophisticated media buying and selling tools for years in the interactive space, they have often been difficult to integrate. The E- Business Interactive Standards will provide immediate operational efficiencies, enable scalability for all partners, and, by eliminating a large part of multiple entry, will reduce communication errors between publishers and agencies.

“The collaboration between publishers and agencies on the Reinvention Task Force has enabled us to accelerate the process by which these standards are implemented across the digital ecosystem,” said Zack Rogers, VP of Revenue Operations, CBS Interactive and the Publisher Lead of the Reinvention Task Force.

“We are pleased at the progress we have made to date on the Reinvention initiative,” said David Cohen, Executive Vice President, US Director of Digital Communications for Universal McCann, Chairperson of the 4A’s Digital Marketing Committee, and the agency lead of the Reinvention Task Force. “Through an impression exchange solution and consistent nomenclature for RFPs, insertion orders and invoices we believe that we have taken an important first step towards achieving that goal. Our attention will now turn to widespread adoption of these standards and working through the next iteration of industry standard Terms & Conditions.”

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.

About the 4A’s

The American Association of Advertising Agencies is the national trade association of the advertising agency business. The 1,196 member agency offices it serves in the United States employ 65,000 people, offer a wide range of marketing communications services, and place 80 percent of all national advertising. The management-oriented association helps its members build their businesses, and acts as the industry’s spokesman with government, media, and the public sector. For more information visit our Web site at www.aaaa.org.

The vast majority (80.1%) of web surfers indicated concern about the privacy of their personal information such as age, gender, income and web surfing habits. Concern about privacy is prevalent among all age segments, and increased with the respondent’s age from 67.3% among respondents 18-24 years to 85.7% of respondents 55 years and older.

“Online privacy is a prevailing concern for web surfers,” said Chuck Moran, VP of Marketing for Burst Media. “Advertisers must take concrete actions to mitigate consumers’ privacy concerns and at the same time continue to deliver their message as effectively as possible. In addition and as recently seen in the news flare up regarding Facebook’s privacy controversy, publishers need to be completely transparent about their privacy policies.”

The survey also found that most web users believe web sites are tracking their behavior online. Three out of five (62.5%) respondents indicated it is likely that a web site they visit collects information on how they navigate and interact with it.

Also of note was the revelation that personal privacy is not something people are willing to give up for more relevant advertising. Based strictly on the description “advertisements more relevant to interest,” only one-in-five (23.2%) respondents would not mind if non-personally identifiable information was collected if ads were better targeted.

To view the full copy of Burst’s Online Insights report on privacy please visit http://www.burstmedia.com/research/current.asp.

About Burst Media

An online media and technology company founded in 1995, Burst Media (www.BurstMedia.com) is a leading provider of advertising representation, services and technology to independent Web Publishers. Burst Media enables advertisers to reach finely segmented, engaged consumers as they visit Burst’s extensive number of interest-based sub-channels. Through its Burst Network and Burst Direct units, the company represents one of the broadest and deepest offerings of interest-based websites online. Burst also markets its ad management platform, adConductor™, which empowers content websites, online ad networks, and web portals to manage the complete process of ad sales and service. Burst Media is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, with offices throughout the United States and in London, UK. For more information, visit www.BurstMedia.com or call 781.272.5544.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced that it has launched task forces comprised of industry leaders to address two of the biggest issues facing the interactive advertising industry—data ownership and media contracts between buyers and sellers of interactive advertising. These task forces represent a cross section of interactive industry stakeholders from web publishers, portals, search engines and networks and exchanges. Their objective is to find answers to the issues of data ownership and to create a model contract that includes commonly used terms and conditions (Ts&Cs) that are mutually beneficial solutions for publishers, agencies and marketers, thereby improving relationships between the three groups, fostering business growth and facilitating industry partnerships. The announcement was made at the IAB’s Annual Leadership Meeting, Ecosystem 2.0: Brands Battle Back, in Orlando, Florida.

“Our industry is absolutely committed to marshalling interactive media leadership to move forward on these important fronts,” said Randall Rothenberg, President & CEO of the IAB. “We recognize that our members have truly revolutionized marketing with their products and services, and they are the ones who will be most adept at driving the change needed for resolution.”

The Interactive Ts&Cs Task Force’s discussions with the 4A’s are slated to begin in March. The following IAB member companies will serve on this task force:
Cars.com
CBS Interactive
CNN.com
Disney Interactive Media Group
Facebook
Forbes.com
Fox Interactive Media
Google
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia
Microsoft Advertising
NBC Universal
New York Times
Platform-A
Time Inc
Valueclick Media
Yahoo!, Inc

The IAB has long taken a leadership role in improving supply chain operations in an effort to reduce the complexities that marketers and agencies face when buying interactive advertising. One of the steps the IAB has taken was the formation with the 4A’s of the Interactive Reinvention Task Force in 2008, a collaborative publisher-agency effort that also announced today a set of ground-breaking agreements on voluntary business process standards which, if adopted by agencies and publishers, will significantly reduce cost and complexity in the planning and buying of interactive advertising. In addition, the newly created Networks and Exchanges Committee has taken on an initiative to define and map out the types of data that can be collected and developed by ad networks. The IAB also announced today the launch of the Data Task Force that will tackle the challenges associated with data ownership.

About the IAB:

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 400 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.

- Online Marketing Connect Institute Offers New Webinar for Marketers Who Need to Improve Usability and Conversion Rates
iPerceptions Inc. (TSX.V:IPE), a leading provider of web-focused Voice of Customer analytics, has teamed up with the Online Marketing Connect Institute to offer a new webinar to help marketers increase the effectiveness and efficiency of their online properties. The webinar, titled “A to Zs of Traffic to Conversion: How to Drive Your Target Audience to Your Website and Make Sure They’re Happy Once They Get There,” will spotlight the most common user experience pitfalls as determined by feedback from visitors to thousands of sites worldwide—and offer easy fixes that will increase conversions and sales. The free webinar takes place on Wednesday, March 4, at 2:00 pm EST, and registration is now open at www.bulldogsolutions.net/OMC/OMC03042009/frmRegistration.aspx?bdls=18325.

- Engauge Digital Names Chad Israel Director of Social Marketing
Engauge, a total marketing solutions agency, has tapped digital pioneer Chad Israel as the agency’s Director of Social Marketing. Israel will lead the social and emerging marketing initiatives for Engauge Digital in Atlanta, Georgia.

“Chad is a unique talent who brings a deep understanding of how brands can connect with their customers using social media and move them to action,” said Melissa Read, Ph.D., Engauge Digital’s Vice President of Research and Innovation. “He’ll oversee our strategic social marketing initiatives, with offerings that include social media outreach, viral marketing campaigns and social media measurement and analysis.”

NEW YORK – The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced the release of Click Measurement Guidelines, a document that will establish parameters for the accurate buying and selling of cost-per-click advertising, an important and growing category of interactive advertising. Marketers will now have a standard for consistently and reliably measuring their performance-based marketing efforts. The guidelines also provide a strong framework for filtering fraudulent clicks, giving buyers and sellers confidence that only legitimate clicks are being counted.

The Click Measurement Guidelines will:

* Provide a detailed definition of a “click” and outline standard methodologies by which clicks should be measured and counted, including the identification of invalid and/or fraudulent clicks.
* Define standard terms that will help streamline the buying and selling of click-based media.
* Increase transparency and consistency in click measurements for media companies, ad-serving organizations, advertisers, and third-party click auditors.

“These guidelines demonstrate our continued commitment to being the most accountable advertising medium and providing marketers with the highest possible level of transparency,” said Sherrill Mane, Senior Vice President, Industry Services of the IAB. “It is critical that the advertising industry agree upon the precise definition and measurement of a click and establish procedures for weeding out fraudulent clicks. The IAB is proud to have organized our members around this effort.”

The guidelines are the latest addition to the IAB’s ongoing work to harmonize interactive measurement. They complement IAB guidelines for general ad impressions, digital video commercials and audience reach measurement.

“I applaud the IAB for taking a leadership role in bringing the Click Measurement Guidelines to fruition,” said George Ivie, Executive Director and CEO, of the Media Rating Council (MRC). “The interactive industry has consistently met the marketplace need for increased reliability in measurement, and this is yet another example of how the IAB has mobilized its members on behalf of both agencies and marketers.”

“Helping the interactive industry define a click and the standard for measuring one has been an extraordinary effort on the part of the IAB and its members,” said Shuman Ghosemajumder, Business Product Manager for Trust & Safety, Google, and a leading member of the IAB’s Click Measurement Working Group. “It is an important step that continues to reinforce interactive media’s role as the most accountable and measurable form of advertising.”

“IAB’s guidelines will provide users, advertisers and partners with further confidence that the industry, including Yahoo!, is taking click fraud issues seriously,” said Reggie Davis, VP of Network Quality at Yahoo! “Yahoo! worked on the IAB’s Click Measurement Working Group to develop these guidelines for identifying and filtering potential invalid or fraudulent clicks as part of its commitment to a transparent process for the measurement of valid clicks.”

Members of the industry—advertising agencies, advertisers, online publishers and technology vendors—are encouraged to read the proposed guidelines and submit comments on the IAB site at: www.iab.net/clickmeasurementguidelines. After the comment period closes on Friday March 27, 2009, the feedback will be reviewed and the guidelines will be finalized and released.

About the IAB’s Click Measurement Working Group:

The Click Measurement Working Group includes representatives from 38 IAB member companies, including sellers, measurers, and auditors of online media. Initiated in late 2005, the working group, together with the Media Rating Council, has spent the last three years developing these important guidelines and achieving consensus around them.

About the IAB:

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 400 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.

“Hearst’s major operating groups have all made substantial progress towards our corporate objective of fully participating in the digital transformation,” Bennack said. “The creation of this new position is designed to accelerate the progress through greater cooperation and synergy across divisional lines. Neeraj is uniquely equipped to help me and my colleagues realize that goal.”

Khemlani was formerly vice president and general manager of Yahoo! News & Information as well as Yahoo! Originals. In this position, he managed the business and products of Yahoo! News, Tech, Weather and Education, and the editorial programming for Yahoo! Finance, as executive editor. He also directed original content programming, including product design, content production and sponsorship, across all Yahoo! channels; and initiated and oversaw strategic business development content deals with major media companies.

