I believe that there was some speculation among AXC longs here or over at the club that this was something that we would have the capacity for doing - look's like someone else has the capacity
Wednesday December 8, 7:01 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Engage Joins Forces With Microsoft to Deliver Profile Driven Streaming Media Ads Through Windows Media Broadband Jumpstart Initiative
FCB Worldwide, ZDTV.com, iBEAM, and INTERVU are First to Benefit From Targeted Streaming Media Advertising
ANDOVER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 8, 1999-- Engage Technologies, Inc., (NASDAQ:ENGA - news), a leading provider of profile driven Internet marketing solutions and a majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc. (NASDAQ:CMGI - news), announced today the capability to dynamically insert targeted streaming media advertisements into streaming media content using Engage AudienceNet(TM). For the first time, Web sites using Windows Media have the potential to offer advertisers the opportunity to present high impact streaming ad campaigns targeted to the interests of their audience.
While continuing its leadership in data privacy practices, Engage enables high-value, targeted ad delivery using Engage AudienceNet, the first Web-wide profile driven advertising and marketing network that uses anonymous, behavior based profiles to deliver substantial benefits to Web sites, advertisers, media buyers, and ad networks.
``Engage has built its business on finding innovative ways to enhance online marketing,' said David Isenberg, Worldwide Director of Broadband Applications for Engage. ``For consumers, the benefits of near-broadcast audio and video are clear, but for this industry to really move forward, it has to make sense for content providers and online advertisers. Working with the Windows Media Broadband Jumpstart initiative, we are able to offer targeted advertising solutions that increase the return for both advertisers and content providers.'
``We believe that streaming media will completely change the way that people experience the Internet,' said Dave Fester, director of marketing for the Streaming Media Division at Microsoft Corp. ``By delivering the industry's first viable streaming media advertising business model using Microsoft Windows Media Technologies, Engage and Microsoft will help bring streaming media into the mainstream by making it more affordable for Internet content publishers to create compelling content and by helping advertisers reach their target audience with high-impact advertising. Ultimately, we want to enhance broadband users' Internet experience.'
In conjunction with the Microsoft Broadband Jumpstart initiative, Engage is also announcing several new alliances and customers. FCB Worldwide, the largest agency in the United States as well as the number five global advertising agency, has agreed to become an innovative agency supporter of the Windows Media Broadband Jumpstart initiative. FCB / San Francisco will work with Microsoft, Engage, and their clients, to develop new and exciting creative content for this interactive medium.
``The ability to use streaming media for advertising purposes will provide a dynamic new advertising medium and will enable our clients to utilize a previously untapped resource,' said John Keck, Senior Vice President, Interactive Media Director, FCB / San Francisco. ``The fact that these ads will also be targeted to help reach a more receptive audience truly makes this a revolutionary new advertising medium. We look forward to bringing this exciting and unique opportunity to our roster of clients.'
ZDTV.com, the integrated Web site for ZDTV, a 24-hour cable television channel about computing, technology, and the Internet, is the Windows Media Broadband Jumpstart initiative's first Internet content provider to make its streaming media content inventory available to advertisers. Designed to appeal to viewers from the computer novice to the technology expert, the channel and Web site have created an integrated community that appears on air and online, and contributes to ZDTV's programming.
``The Windows Media Broadband Jumpstart initiative offers ZDTV the opportunity to effectively increase the ROI for our streaming media inventory,' said George Ehinger, vice president of advertising sales. ``ZDTV programming delivers a great audience for a wide range of advertisers, and users of our streaming inventory represent an exceptionally high- end demographic.' Ehinger said.
Engage is also announcing today that it has reached agreements with leading Internet audio and video distribution providers including iBEAM Broadcasting(TM) and INTERVU Inc. (NASDAQ:ITVU - news). Engage will integrate its Engage AudienceNet services with these two leading content distribution networks currently participating in the Windows Media Broadband Jumpstart initiative to enable the delivery of streaming media ads that can be inserted dynamically into streaming media content.
``The massive capacity of our low cost, high quality distribution network combined with innovative advertising solutions from Engage will provide our customers with new ways of monetizing their content libraries,' said Peter Desnoes, CEO of iBEAM Broadcasting Corp. ``iBEAM is looking forward to working with Engage to provide a variety of cutting edge advertising services focused on allowing content providers to charge a premium and advertisers to realize better results.'
``A viable streaming media advertising business model for content providers will jumpstart the creation of next-generation broadband content,' said Ed Huguez, chief operating officer of INTERVU. ``In addition, as more content providers look to provide the growing number of Internet users with broadband audio and video content, it's critical that a proven streaming media network like INTERVU's is in place, ready to meet and exceed the demands of end users for high quality, high speed content delivery.'
About Engage AudienceNet:
Engage AudienceNet is the first Web-wide profile driven advertising and marketing network that uses anonymous, behavior based profiles to deliver significant benefits to media buyers, Web sites and ad networks alike. Engage AudienceNet connects advertisers with their target audience regardless of where they are surfing within the AudienceNet network of hundreds of Web sites. AudienceNet uses profile data from Engage Knowledge, a database of over 35 million anonymous user profiles, which allows media buyers to specify a target audience based on demographics, geographics and over 800 interest categories. Engage Knowledge is unique in its depth of interests that are tracked for each user, and for the proprietary recency, frequency and duration algorithm that scores each interest and makes sure that they are accurate. Based on this targeting, the ad is shown only to those matching the specified interest profiles which means that the advertiser only pays for impressions that reach its target audience. With AudienceNet, the value of the inventory is based on the visitor not on the content of the Web page. This better enables Web sites and ad networks to augment their existing sales that are targeted based on premium content with the sale of underutilized inventory at higher CPM (cost per thousand) rates, since it can be targeted based with profiles. For more information about Engage AudienceNet, please visit www.audiencenet.com.
About Engage
Engage Technologies, Inc., (Nasdaq:ENGA - news) a majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc., (Nasdaq:CMGI - news), is a leading provider of profile driven Internet marketing solutions. Engage offers a range of software products, data, and services that enable Web publishers, advertisers and merchants to target and deliver advertisements, commerce and e-commerce offerings to their audiences and to measure their effectiveness. On September 23, 1999, Engage entered into a definitive agreement to acquire AdKnowledge Inc., a leading provider of complete Web marketing management services focused entirely on the needs of online marketers and agencies. Upon completion of the deal, AdKnowledge will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Engage.
Engage's core product and services include; Engage AudienceNet(TM), the first Web-wide profile driven advertising and marketing network, Engage Knowledge, a global database that currently contains more than 35 million anonymous consumer profiles, and Accipiter AdManager, an online advertising management system that automates the scheduling, targeting and delivery of ads on Web sites and the reporting of campaign results. Engage offers Web traffic verification, measurement and analysis, and research through its wholly-owned subsidiary, I/PRO. Additionally, Engage is partnering with various resellers and system integrators who will integrate Engage's local profile software, ProfileServer and DecisionSupportServer, to e-commerce merchants across the U.S. For more information about Engage, please visit www.engage.com.
Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
Except for the historical information contained in this release, the matters described herein contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties which might cause the results of such forward-looking statements to differ materially from those anticipated. Such risks and uncertainties include global failure of Engage AudienceNet to perform on a widely-deployed commercial basis as effectively as suggested by preliminary test results, failure of Engage AudienceNet to achieve customer acceptance, privacy concerns, slower than expected growth in Internet advertising, increased competition, the timely development of new profile-based products and services, and other risks detailed in the Company's 1999 Annual Report on Form 10-K and from time to time in the Company's other reports filed with the SEC. |