From 1998 to 2006, Khemlani was a producer for CBS News’ 60 Minutes and 60 Minutes II, and a creative consultant to Imagine Entertainment, ABC Entertainment, from 2000 to 2001, where he advised scriptwriters. His television experience also includes producer positions with Crile Communications and ABC News, where he produced segments for Nightline, Good Morning America, Peter Jennings Reporting and ABC News Specials. Khemlani began his career as a newspaper reporter, stringing for The New York Times and The Post-Standard in Syracuse, N.Y.

“I am delighted to join Hearst Corporation,” Khemlani said. “We are witnessing the reemergence of content and media driving value in the new world and Hearst is uniquely positioned to realize that value across multiple digital platforms and distribution points. Remember, we’re only in the second inning of the Internet. Hearst, with all its assets and investments, expects to take a commanding lead by the seventh-inning stretch.”

Khemlani holds a master’s of science in journalism from Columbia University, where he graduated with honors, and a bachelor’s in communications from Cornell University, where he was the editor-in-chief of The Cornell Daily Sun.

Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com) is one of the nation’s largest diversified media companies. Its major interests include ownership of 16 daily and 49 weekly newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle and Times Union; as well as interests in an additional 43 daily and 72 non-daily newspapers owned by MediaNews Group, which include the Denver Post and Salt Lake Tribune; nearly 200 magazines around the world, including Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan and O, The Oprah Magazine; 29 television stations through Hearst-Argyle Television (NYSE:HTV) which reach a combined 18% of U.S. viewers; ownership in leading cable networks, including Lifetime, A&E, History and ESPN; as well as business publishing, including a minority joint venture interest in Fitch Ratings; Internet businesses, television production, newspaper features distribution and real estate.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced the winners of its 2008 Sales and Service Excellence Awards during its Annual Leadership Meeting, Ecosystem 2.0: Brands Battle Back, in Orlando, Florida. The Sales Awards honor IAB members for outstanding performance and leadership in interactive advertising sales. IAB Service Excellence awards honor outstanding member contributions to IAB industry-related initiatives.

“These awards recognize individuals and organizations that exemplified outstanding leadership and performance over the past year and helped drive growth in our industry. Each of the winners made exceptional contributions to their organizations and to the interactive advertising industry as a whole,” said Sherrill Mane, SVP Industry Services for the IAB.

Sales Excellence Awards

The Sales Excellence Awards, given by the IAB and developed under the auspices of the IAB’s Sales Executive Council in conjunction with The Myers Annual Survey of Advertising Executives, honors outstanding interactive sales organizations and individual account executives. The survey has been asking marketers, agency planners and buyers to evaluate the performance of interactive sales organizations since 2004. The IAB Sales Excellence Awards are based on proprietary questions and analyses of Myers’ database.

2008 Sales Excellence Award Winners include:

* Long term Achievement: Washington Post Digital
* Most Innovative: Nickelodeon Online Sales
* Best Newcomer: Hulu
* Account Executive of the Year: Josh Thau, Microsoft Advertising
* Account Executive of the Year Finalists:
o Paul Chenier, IGN Entertainment
o Dan Bonert, Yahoo!
o Stacey Pear, Yahoo!

Service Excellence Awards

Across the IAB’s nearly 400 member companies, 14 IAB councils and committees, and dozens of working groups, hundreds of IAB members participate in shaping the interactive advertising business and driving educational outreach to the marketplace. The IAB Service Excellence Awards honor individual members who have demonstrated strong leadership and provided an exceptional contribution to one or more significant, completed IAB initiatives over the past year.

2008 Service Excellence Award Winners include:

* Lon Pilot, Senior Architect, Platform A; and Geoff Petkus, Senior Product Director, Operative, for their dedication and leadership during the development of the Interactive E-Business Standards.
* Steve Sullivan, Lead PM Data Integrity, Microsoft Advertising, for his contributions and support for numerous IAB Ad Operations Council initiatives throughout 2008 including the Impression Exchange solution.
* Zack Rogers, VP Revenue Operations, CBS Interactive, for his dedication to and leadership of the 4A’s/IAB Reinvention Task Force.
* Tim Avila, Marketing Director, Online Video Monetization, Yahoo!, for his dedication to and leadership of the Digital Video Ad Format Guidelines and the IAB Digital Video Committee.
* Mike Hurt, Senior Vice President, comScore, for his dedication to the Digital Video Committee while co-chair in 2008 and his contributions to the market-making IAB Digital Video Overview document.
* Christie Lay, Senior Credit Manager, Microsoft, for her dedication and leadership of the Revenue Cycle Best Practices Working Group and other important CFO Council initiatives.
* Leslie Dunlap, Senior Director, Government Relations. Yahoo!, and Lisa Anderson, VP Global Public Policy, Time Warner, for their service on the Public Policy Council and dedication and leadership in creating the IAB’s Privacy Principles.

About the IAB:

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 400 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.

NEW YORK – In celebration of its 10th Anniversary, and February’s Black History Month, Global Advertising Strategies is now offering marketers a free subscription valid throughout 2009 to EthnicEvents.com – one of its many online properties.

Through these tough economic times, the U.S. multicultural community continues to grow – as does its buying power and household income. Smart marketers and public leaders seeking to target new consumers in more strategic ways have been coming to EthnicEvents.com in greater numbers. In 2008, EthnicEvents.com received over 20,000 unique visitors per month who are actively benefitting from the site’s offerings and resources, which include leading brands as well as the Obama and McCain presidential campaign headquarters. This portal continues grow in 2009.

Our goal in partnering with EthnicEvents.com on our marketing campaigns is to draw attention to our conferences, such as the 5th Annual Voz Latina Hispanic Marketing Conference held in Miami in April, and the Hispanic Retail 360 Conference held in Las Vegas in August,” said Melissa Trosterman, Audience Marketing Manager for Nielsen Business Media. “We look to EthnicEvents to help us draw our target audience to these events, and hope to continue this partnership down the line.”

EthnicEvents.com is a multicultural portal that offers news and events within over 30 specific U.S. ethnic markets. Originally launched in 2007, it is the only site of its kind, and is a one-stop-shop for marketers and public leaders seeking to connect with new consumers.

“We have seen a rather large increase and interest in these varied U.S. ethnic markets in particular due to the current economic climate,” said Monique Tapie, Communications Director for Global Advertising Strategies. “In spite of these market conditions, clients of ours, such as Lufthansa, have exponentially increased their budgets to reach these communities that have been the least hit by the Wall Street fallout.”

With a database of over 2,000 street festivals, parades, community conferences, concerts and performances, including a brief description of each event and a longer description of the history and rich traditions of each group, multicultural marketing professionals can create effective marketing strategies to strengthen their brand presence within these communities.

Event organizers can post upcoming event information on our site, including a detailed description of the event, pictures, videos and links to their website, placing them directly in front of hundreds of potential sponsors.

To sign up for your free subscription please click here www.EthnicEvents.com and use the promo code GAS10.

About Global Advertising Strategies:

Global Advertising Strategies www.ethnicusa.com is a New York based full-service marketing and advertising agency dedicated to helping its clients bridge the perceptual gaps between cultures both in and outside of the U.S. Global has helped clients grow business with consumers in the General Market and with those from over 35 different ethnic communities. The agency provides a full-service offering of traditional advertising services, events & public relations and interactive services.

Global is also the developer and owner of such properties as www.ethnicevents.com, an online portal for multicultural marketing professionals; www.thisisdiversity.com a global platform for people of diverse backgrounds and countries to have their voices heard on what’s going on in their world whether it be news & politics, travel, sports or simply pop culture; www.beyondhispanic.com a series of conferences which concentrates on profitable U.S. cultural markets beyond Hispanic; and www.advisionawards.com the only international Russian language advertising awards program based in the U.S.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced the formation of an Advertising Agency Advisory Board comprised of 12 senior executives from the nation’s leading creative, digital and media agencies. The new board’s objective is to spark dialogue among agencies, publishers and marketers, and even between media agencies and creative agencies. The IAB also intends to use the board to infuse the agency point of view more fully in its guidelines work and to drive forward the importance of premium online experiences, with audience as the first priority. The IAB has also signaled its intention to recapture for online campaigns the emotionally resonant and culturally significant creativity that has long characterized great advertising in other media. The announcement was made at the IAB’s Annual Meeting, Ecosystem 2.0: Brands Battle Back in Orlando, Florida.

2009 Ad Agency Advisory Board includes:

* Brad Brinegar, Chairman and CEO of McKinney, and Chair of the Agency Advisory Board
* Tom Bedecarré, CEO, AKQA
* Jeff Benjamin, Interactive Creative Director, Crispin Porter + Bogusky Advertising
* Alan Cohen, CEO of OMD USA, OMD Los Angeles.
* Colleen DeCourcy, Chief Digital Officer, TBWA Worldwide
* Brian DiLorenzo, Director of Integrated Production and Executive Director of Content, BBDO
* David Droga, Founder and Chairman, Droga5
* Sarah Fay, CEO, Carat North America
* Maria Luisa Francoli, Global CEO, MPG
* Jean-Philippe Maheu, Chief Digital Officer, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide
* Benjamin Palmer, Co-Founder, CEO, Barbarian Group
* Steve Wax, Partner and Chief Narratologist and Co-Founder, Campfire

“This group represents a powerhouse of creative talent that will help lead the interactive industry to the next level by showing us how to harness the potential of the first truly interactive advertising medium—to engage consumers and build brands and communities in new and exciting ways,” said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB. “Our interest in forming this advisory board is to enhance the partnership opportunities with agencies that will hasten and smooth the ongoing digital transformation of the full media ecosystem. And a lot of that will happen through creativity, relationships, and implementation.” Rothenberg has been an outspoken advocate for deeper more collaborative relationships between agencies, publishers, marketers and technology. He recently wrote a “Creative Manifesto” on interactive advertising creativity where he named the four enemies of online branding and the new skill sets creative agencies today must possess to attract, engage, and influence consumers. The complete manifesto can be viewed in its entirety at http://www.randallrothenberg.com/2009/02/heartbeats-and-mouseclicks-manifesto-on.html.

“Interactive media opens new doors for creative expression. Unlike predecessor media, we can engage people in an ongoing dialogue that creates a bond between the consumer, the advertiser and the medium that brought them together. The goal of the Advertising Agency Advisory Board is to share the interactive insights and experience of the nation’s top creative agencies with the marketplace in order to maximize the interactive advertising experience for all participants,” said Brad Brinegar, Chairman and CEO of McKinney, and Chair of the Agency Advisory Board.

The group held its inaugural meeting in early February, and its creation was formally announced today at the IAB’s Annual Leadership Meeting, Ecosystem 2.0: Brands Battle Back, in Orlando, Florida.

In the coming months, the board’s intention is to help find ways to arm agencies for more success with clients and to field qualitative studies that confirm and highlight case studies of successful agency-publisher collaboration.

In conjunction with the formation of the IAB Advertising Agency Advisory Board, the IAB announced its plans to debut the IAB Creative Agency Boot Camp next month For more information, please go to http://www.iab.net/events_training/690217.

About the IAB:

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 400 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.

RESTON, VA – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, released an analysis of changes in Americans’ searching behavior resulting from the economic downturn, based on December 2008 data from comScore Marketer, a search intelligence tool.

Searches for several terms related to the economic downturn showed dramatic gains during the past year.  Among the most notable increases were searches relating to the deteriorating job market, including searches using the term “unemployment” (up 206 percent to 8.2 million searches) and “unemployment benefits” (up 247 percent to 748,000 searches). Meanwhile, terms relating to personal asset situations, including “mortgage” (up 72 percent to 7.8 million searches), “bankruptcy” (up 156 percent to 2.6 million searches), and “foreclosure” (up 67 percent to 1.4 million searches) also grew strongly. And Americans, resilient as they are, are seeking ways to save money, as evidenced by the increase in the number of searches for “coupons” (up 161 percent to 19.9 million) and “discount” (up 26 percent to 7.9 million).

“Online behavior has come to reflect the interests or concerns of Americans, and we are certainly seeing this manifest itself with respect to the economic downturn,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. “Search volume using terms relating to the economy has ballooned over the past year as Americans have become increasingly concerned over their economic wellbeing.”

Unemployment Searchers Skew Younger, Lower Income

To illustrate how different segments of the population might be affected by these economic conditions, comScore examined the demographic profile of those who clicked on a link following a search using the term “unemployment”. The profile of these Internet users generally skewed towards those households with a head  younger than 35 years of age and households earning less than $50,000 a year. They were also significantly more likely to use Yahoo!, MSN-Windows Live, or Ask.com Search than Google or AOL search.

______________________________________________________________________________
Profile of Search Clickers Using the Term “Unemployment”

December 2008

Total U.S., Age 18+ – Home/Work/University Locations

Source: comScore Marketer

Term:  “Unemployment”

Age of Head of Household      Share of Clicks      Index* Following Search

18-24                                4.2%               118

25-34                               23.5%               126

35-44                               24.4%                86

45-54                               26.5%                96

55-64                               14.4%               101

65+                                  7.1%                90

Household Income

<$25k                               12.2%               130

$25-49k                             23.5%               123

$50-74k                             26.2%                97

$75-99k                             14.4%                81

$100k+                              23.7%                89

Search Engine

Google Search                       60.8%                87

Yahoo! Search                       23.3%               121

MSN-Windows Live Search             10.0%               172

AOL Search                           2.3%                76

Ask.com Search                       3.6%               156
______________________________________________________________________________

*Index = share of clicks on “unemployment”/share of clicks for all searches x 100; Index of 100 represents parity

“This is the next stage of growth for our company. We intend to capture a significant share of the market with our strategy, a great product and a better execution of the campaigns. We offer a highly differentiated alternative to the existing large players in the mature markets and are willing to go the extra mile of servicing the clients through managed execution of campaigns to deliver significantly better results at no additional cost,” said Terry Uppal, President and CEO of the company.

ZestADZ has seen tremendous demand in international campaigns in the last few months and this demand has fueled enormous growth in both traffic and revenues.

About mobile-worx:

mobile-worx is a leading mobile 2.0 company and provides innovative mobile advertising and marketing solutions. mobile-worx has offices in Chennai, Mumbai (Bombay), Los Angeles and Kuala Lumpur.

“We believe the new Yahoo! Mobile will transform the way millions of mobile users around the world will interact with the Internet,” said Marco Boerries, executive vice president, Yahoo! Inc. “Yahoo! Mobile will enable users to create their own Internet starting point on their mobile device so they can better discover, connect to and stay informed about the people and things that are important to them.”

With a rich design and interactivity that leverages the capabilities of today’s mobile devices, Yahoo! Mobile will offer an open environment within which consumers can bring together their favorite content and services from across the Internet. Consumers will be able to:

* Discover: via results from Yahoo!’s award-winning mobile search, editor-selected content, and new maps tools.
* Stay Connected: through access to their email and social network accounts from the most popular Web providers, as well as instant messaging, address book and calendar tools.
* Stay Informed: by bringing together favorite content – websites, sports teams, news sources, RSS feeds, weather, stocks, horoscopes and more – into a single location.

“Yahoo! Mobile represents significant and continued innovation by Yahoo! around creating a compelling and engaging user experience with mobile data services, and especially the mobile Internet,” notes Scott Ellison, VP Mobile and Wireless, IDC. “Rich and well-integrated offerings like Yahoo! Mobile, offered across a broad range of devices, will play central roles in the rapidly evolving mobile Internet space,” he added.

KEY FEATURES OF YAHOO! MOBILE

The mobile Web and iPhone™ versions of Yahoo! Mobile are planned to include the following features:

Discover

* Yahoo! oneSearch™ – Yahoo!’s award-winning mobile search service providing the most current, relevant answers you need.
* Today – The most interesting stories buzzing on the Internet right now, selected by Yahoo!’s editorial team.

Connect

* Yahoo! oneConnect™ – Yahoo!’s service designed to provide consumers everything they need to stay in touch with the people about whom they care:
o Email – Access to Yahoo! Mail and other popular email service providers, including Gmail®, Windows Live™ Hotmail and AOL® Mail.
o Pulse – Access to their social networks, including Bebo®, Dopplr™, Facebook®, Flickr®, Friendster®, Last.fm®, MySpace®, Twitter™ and YouTube™.
o Yahoo! Messenger – An upgraded version of Yahoo!’s popular mobile instant messaging service.
o Yahoo! Address Book – Keeps consumers’ contacts always handy and in sync.
o Yahoo! Calendar – View, add and edit appointments when users are away from their PCs.

Stay Informed

* Yahoo! News – Breaking headlines across popular topics.
* Yahoo! onePlace™ – Access and manage your favorite content, all from one location. Its “Add Anything” functionality is a simple-to-use search and browse process that helps users find and add what they want. Consumers can add their favorite interests from a growing selection of popular categories including news topics and sources, RSS feeds, weather conditions, sports scores, stock quotes, websites/blogs, horoscopes and movie theaters.

The smartphone version of Yahoo! Mobile will include the above functionality, plus:

* Yahoo! oneSearch with Voice™ – Allowing users to launch searches by simply speaking.
* Maps – Powerful improved tools that let consumers locate, learn about and get directions to points of interest.
* Opera Mini™ 4.2 – An integrated version of the world’s most popular mobile web browser, with easy return to the Yahoo! Mobile app, that launches when web site access is needed.
* Widgets – Enhanced mobile-optimized experiences for services from Yahoo! and other brands. Users can browse, add and remove these at anytime according to their tastes.

AVAILABILITY OF YAHOO! MOBILE

A managed beta program for Yahoo! Mobile has started today. Consumers interested in participating should enter http://mobile.yahoo.com into their phone’s browser.

Details on the upcoming general public release for Yahoo! Mobile are as follows:

For the mobile Web:

* Launch timing: expected late March 2009
* Devices: those running WebKit-based browsers (e.g. iPhone and iPod touch, many Nokia Series 60 and Android devices), Opera Mini 4.x, Windows Mobile devices with Internet Explorer Mobile, and the BlackBerry® Bold™ and BlackBerry Storm™ browsers

For iPhone:

* Launch timing: expected late March 2009

For smartphones:

* Launch timing: expected late May 2009
* Devices: hundreds of select models from RIM, Windows Mobile, Nokia S60 and 40, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Motorola.

At launch, each version of Yahoo! Mobile is planned to be available for the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, India, Indonesia and the Philippines. Versions for other countries will roll out over the remainder of 2009.

Yahoo! Mobile will feature Yahoo!’s industry-leading display advertising from major global advertisers.

Visit the Yahoo! booth at Mobile World Congress to see Yahoo!’s latest mobile products – 7B26, Hall 7. For more information and screenshots of the Yahoo! Mobile product suite, please visit http://mobile.yahoo.com/newsroom.

MINNEAPOLIS – Grocery Shopping Network is a digital advertising network that focuses on delivering relevant content to consumers and an unparalleled advertising platform for packaged goods advertisers. Today the company released the results from an online campaign that was run in their network. Grocery Shopping Network Click Through Rates (“CTR”) were up to 8 times those of the overall campaign results. Additionally the Conversion Rates were 3 times better than the overall campaign result which illustrates the power of the GSN Ad Network™ to deliver results surpassing the food and more specifically, the grocery category.

Grocery Shopping Network has a unique grocery ad network due to the ability to take online campaigns and match them with offline results. The ability to do this is gleaned from over 15 million loyalty card subscribers that come from partnerships with grocery stores. With this data, the company can also target category users of specific packaged goods products. These insights continue to help the success of this new online vertical in the grocery food category. The success of this campaign proves out the efficiency of driving media spend through an advertising vertical that shows results from online campaigns with verification of offline sales lift.

Steve Lozic from Carat said, “The campaign that we ran with Grocery Shopping Network produced results that proved the site to be a top performer for the initiative. Since this campaign performed beyond our expectations, we will be looking for more opportunities to show our advertisers that we have found a vertical ad network that works for the food category.”

Grocery Shopping Network, CEO, Andy Robinson was pleased to say “We are enthused to announce the success of our CPG campaigns. This vertical advertising network is a new and emerging opportunity for packaged goods companies to really see a direct ROI to in store purchases. This campaign and many others have all yielded substantial offline lift when using our partner websites and content.”

About Grocery Shopping Network

Grocery Shopping Network, Inc. connects consumers, retailers and brands through its premier content and software for supermarket websites. The company’s services enable consumers to quickly plan a shopping trip or place an order online. GSN provides the shopper the best way to find bigger savings, better meals, and faster shopping. Retail grocers that team with GSN experience a strong ROI through increased sales generated by engaging shoppers at their website, expanding the average basket by 40%, and by being part of the GSN Ad Network™. The GSN Ad Network™ exclusively delivers over 4,000 retail grocery locations in the top US markets. The GSN Ad Network™ is an extremely efficient and effective online advertising channel for CPGs as relevant offers are presented to grocery shoppers at the precise moment they are deciding what to buy. The company’s analytics offering, GSN Insights™, provides proof of the direct ROI created when a brand advertises with GSN by measuring the effectiveness and sales lift of the advertisement. To find out more visit: www.groceryshopping.net.

MUMBAI, India – Rediff.com India Limited (NASDAQ:REDF), India’s leading online portal, has launched an advertising service for small and local advertisers.

The system has more than half a million ads available for users searching for products and services. Advertisers can post their ads free of cost. The service is easy to use. Users can post and view local ads on both personal computers as well as mobile phones.

The new service is designed for small and home businesses such as travel agents, tuition classes, insurance agents, matrimony services, estate agents, pre-owned car sellers, maintenance contractors and others.

The Rediff Local ads service is available at http://localads.rediff.com.

About Rediff.com

Rediff.com (Nasdaq:REDF) is one of the premier worldwide online providers of news, information, communication, entertainment and shopping service.

Rediff.com provides a platform for Indians worldwide to connect with one another online. Rediff.com is committed to offering a personalized and secure user experience. Founded in 1996, Rediff.com is headquartered in Mumbai, India, with offices in New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and New York, USA.

WHAT: Leaders of the digital advertising world will gather at the premier interactive advertising newsmaking event of 2009 to grapple with the biggest issues facing the marketing-media value chain. At the top of the agenda: Controversial debate about how brands—agency brands, consumer brands and publisher brands—are battling back against commoditization in these challenging economic times.

Hear About:

* Marketing 2.0: The New Affiliates
* The Agency of the Future Just Happened. How’d They Do It?
* Recession 2.0: Where Are Advertisers Going? Where Are Investors Going?
* Makin’ Bacon: The Premium Inside the Pork Bellies
* Death of Display—Just Exaggerated Rumors?
* Just Publish and You’ll Perish: The New Imperative for Publishing Brands
* Debate!: Brand Marketers Don’t Need Agencies. Interactive Publishers Provide Everything They Need
* Yes, Social Media Can Brand: Discuss
* How Regulation Could Shut Down the Internet

From Experts Including:

* Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO, IAB
* Michael Mendenhall, SVP and CMO, Hewlett-Packard Company
* Wenda Harris Millard, President, Media and Co-CEO, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and Chair, IAB Board of Directors
* Michael Roth, Chairman and CEO, Interpublic Group
* David Rosenblatt, President, Display Advertising, Google
* Scott Howe, Corporate VP, Advertiser & Publisher Solutions Group, Microsoft
* Joanne Bradford, SVP, U.S. Revenue and Market Development, Yahoo!
* Bob Carrigan, CEO, IDG Communications Worldwide
* Mark Mahaney, Director, Internet Sector, Citigroup Investment Research
* Sarah Chubb, President, CondeNet
* Jean-Philippe Maheu, Chief Digital Officer, Ogilvy North America

WHEN: February 22-24

WHERE: Orlando, FL

MORE: A year ago, commoditization was the hot topic at the inaugural offsite annual meeting of the IAB. A sell-out crowd of 400 top digital marketers, agencies and publishers discussed and argued about Chairperson Wenda Millard Harris’s now-famous admonition to the industry to avoid trading ad space like pork bellies.

How times have changed. This year, interactive advertising is the sole bright spot in the advertising world. Embattled marketers are reducing overall ad budgets, while shifting more advertising dollars to hard-working, measurable interactive advertising. A challenging economy has slowed the industry’s growth, but has created opportunities as brands, their agencies and publishers explore new ways to harness the power of interactive advertising to build brands and ROI.

Also front and center in 2009 is the continuing—and escalating—threat of regulation that would unnecessarily stunt the interactive industry’s ability to tailor advertising to consumers’ preferences. All this and more will be hot topics of conversation at IAB’s second annual meeting.

For a complete agenda of this newsmaking event, go to: www.iab.net

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.

WAKEFIELD, Mass. – SingTel (SES:Z74.SI), Singapore’s largest mobile operator, has selected Comverse HUB Mobile Advertising to provide an advertising service that analyzes subscriber information and location and then delivers ads using multiple media formats and channels.

“We chose Comverse for their technology, as well as for their expertise in the domain,” said Edward Ying, SingTel’s Chief of Content & Media Services. “We are working closely with them on a centralized platform to manage the different channels and to add innovative elements that are attractive and valuable to advertisers.”

Comverse HUB Mobile Advertising brings value to:

* Users: Users who opt in and provide accurate profile information will enjoy free services, discounts and other benefits.
* Advertisers: Advertisers value the various media possibilities, the highly personal nature of the ads, and the ability to facilitate immediate user response to ads for high click-through rates. Metrics providing accurate real-time feedback make it possible to fine tune campaigns to maximize efficacy.
* Operators: Operators can leverage their significant assets to maintain a key position in mobile and online advertising.

“Comverse’s mobile advertising strengths, including its multi-channel advertising platform and extensive marketing expertise and support, have made it a leader in this field,” said Urban Gillstrom, Group President, Global Sales for Comverse, the world’s leading supplier of software and systems enabling value-added messaging and content services, converged billing and active customer management, and IP communications.

“Advertising on multiple channels,” Gillstrom said, “is one of the most exciting frontiers in telecommunications, and SingTel’s success provides a strong case for many others to follow.”

Mobile Advertising is part of the Comverse HUB of value-added services that spans voice, messaging, mobile Internet and mobile advertising. Comverse HUB is a synergistic framework that enables service providers to maximize their business performance and augment their position in the market.

Experience Comverse HUB Mobile Advertising and other product demos while visiting Comverse at Mobile World Congress February 16-19, 2009 in Barcelona, Hall 8 Booth 8B 83.

About SingTel

SingTel is Asia’s leading communications group with operations and investments around the world. Serving both the corporate and consumer markets, it is committed to bringing the best of global communications to customers in the Asia Pacific and beyond. With significant operations in Singapore and Australia (through wholly-owned subsidiary SingTel Optus), the Group provides a comprehensive portfolio of services that include voice and data services over fixed, wireless and Internet platforms. To serve the needs of multi-national corporations, SingTel has a network of 37 offices in 19 countries and territories throughout Asia Pacific, Europe and the United States. These offices enable SingTel to deliver reliable and quality network solutions to its customers, either on its own or jointly with local partners. The Group also has major investments in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand. Together with its regional partners, SingTel is Asia’s largest multi-market mobile operator, serving more than 200 million customers in eight markets. More information can be found @ www.singtel.com and www.optus.com.au.

About Comverse

Comverse is the world’s leading provider of software and systems enabling value-added services for voice, messaging, mobile Internet and mobile advertising; converged billing and active customer management; and IP communications. Comverse’s extensive customer base spans more than 130 countries and covers over 500 communication service providers serving more than two billion subscribers. The company’s innovative product portfolio enables communication service providers to unleash the value of the network for their customers by making their networks smarter. Comverse’s solutions support flexible deployment models, including in-network, hosted and managed services, and can run on circuit-switched, IP, IMS or converged network environments. Comverse is a subsidiary of Comverse Technology, Inc. (CMVT.PK). For more information, visit www.comverse.com.

BARCELONA, Spain & REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. – MocoSpace and Smaato, the leading global aggregator for mobile advertising networks, announced a new strategic partnership for mobile advertising.

MocoSpace (www.MocoSpace.com) has more than 5 million registered users and 2 billion monthly page views. The US-focused mobile social site was recently ranked No. 1 in mobile entertainment by Hitwise (www.hitwise.com), an independent market research firm. MocoSpace successfully integrated SOMA (Smaato’s Open Mobile Advertising platform) in late 2008 and first results show already improvements on its mobile ad revenue and ROI.

„Our mobile community is growing day by day and Smaato with their SOMA mobile advertising platform helps us to better monetize it,” said Justin Siegel, chief executive officer and co-founder of MocoSpace. “With Smaato we benefit by increasing our ad revenue from our growing international traffic as well as our US traffic that is core to our user base.”

MocoSpace is a social community site where members create custom profiles, upload and share photos, IM, chat, blog and more from their mobile phone.

“MocoSpace is a partner that generates more than 2 billion page impressions a month. Wow! The engagement level of the MocoSpace community is very high and Smaato is actively filling the mobile inventory with our partner ad networks world wide,” commented Harald Neidhardt, CMO & Co-Founder of Smaato Inc.

SOMA is the largest advertising exchange for mobile publishers and developers. As the first aggregator of mobile ad sales networks globally, Smaato optimizes mobile ad page impressions for publishers of mobile web content and in-application offerings.

Smaato is partnering with more than 20 mobile ad networks worldwide for yield optimization and maximizing Ad ARPU of its publisher and content partners.

Smaato at the Mobile World Conference 2009 in Barcelona at Booth H7A38 in Hall 7.

About Smaato Inc.

Smaato Inc. is a leading mobile advertising technology company that provides the open mobile advertising platform called SOMA (Smaato Open Mobile Advertising) and partners with mobile publishers, developers, ad networks and operators.

SOMA’s unique feature is the aggregation of multiple leading ad networks globally to maximize mobile advertising ARPU.

About MocoSpace

Founded in 2005, MocoSpace is a mobile social community designed to help people find friends, have fun and stay connected on their mobile phone. The service is free and available on any web-enabled mobile phone in the world. MocoSpace is a privately held company with offices in Boston, MA and Herzliya, Israel. For more information, visit http://www.MocoSpace.com.

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.

January 2009 U.S. Core Search Rankings
Google Sites led the U.S. core search market in December with 63.0 percent of the searches conducted, followed by Yahoo! Sites (21.0 percent), Microsoft Sites (8.5 percent), AOL LLC (3.9 percent) and Ask Network (3.7 percent).

_________________________________________________________________________
comScore Core Search Report*
January 2009 vs. December 2008
Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations
Source: comScore qSearch 2.0

Core Search Entity            Share of Searches (%)
Dec-08     Jan-09    Point Change
Jan-09 vs. Dec-08
Total Core Search        100.0      100.0       N/A
Google Sites              63.5       63.0      -0.5
Yahoo! Sites              20.5       21.0       0.5
Microsoft Sites            8.3        8.5       0.2
AOL LLC                    3.8        3.9       0.1
Ask Network                3.9        3.7      -0.2
_________________________________________________________________________

* Based on the five major search engines including partner searches and cross-channel searches. Searches for mapping, local directory, and user-generated video sites that are not on the core domain of the five search engines are not included in the core search numbers.

Americans conducted 13.5 billion searches at the core search engines, up 7 percent from December. Google Sites handled 8.5 billion core searches, followed by Yahoo! Sites with 2.8 billion and Microsoft Sites with 1.1 billion.
_________________________________________________________________________
comScore Core Search Report*
January 2009 vs. December 2008
Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations
Source: comScore qSearch 2.0

Core Search Entity             Search Queries (MM)
Dec-08      Jan-09     Percent Change
Jan-09 vs. Dec-08
Total Core Search        12,650      13,496           7%
Google Sites              8,036       8,497           6%
Yahoo! Sites              2,593       2,836           9%
Microsoft Sites           1,055       1,136           8%
AOL LLC                     478         520           9%
Ask Network                 488         497           2%
_________________________________________________________________________
* Based on the five major search engines including partner searches and cross-channel searches. Searches for mapping, local directory, and user-generated video sites that are not on the core domain of the five search engines are not included in the core search numbers.

January 2009 U.S. Expanded Search Rankings
In the comScore January 2009 analysis of the top properties where search activity is observed, Google Sites led with 11.7 billion searches, up 5 percent versus December. Yahoo! Sites ranked second with nearly 3 billion searches, followed by Microsoft Sites (1.2 billion) and AOL LLC (781 million).
_________________________________________________________________________
comScore Expanded Search Query Report
January 2009 vs. December 2008
Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations
Source: comScore qSearch 2.0

Expanded Search Entity                Search Queries (MM)
Dec-08      Jan-09    Percent Change
Jan-09 vs. Dec-08
Total Expanded Search           18,688      19,979         7%
Google Sites                    11,152      11,714         5%
Google                      8,247       8,731         6%
YouTube/All Other           2,905       2,983         3%
Yahoo! Sites                     2,714       2,979        10%
Yahoo!                      2,686       2,952        10%
All Other                      28          27        -4%
Microsoft Sites                  1,092       1,188         9%
MSN-Windows Live              997       1,084         9%
Microsoft/All Other            95         104         9%
AOL LLC                            740         781         6%
AOL Search Network            424         452         7%
MapQuest/All Other            316         329         4%
Ask Network                        620         645         4%
Ask.com                       308         317         3%
MyWebSearch.com/ All Other    312         328         5%
Fox Interactive Media              526         558         6%
MySpace                       516         550         7%
All Other                      10           8       -20%
eBay                               500         541         8%
Craigslist.org                     387         497        28%
Amazon Sites                       204         196        -4%
Facebook.com                       161         195        21%
_________________________________________________________________________

About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo

The joint industry task force supports the FTC’s goal of a comprehensive and effective self-regulatory program that protects both consumers and businesses engaged in interactive advertising. The group will continue its engagement with policymakers, a broad cross section of businesses, consumers, and other important stakeholders as it evaluates important public policy issues that have been raised regarding online behavioral advertising. The associations look forward to reviewing the current FTC principles released today, having already launched proactive efforts in areas of self-regulation set forth in the FTC’s initial self-regulatory principles issued in December 2007, including education and transparency, consumer notification and choice, data security, and self-regulatory enforcement.

The members of these associations, along with other participants of the group, together represent thousands of advertisers, agencies, marketers, publishers, media companies, ad networks, and other service providers, including the major participants in the online advertising marketplace. The associations have come together to address concerns about the use of online consumer data for behavioral advertising purposes while preserving the innovative and robust advertising that supports the vast array of free online content available to consumers, and what has become an important and growing industry for the U.S. economy. The group collectively recognizes the importance and responsibility of effective self-regulation in the evolving area of online and behavioral marketing and applauds the FTC’s continued commitment to industry self regulation.

PALO ALTO, Calif. – PubMatic (www.pubmatic.com), which provides more than 5,500 online publishers with real-time ad optimization, announced AdFlex International, an expanded version of the popular AdFlex campaign fulfillment service that dozens of ad networks have used since its launch in October (www.pubmatic.com/adflex). AdFlex International provides ad networks access to publisher inventory on-demand in order to fulfill campaigns without any long-term contracts. Ad networks can use AdFlex International for repeated and single campaigns by leveraging certified inventory provided by online publishers using PubMatic’s ad optimization platform.

With AdFlex International, ad networks can target qualified international inventory based on specific targeting requirements including geographic, frequency, or user re-targeting. There is no membership or long-term contracts required to give ad networks the flexibility to access highly transparent inventory.

“PubMatic gives us easy access to qualified international inventory. They have instantly increased our reach and access to media,” said Federico López Carricondo of Latin America based ad network, Harren Media. “This is especially useful in helping us provide value to our advertising clients because it’s done on a completely transparent basis.”

AdFlex International is integrated into PubMatic’s ad optimization platform, which is used by thousands of online publishers to automatically find the highest paying ads across hundreds of ad networks, and optimize how ads are displayed in real-time.

“PubMatic has seen that as much as 30-40% of a typical U.S. publisher’s traffic is international, so this will give ad networks an opportunity to reach specific international audiences on quality websites,” stated PubMatic Co-Founder & CEO, Rajeev Goel. “Leveraging AdFlex International for one or multiple campaigns will help increase revenue for both the ad network and the publisher.”

About PubMatic

PubMatic is an Ad Revenue Optimization service. PubMatic provides more than 5,500 web publishers real-time ad optimization, which significantly increases revenue while simplifying ad network management. PubMatic works with hundreds of ad networks and has created thousands of new publisher/ad network relationships. PubMatic is venture backed by Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Nexus India Capital, and Helion Ventures. Find out more at http://www.pubmatic.com.

MarketSphere, a business advisory and technology firm with over 250 consultants, has broad functional and technology expertise across all business functions, including marketing operations. TopRight, based in Atlanta, is a highly-regarded marketing strategy and advisory firm that also provides implementation services. Both firms are Certified Partners of Aprimo, a leading provider of Enterprise Marketing Management software. MarketSphere and TopRight each have deep “hands on” experience implementing the Aprimo Enterprise Marketing Management software suite which includes Marketing Resource Management, Digital Asset Management, Campaign Management, and Marketing Performance Management.

The companies intend to staff blended consulting teams that can effectively scale to meet client engagement needs and better address the end-to-end requirements of clients, from customer and brand strategy through implementation and successful adoption of new marketing technologies. “The unique combination of Marketing Operations expertise and Marketing Strategy makes perfect sense,” says Kelley Troia, Senior Director, Marketing Operations at Walmart.

Through the alliance, clients of either firm will have access to the combined industry expertise and technical knowledge of the two firms. Representatives of the two firms will be meeting with current and prospective clients at the Aprimo Marketing Summit, an annual user group meeting, to be held this year in San Diego February 9-11.

“This alliance is the perfect marriage of two of Aprimo’s leading service partners,” affirms Bill Godfrey, cofounder and CEO of Aprimo. “TopRight is a recognized leader in EMM strategic advisory services and MarketSphere is one of our proven EMM implementation partners – together they offer a unique and compelling value proposition to the market. We look forward to a strong and continuing relationship with both firms and to the business building effects the alliance is designed to achieve,” Godfrey added.

As industry thought-leaders, MarketSphere and TopRight have individually contributed to the body of knowledge about improving the efficiency of marketing operations, and increasing the effectiveness of marketing programs. Dave Sutton, TopRight Founder and Managing Partner, is an author of Enterprise Marketing Management: The New Science of Marketing, published in 2003. The book outlined a breakthrough strategic marketing approach based on a fact-based, scientific model. MarketSphere, with its combination of advisory and technology services for marketing operations, recently released its innovative Vision Map for Marketing Transformation, a multi-step guide to achieving excellence in marketing operations. “Our Vision Map was conceived from over 4 years of specific project experience with a dozen of the largest and most unique marketing organizations in the U.S.”, says MarketSphere Group Managing Partner, Thomas Manders. “We view TopRight as the absolute right fit to help us extend our strategic capabilities,” says Manders.

About MarketSphere

MarketSphere was founded with a simple vision: To be the most respected business advisor in the markets it serves. Its partners and associates help their clients improve business performance, leverage technology and increase market share through a broad range of advisory and technology solutions for finance, supply chain, human resources and marketing operations. Learn more at www.marketsphere.com.

About TopRight, LLC

TopRight is an Atlanta-based strategic marketing consulting firm that helps clients move their business up and forward in their competitive frame – to corner the markets where they choose to compete. Bringing prominent management consultants together with Fortune 100 senior marketing executives, TopRight delivers strategy, creativity, execution, and analytics that drive businesses.

The 2009 edition of the EPpy™ Awards honors the best media Web sites, including newspapers, TV-Cable, and magazines. Awards will be given in 35 categories, including a new competition for Best Consumer Technology Blog. In addition to the 35 category awards, the EPpy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement is expected to be given again this year.

The EPpy Awards will be presented at an awards luncheon at the Interactive Media Conference and Trade Show at the Astor Crowne Plaza in New Orleans on Thursday, May 7, 2009. The conference and trade show is also sponsored by Editor & Publisher and Mediaweek.

The 2009 EPpy Awards consist of 35 awards for media Web sites. There are three awards for best overall media-affiliated Web sites: for newspapers, magazines, and TV-Cable concerns. Each of these categories has two competitions, for large and small company Web sites. In the newspaper category, the cutoff between large and small Web sites is one million unique monthly users. The TV-Cable category is split between network and local affiliate Web sites. The magazine category is split between national magazines and regional/local magazines. An EPpy™ will also be awarded to the best Community/Suburban Newspaper Web site.

Contest fees are $150 per entry except in the College category, where each entry is $50. There is no entry fee to nominate an individual for the Individual Achievement Award.

EPpy™ Awards entries are only accepted via the Web site www.eppyawards.com, which can also be accessed from the Web sites its two sponsors: Editor & Publisher, www.editorandpublisher.com, and Mediaweek, www.mediaweek.com.

The 2008 EPpy™ Awards drew close to 500 nominations from nearly 100 U.S. and international media outlets, Web-only services providers, college and universities.

For the twelfth consecutive year, the awards program is being produced and marketed by Interactive Media Associates, Inc., of Parsippany, NJ (http://www.imediainc.com). Questions about the competition can be directed to Len Muscarella at len@imediainc.com.

About Editor & Publisher

For 125 years, Editor & Publisher has been committed to covering the production, news and business areas of the newspaper industry. Editor & Publisher has a reputation for thorough, honest reporting of industry news, as well as reliable, well-researched, industry directories and guides – and for years has had one of the most popular and influential Web sites in the media field. Editor & Publisher is seen as the authority on the newspaper business, often being called the “bible” of the industry. In the past five years, it has won 11 Jesse H. Neal Awards, the top prize for trade publications. Editor & Publisher is published by Nielsen Business Media, a part of The Nielsen Company, a global information and media company.

Presentation includes:

* An overview of changes in consumers’ online spending patterns from 2007 through the fourth quarter of 2008 and into January 2009.
* Survey findings that highlight consumer sentiment regarding the economy in 2009.
* Analysis of spending patterns across key product categories.

* Review of consumer spending by demographic segment.
* Analysis of differences in performance across retailer segments.
* Overview of the impact of search and comparison shopping sites on e-commerce spending in the face of today’s economy.

The webcast is scheduled to last 45 minutes, including a Q&A session. To register for the webcast, click here.

Business Wire is the official news wire for Search Engine Strategies London 2009. Breaking news releases, advisories, photos, and multimedia are available at Tradeshownews.com, Business Wire’s trade show, conference, and event news resource.

Listed below are Search Engine Strategies London 2009 exhibitor profiles.
Company:           ACQUISIO
Stand:         305
Media Contact:         MARC POIRIER
Phone:         450.465.2631 x210
E-mail:         mpoirier@acquisio.com
Web:         www.acquisio.com

Montreal-based Acquisio is a SaaS (software as a service) company that offers a pay-per-click (Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing, MSN AdCenter) management software designed specifically for advertising agencies. The tool, Acquisio SEARCH, allows campaign managers to launch, manage, and optimize all of their client’s campaigns from a single interface, without the need to log into Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing, or MSN AdCenter. Additionally, it provides integrated reporting for designing and building beautiful client-ready PDF reports to help you save even more time.

Company:         Efficient Frontier
Stand:         Track Sponsor
Media Contact:         Merinda Peppard
Phone:         2071665220
E-mail:         sales-europe@efrontier.com
Web:         www.efrontier.com/uk

Efficient Frontier is the market and technology leader in providing paid search marketing solutions. The company provides the most powerful, most effective search engine marketing technology and comprehensive strategic and tactical services, to ensure that clients with large-scale, complex search marketing campaigns can achieve the highest possible return on investment. The largest advertisers in the most competitive markets use Efficient Frontier to achieve unprecedented levels of search marketing efficiencies, scalability, risk reduction and campaign growth. The company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, USA with offices in New York, the United Kingdom, France and India and licensing partnerships in Japan and Australia. Please visit www.efrontier.com/uk and blog.efrontier.com.

Company:         The Search Monitor
Media Contact:         Laura Nolte
Phone:         321-206-9705
E-mail:         laura@greentheoryinteractive.com
Web:         www.thesearchmonitor.com

The Search Monitor provides real-time competitor monitoring software. TSM crawls and monitors Google, Yahoo, MSN, social media, and shopping engines daily and can be geo-targeted. Interactive agencies, search marketers, and affiliate marketers use The Search Monitor for several reasons (1) to acquire competitive intelligence on paid and organic search including market share, keyword research, ad copy research, discovery of competitive promotions/offers, rank, and budgeting strategies; (2) to police brand use in ad copy, display urls, and branded keyword sponsors; (3) to identify and measure brand buzz; and (4) to police affiliate marketers for compliance with affiliate programs.

Company:         WebTrends
Stand:         309
Media Contact:         Thomas Flischer
E-mail:         Thomas@octopuscomms.net

About WebTrends Inc.

WebTrends provides web analytics and online marketing solutions to optimise marketing campaigns and customer engagement. WebTrends Marketing Lab delivers the industry’s most recognised analytics, SEM, and visitor intelligence solutions to enable companies to understand their customers, drive customer engagement, and enhance marketing and brand awareness. Thousands of leading global organisations, including HSBC, Microsoft, Reuters, General Mills, and Ticketmaster have chosen WebTrends business solutions and client services expertise to optimise their customers’ online experiences.

For more information, visit: www.webtrends.com

About Business Wire

Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is utilized by tens of thousands of member companies and organizations worldwide to functionally enhance and communicate investor relations and public relations content to target audiences. As a recognized disclosure service in the United States, Canada and a dozen European countries, Business Wire facilitates the simultaneous flow of market-moving press releases from corporations to financial markets and their audiences, including regulatory authorities, media, investors, financial information systems and consumer news services. Business Wire also handles XBRL tagging, document formatting and regulatory filing into EDGAR, SEDAR, FSA and other systems.

Communications professionals turn to Business Wire to optimize and issue press releases, photos and multimedia to news organizations, journalists, trade publications, search engines, and individuals, with full-text posting to web sites, online services and databases. A range of distribution options enables members to target by geography, industry, news theme and audience demographics.

Founded in 1961, Business Wire has dual headquarters in San Francisco and New York, with 30 bureaus in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Miami, Paris, Frankfurt, London, Brussels, Tokyo, Toronto and Sydney and reciprocal offices throughout the world. Business Wire’s patented NX data platform supports XML, XHTML and XBRL code that enhances news release interactivity, social media sharing and search engine optimization. More information about Business Wire and its services is located on its website at www.BusinessWire.com.

WALTHAM, Mass. – Constant Contact®, Inc. (NasdaqGM: CTCT), a leading provider of email marketing and online surveys, announced the results of its 2009 U.S. Small Business Valentine’s Day Outlook* survey. This is the fourth consecutive year that Constant Contact has conducted the survey, which complements its annual end-of-year holiday retail attitude survey. According to the responses from more than 2,500 U.S. small businesses, the majority of respondents (76 percent) do not anticipate strong Valentine’s Day sales. In an attempt to boost Valentine’s Day sales, forty-seven percent of respondents plan to offer special promotions, with the majority (56 percent) favoring online marketing methods over traditional print and advertising methods.

Survey responses also revealed that 44 percent of small businesses are feeling increasingly more negative about the state of the economy than they did six months ago, and 85 percent of respondents believe full economic recovery will take a year or longer. In listening to the concerns of its customers in this weak economy, Constant Contact has increased its efforts to support these small businesses to help drive their success, not only for the Valentine’s Day holiday, but for the long term. In order to survive this economic hardship, Constant Contact believes businesses must continue to market themselves and nurture their existing customer relationships.

“Although small business owners are typically optimistic, our survey clearly shows that the economy is weighing on their minds. Our customers are particularly interested in advice on how to make the most of this holiday as well as how to thrive throughout the year — and we are listening,” said Gail Goodman, CEO, Constant Contact. “We continue to provide our customers with expanded support programs and cost-effective tools to help them market more effectively in this difficult time. We are teaching them how to deepen existing customer relationships, to drive repeat business and referrals, and to achieve success in any economic environment.”

In response to its customers, Constant Contact has added the following small business educational and customer support tools and programs:

* The Constant Contact MarketSmart newsletter – Presents back-to-basics marketing strategies, insights from companies and organizations that are performing well in this economy and helpful tips for small business marketing success.
* Constant Contact’s free downloadable guide, “Finding Opportunity in a Down Economy: A Back-to-Basics Approach to Successful Marketing in Difficult Times” – Offers small businesses and organizations tips for getting to know their customers better, building customer loyalty, understanding marketing effectiveness, and knowing when and where to get help.
* New customer service channels – Users can find Constant Contact customer support on the social networking site Twitter (@CTCTHelp) or they can contact experts with specific economic concerns at economytips@constantcontact.com.
* Expanded hands-on educational seminars – Constant Contact has recently added small business marketing experts in the Greater Los Angeles and the New York Metro areas who offer free in-person seminars to provide small businesses with the fundamentals for the creation of successful and effective communications programs. Constant Contact now has 11 small business marketing experts located across the United States.

Valentine’s Day Purchasing Trends

In addition to the survey findings previously noted, the majority of survey respondents (72 percent) believe that their customers will scale back their spending for Valentine’s Day this year. In fact, 46 percent of small businesses said their customers would spend less than $25 on a gift this year as compared to 39 percent in 2008. As a result, many businesses will be offering promotions such as free shipping, discounts, special packages and free products and services added to large purchases in a bid to entice shoppers to spend more.

According to U.S. small business owners, consumers can expect to receive traditional gifts from their loved ones this year. For the third year in a row, the most anticipated gift is flowers, at 58 percent, a significant increase from last year’s 41 percent. Candy ranked next in popularity at 15 percent, while jewelry ranked an all-time low of only six percent of respondents, likely indicating that consumers are reluctant to spend in an uncertain economy. Interestingly, many respondents mentioned gift cards and certificates as ideal gifts, indicating that consumers may not be taking any chances on buying a gift that is not used or appreciated, or buyers may be acknowledging that recipients appreciate the ability to choose how to spend a gift card.

Sample questions and results from Constant Contact’s 4th Annual Small Business Valentine’s Day Outlook* survey are available online and include the following:

Do you anticipate a strong Valentine’s Day season in sales for your business?

Yes    24%
No     76%
Are you planning any promotional offers for Valentine’s Day?
Yes     47%
No     53%

Which of the below methods has the greatest impact on driving sales for your business?

Email Marketing     40%
Online Marketing     16%
Flyers 3%
Direct Mail     11%
Advertising (TV, radio, or newspaper) 8%
Other     22%

Do you expect your customers to scale back their spending this Valentine’s Day?
Yes     72%
No     28%

What do you think will be the most popular item purchased for Valentine’s Day in 2009?
Flowers     58%
Candy     15%
Jewelry     6%
Electronics     2%
Books/Music     3%
Other     16%

When do you think the economy will return to full health?
Already returned to normal     1%
3 months     3%
6 months     10%
1 year     25%
More than 1 year     60%

*The 2009 U.S. Small Business Valentine’s Day Outlook survey was conducted through targeted online distribution to U.S. small business owners, recording results from more than 2,500 respondents. The survey was conducted from January 2, 2009 to January 23, 2009.

About Constant Contact, Inc.

Launched in 1998, Constant Contact, Inc. is a leading provider of email marketing and online survey tools for small organizations, including small businesses, associations, and nonprofits. To learn more, please visit www.constantcontact.com or call (781) 472-8100.

NEW YORK – TRA (http://www.traglobal.com), developer of the only scalable advertising research system that creates intelligent media data by measuring and reporting true ROI accountability and transparency for advertising spend, announced the appointment of Andrea Mezzasalma to its Advisory Board. Mr. Mezzasalma will be lending his expertise to TRA on strategic corporate initiatives and global partnerships. This further strengthens the company’s Advisory Board and Board of Directors comprised of Media, Advertising, Research and Technology thought leaders.

Mr. Mezzasalma has extensive experience in leading and building global research ventures, with a track record of developing ground-breaking innovations in media measurement, targeting and single-source. He was the Global Sector Head of TNS Media Research and before that Partner and VP of Research Methods and Technologies for Eurisko in Milan, Italy. He also has served as a consultant to major market research agencies and is an entrepreneur.

“Andrea Mezzasalma’s expertise and insight will be a great benefit to TRA, its customers and partners in the industry both domestically and abroad,” said Mark Lieberman, CEO and Chairman of TRA Inc. “His joining TRA’s Advisory Board is another sign of the value proposition that TRA has to offer. We are looking forward to working with him to further grow the company and provide the best ROI solution for our customers.”

”I’m highly impressed by the technical and commercial advancements that TRA has made since its founding,” said Andrea Mezzasalma. “I’m very excited at the opportunity of helping TRA with new business opportunities and potential international partnerships.”

TRA offers the largest resource for U.S. television audience measurement against purchase measurement in history. TRA’s online reporting engine, Media TRAnalytics™, includes anonymous TV tune-in data from 1.5 million households and an overall anonymous single source database of 370,000 households nationwide, which is an aggregation of tune in data from set-top boxes, household purchase data and household demographic data.

About TRA, Inc.

TRA, Inc. (True ROI Accountability for Media — http://www.traglobal.com) is a media and marketing research company whose proprietary patent pending platform, Media TRAnalytics™, cost effectively matches the ads that people actually receive with the products people actually buy, giving advertisers, agencies and media transparency, accountable measurement, media planning and improved return-on-investment for their advertising spend. TRA has 1.5 million households of TV data, 55 million households of purchase data and the largest single source database ever – 370,000 households. Founded by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mark Lieberman, an experienced entrepreneur, and advertising industry measurement pioneer Bill Harvey, President and Co-Founder, TRA employs proprietary measurement technologies and proven algorithms developed and refined over a 10-year period with 30,000 man-hours invested into developing TRA’s Media TRAnalytics™ platform over the past year. Investors include Kodiak Venture Partners and WPP/Kantar Media Research and angels. MediaVest, a subsidiary of Paris-based Publicis Groupe, is TRA’s first agency to be using Media TRAnalytics™. TRA is ISO 27001 certified, the information security management system standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) designed to ensure security controls to protect information assets.

* Fourth quarter revenue grew to $212.6 million, up 8 percent from the prior quarter and 16 percent year-over-year, and annual revenue increased 24 percent year-over-year to $790.9 million
* Fourth quarter GAAP net income increased 22 percent quarter-over-quarter to $40.5 million, or $0.22 per diluted share, and full-year GAAP net income increased 44 percent year-over-year to $145.1 million, or $0.79 per diluted share
* Fourth quarter normalized net income* increased 11 percent quarter-over-quarter to $82.2 million, or $0.44 per diluted share, and full-year normalized net income* increased 26 percent year-over-year to $308.5 million, or $1.66 per diluted share

Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the leader in powering rich media, dynamic transactions and enterprise applications online, reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full-year ended December 31, 2008. Revenue for the fourth quarter 2008 was $212.6 million, an 8 percent increase over third quarter revenue of $197.3 million, and a 16 percent increase over fourth quarter 2007 revenue of $183.2 million. Total revenue for 2008 was $790.9 million, a 24 percent increase over 2007 revenue of $636.4 million.

“2008 was another year of impressive growth and significant accomplishments for Akamai,” said Paul Sagan, president and CEO of Akamai. “As the external environment has become more challenging, we’re pleased that we were able to grow revenue and earnings throughout the year while broadening our portfolio of solutions to improve Internet performance for our customers.”

Net income in accordance with United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or GAAP, for the fourth quarter of 2008 was $40.5 million, or $0.22 per diluted share. Full-year GAAP net income for 2008 was $145.1 million, or $0.79 per diluted share.

The Company generated normalized net income* of $82.2 million, or $0.44 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2008, an 11 percent increase over prior quarter normalized net income of $74.2 million, or $0.40 per diluted share. Full-year normalized net income grew 26 percent year-over-year to $308.5 million, or $1.66 per diluted share. (*See Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures below for definitions.)

Adjusted EBITDA* for the fourth quarter of 2008 was $100.3 million, up from $90.5 million in the prior quarter, and $86.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2007. Adjusted EBITDA margin for the fourth quarter was 47 percent, consistent with the same period last year. For the full year, adjusted EBITDA was $370.8 million, up from $283.2 million in 2007. Full-year adjusted EBITDA margin improved to 47 percent, up from 44 percent in 2007. (*See Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures below for definitions.)

Full-year cash from operations was $343.5 million, or 43 percent of revenue, up 45 percent over the prior year. At year-end, the Company had approximately $771.6 million of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities.

The Company had approximately 169.4 million shares of common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2008.

The number of customers under long-term service contracts at the end of the fourth quarter increased by 50 to a record 2,858, an 8 percent increase year-over-year.

Sales through resellers and sales outside the United States accounted for 17 percent and 25 percent, respectively, of revenue for the fourth quarter 2008.

Akamai’s fourth quarter consolidated financial results include two months of activity from acerno, following the closing of Akamai’s acquisition of acerno on November 3, 2008. acerno contributed approximately $6.9 million of revenue during the fourth quarter of 2008.

Quarterly Conference Call

Akamai will host a conference call today at 4:30 p.m. ET that can be accessed through 1-866-270-6057 (or 1-617-213-8891 for international calls) and using passcode No. 25657509. A live Webcast of the call may be accessed at www.akamai.com in the Investor section. In addition, a replay of the call will be available for one week following the conference through the Akamai Website or by calling 1-888-286-8010 (or 1-617-801-6888 for international calls) and using passcode No. 48935965.

The Akamai Difference

Akamai® provides market-leading managed services for powering rich media, dynamic transactions, and enterprise applications online. Having pioneered the content delivery market one decade ago, Akamai’s services have been adopted by the world’s most recognized brands across diverse industries. The alternative to centralized Web infrastructure, Akamai’s global network of tens of thousands of distributed servers provides the scale, reliability, insight and performance for businesses to succeed online. Akamai has transformed the Internet into a more viable place to inform, entertain, advertise, interact, and collaborate. To experience The Akamai Difference, visit www.akamai.com.

“The Super Bowl is certainly a unique event because of its ability to command nearly national attention at one time, but it also demonstrates the impact that truly integrated advertising initiatives can have,” says Dean DeBiase, CEO of TNS Media. “Marketers work to ensure synergies between their traditional, online and in-store promotional activities, but not to the extent seen in the Super Bowl. The results seen here – from the ability of broadcast advertising to drive traffic to sites, initiate online conversations and have that emotional equity come full circle at retail – should serve as a catalyst to encourage deeper integration across all media platforms year round.”

A complete log of all commercials, their pod positions and actual creatives are available at: www.tns-mi.com/resources/creativeSuperBowl2009.htm.

TNS Media Intelligence Analysis: Advertising clutter, top advertisers and categories

Record-setting Level of Ad Time

Super Bowl XLIII featured a record-tying amount of network commercial time. Between the opening kickoff and the final whistle, NBC aired 45 minutes, 10 seconds of advertising messages. This includes paying sponsors, messages from the NFL and promotional plugs from NBC for its own programming. The past four games now occupy the top four spots in terms of Super Bowl ad clutter.

Top Advertisers

A total of 32 different companies aired in-game spots for a total of 84 commercials. The top four advertisers (excluding program promotions aired by NBC) in terms of total ad time were Pepsico, Anheuser Busch InBev, General Electric and Viacom. This elite group accounted for 40 percent of the total paid ad time.

The softening ad market for 2009 Super Bowl spots led to speculation that General Electric divisions might be required to step in and buy unsold inventory to help out sister-company NBC. The movie studio and theme park divisions of GE have regularly advertised in previous Super Bowls on other networks, so it’s far-fetched to construe their presence in the 2009 game as the outcome of an inventory fire-sale.

What’s a ‘normal’ level of in-house ad activity for the Super Bowl broadcaster? The past four years have seen four different networks air the game. During this cycle, the advertising presence of the network’s owner has ranged from 30 seconds to 4 ½ minutes. GE’s 2009 footprint of 2:30 is larger than either News Corp in 2008 or National Amusements in 2007. However, it lags the 4:30 of air time that Disney-owned entities had in the 2006 telecast on ABC.

Top Categories

Motion pictures continued to be the dominant Super Bowl ad category as Hollywood studios attempted to build awareness for upcoming releases. Nine different movies had in-game ads, a level on par with recent years. However, this year the studios opted for longer-length units as compared to 2008.

Non-alcoholic beverages also had a significant presence in the game but the competitive battlefront was a bit narrower than 2008. Pepsi and Coke again went head-to-head with their soda brands. But unlike a year ago, Coke abstained from promoting its non-soda brand lines and conceded that stage to Pepsi which ran spots for Gatorade and Sobe Life.

Reflecting the current tenor of the auto market, car manufacturers had a reduced presence with Audi, Hyundai and Toyota combining for just 3 minutes of air time. Supplementing this was another 2:30 of ads from auto-related advertisers Bridgestone (tires), Cars.com and Castrol (motor oil) to keep the total category even with last year.

TNS Cymfony Analysis: Movie studios’ TV investment pays off with online buzz

Not only did the movie studios dominate TV ad time, they also dominated the discussion in the first 36 hours following the game: five of the ten most-discussed advertisers were movies. Almost half of the discussion of Super Bowl ads took place on social media sites focused on movies, video games, and entertainment news.

*Volume index represents the amount of discussion for each advertiser, relative to the median amount of discussion for all Super Bowl advertisers. E.g. Transformers received over seven times the amount of discussion of the average advertiser.

While Doritos may have won the Super Bowl ad voting on USAToday, Anheuser-Busch bested all non-movie advertisers in the amount of discussion generated by their ads. Four of their ads generated strong positive discussion: Bud Light “Swedish,” Bud Light “Meeting,” Clydesdale “Stick” and Clydesdale “Circus.”

The advertisers that didn’t make the most-discussed list are also interesting: E-Trade “Talking Baby” and Audi “Chase” among them.

“This year, viewers engaged with ads about entertainment and affordable indulgences,” noted Jim Nail, Chief Marketing Officer of TNS Cymfony. “Financial services and automobiles are not on consumers minds so their ads, which have been popular in past years, didn’t resonate this year.”

TNS Cymfony’s analysis of traditional and social media showed that the volume of pre-game online discussion nearly doubled while media coverage increased 37%. “The spike in pre-game coverage and discussions emphasizes that marketers need to blend social media, traditional media, and buzz around the water cooler to maximize the ROI of expensive Super Bowl ads,” said Nail.

TNS Media Research Analysis: Second-by-second ratings

TNS Media Research analyzed audience viewing behavior during the game and the commercial breaks. The following highlights are based on unique second-by-second clickstream data collected from over 300,000 Households (HH) in the Charter Communications Los Angeles digital cable system:

• On average, 29.8% of HH’s tuned into the game itself. The pre-game show averaged a 22% rating while over 23.4% of homes viewed at least one second of the post-game award presentation.
• 5.3% of HH’s viewed the game on NBC-HD, representing close to 11% of the total audience.
• As expected during the Super Bowl, few viewers tuned away from the commercial breaks during the game with the spot-to-program retention index averaging 100 (CVI). The highest commercial retention score went to the promotional ad marketing various USA network programs, which posted a 121 in the spot just after the game ended. During the post-game as viewing dropped from a rating of 32.l% to 23.4%, the commercial retention remained constant. The last pod, airing prior to The Office, averaged a CVI retention score of 95.
• A second-by-second look at commercial avoidance reveals that about 1% of commercial seconds were avoided by channel changing.
• Interestingly, the NBC-HD audience was even less likely to tune away, with only 0.8% percent of those seconds being lost, perhaps reflecting the fact that almost all of the Super Bowl advertising was presented in high definition.

TNS Compete Analysis: Super Bowl advertisers’ online presence

*Represents the change in daily reach to the Web site from the average during the week preceding the Super Bowl. E.g. Dennys.com reach on the day of the Super Bowl was nearly 17 times higher than during the week leading up to the game.

Super Bowl advertisers ranged from those with strong, established online presences to “up and comers” to digital neophytes.

• Anheuser-Busch – One of the Super Bowl’s top advertisers and most talked about brands came in third in growth in daily reach on Super Bowl Sunday. Budweiser.com, a site which has historically ranked among the top 30,000 US Web sites, saw its reach nearly double on Super Bowl Sunday.
• Hulu – Despite the prominence of entertainment in ad time, this online video service (co-owned by NBC Universal, News Corp. and Providence Equity Partners) ranked near the bottom. The “Alec in Huluwood” ad, which did not present a clear call to action, can be found on Hulu.com.
• Dennys – Denny’s free Grand Slam Giveaway scored with Super Bowl viewers. Visitors to Dennys.com were rewarded with a reminder of the “Enjoy a Free Grand Slam” on the home page along with a convenient Restaurant Locator.

“It is not surprising that we see some of the most talked about advertisers at the top of the pack in terms of site traffic on Super Bowl Sunday,” according to Matthew Pace, Director of Retail, TNS Compete. “It’s more evidence that a strong call to action alone is not enough to engage consumers, you need to have messaging that resonates with the consumers you are trying to target, like a free breakfast.”

About TNS Media

Established in more than 30 countries, TNS Media explores all media – print, radio, TV, Internet, social media, cinema and outdoor worldwide, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and offers a full range of insights, analyses and audience measurement services.

TNS Media combines the deepest expertise in the industry to provide media and marketing intelligence including advertising expenditure monitoring, advertising creation monitoring, audience measurement, market influence analytics, online consumer behavior tracking, news monitoring, sports sponsorship evaluation and more. The TNS Media companies track more than 3 million brands and provide vital market intelligence to 16,000 customers around the world. For further information, please visit www.tnsmediagroup.com.

About Kantar Group and TNS

The Kantar Group is one of the world’s largest research, insight and consultancy networks. By uniting the diverse talents of more than 20 specialist companies – including the recently-acquired TNS – the group aims to become the pre-eminent provider of compelling and actionable insights for the global business community. Its 26,500 employees work across 80 countries and across the whole spectrum of research and consultancy disciplines, enabling the group to offer clients business insights at each and every point of the consumer cycle. The group’s services are employed by over half of the Fortune Top 500 companies. For further information, please visit www.kantargrouptns.com.

Setting aside the obvious local and national economic conditions, sales managers cited staff concerns – not competitive pressures – as their biggest challenge. Managers have to find ways to motivate sales teams and get salespeople outside their comfort zone in order to have a successful year.

When broken down by industry, advertising sales managers expect increased growth in several sectors, with the biggest increases expected in the healthcare, restaurant, and retail sectors.

“Once you get past the automotive sector and all the bad economic news we’ve been hearing, there are substantial pockets of opportunity for local advertising sales in 2009,” said C. Lee Smith, AdMall president and CEO. “Resilient and consultative salespeople will find success helping advertisers navigate effectively through the current economic climate.”

Other key findings:

* 19% of sales managers anticipate a decline in advertising revenues in 2009.
* 17% of sales managers expect revenue growth of 6 – 10% over 2008.
* 56% of managers and 45% of advertising executives expect decreased revenues from the automotive market.

More results from the 2009 AdMall Local Advertising Sales Outlook are available on the Media Sales Today blog at http://www.mediasalestoday.com.

ABOUT ADMALL

AdMall is the leading local sales development system for media advertising sales professionals, with a proven track record of providing significant incremental revenue increases. AdMall provides detailed business intelligence for over 370 business types, and online advertising intelligence for more than 100 content classifications. Over 2,000 media properties nationwide arm their sales staffs with AdMall including television, cable, newspaper, online, direct response, out-of-home, radio, cinema and magazine. AdMall is a division of Sales Development Services (SDS), Inc. – a Westerville, Ohio firm founded in 1989.

ABOUT THE SURVEY

The 2009 AdMall Local Advertising Sales Outlook was conducted December 22, 2008-January 9, 2009. The sample size for this survey was 1,890 AdMall clients across the United States, including 289 advertising sales managers and 1,126 account executives.

NEW YORK – AOL announced Budweiser “Fetch” is the top-ranked Super Bowl XLIII ad in the 7th Annual AOL Super Sunday Ad Poll. The poll lets viewers watch and vote on their favorite ads at FanHouse.com, http://www.fanhouse.com, AOL’s premier sports site. The poll began shortly after Super Bowl XLIII kick-off, and rankings are based on the first 24 hours the ads were streamed.

The top five Annual Super Sunday Commercials are:

1. Budweiser: “Fetch”
2. Heroes: “Football”
3. Budweiser: “Horse Love”
4. Budweiser: “Clydesdale”
5. Coca-Cola: “Picnic”

(Note: AOL poll results are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those users who choose to participate.)

“The Super Bowl is a wonderful distraction in these economic times and a great way for companies to showcase their products in front of a national audience,” said Marty Moe, Senior Vice President, AOL Money & Finance, FanHouse, News, KOL and Weblogs. “FanHouse.com provides an opportunity for consumers to watch the commercials again, share them with friends and extend the reach beyond the 30 seconds during the game. We congratulate Budweiser on winning the 7th Annual AOL Super Sunday Ad Poll.”

The ads will be available online at FanHouse, http://fanhouse.com, and at http://aol.com/superbowlads for a week following the game. Users can visit the site, watch the ads and still rank their top 10 favorite commercials.

In 2008, Budweiser’s “Rocky” was the AOL Super Sunday Ad Poll winner. A-B InBev, the former Anheuser-Busch, has won five of the previous six polls.

FanHouse.com launched in January, following 12 months of remarkable growth and expansion at AOL Sports, and responds to the changing Web habits of sports fans dominated by the important male 18-54 demographic. Since December 2007, monthly unique visitors to AOL Sports grew 21% (from 9.1 million to 11 million), page views climbed 142% (from 142 million to 345 million) and total time-spent increased by 65%. It is now one of the top-five most-visited sports sites, according to December 2008 comScore Media Metrix data.

FanHouse.com is also the home of the Fantasy Football game Fleaflicker.com, http://fleaflicker.com, and Fantasy Football blog Fantasy Football FanHouse, http://fantasy.fanhouse.com. FanHouse.com is a part of MediaGlow, AOL’s newly created global publishing unit.

About MediaGlow

MediaGlow, AOL’s publishing business unit formed in early 2009, centralizes all of AOL’s programming efforts, including AOL.com, AOL’s content verticals and commerce and marketplace channels, dozens of niche sites, and state-of-the-art studios in Los Angeles and New York City. In all, MediaGlow operates more than 70 sites and now attracts more than 70 million unique visitors each month after two years of steady growth, according to comScore Media Metrix. It plans to launch more than 30 new sites in 2009. MediaGlow, along with AOL’s advertising business, Platform-A, and its social media business, People Networks, represent the three core businesses for AOL.

About AOL

AOL is a global Web services company that operates some of the most popular Web destinations, offers a comprehensive suite of free software and services, runs one of the largest Internet access businesses in the U.S., and provides a full set of advertising solutions. A majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., AOL LLC and its subsidiaries have operations in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. Learn more at AOL.com.