I'd be careful about shorting CMPL here. It could have quite a bit more upside with its new marketing campaign/website/strategy. The post-CNBC drop was quick, and the daytraders have mostly taken their profits. This is not some hyped up fly-by-night operation. Their last earnings announcement looked good, with
260% growth in online sales. Notice their big name customers from the below press release:
Over the past four months, the company has created custom intranet bookstores
through its FindITnow program for more than 60 corporate customers including 3Com
(Nasdaq:COMS), Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE), Bank of America, Compaq (NYSE:CPQ),
KLA-Tencor (Nasdaq:KLAC), Netscape (Nasdaq:NSCP), Network Associates
(Nasdaq:NETA), Oracle (Nasdaq:ORCL), Philips (NYSE:PHR), SAS Institute Inc.,
Seagate (NYSE:SEG), Siemens Information and Communication Networks, Unwired
Planet, Verifone, Xerox PARC and others.
About FindITnow
Introduced last fall, Fatbrain.com's FindITnow intranet bookstore program allows
businesses to provide customized professional bookstores on their corporate networks.
These co-branded stores provide employees with a quick, easy way to find and order
books and resources specific to their individual needs. FindITnow bookstores integrate
with existing business processes to give organizations control over procurement. The
program offers unique expertise in professional, technical and business books, training
materials and documentation. Corporations may realize significant cost savings by
leveraging the FindITnow program with the corporate intranet and existing processes.
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 29, 1999--
Company extends brand strategy to professionals across multiple
industries,
In a move reflecting an expansion of its successful e-commerce market strategy,
ComputerLiteracy.com (Nasdaq:CMPL) today unveiled a new company name,
Fatbrain.com. The Internet's most comprehensive professional bookstore, Fatbrain.com
today launched a new Web site at fatbrain.com along with a new brand
identity that extends beyond the company's traditional market of technical experts to
include professionals in other industries. Starting tomorrow, Fatbrain.com's Nasdaq
stock ticker symbol becomes "FATB." Next week, the company will launch its first
major advertising campaign.
The name Fatbrain.com reflects the company's expanded scope and communicates its
role in helping professionals and organizations locate the resources to help address
information needs and pursue professional growth.
Having outgrown the name ComputerLiteracy.com, the company recently announced a
strategic move to build on its expertise in the technical books market and also address
professionals in the business and finance, science, engineering and mathematics
industries. As ComputerLiteracy.com, the company has used its unique, expert offerings
in technical books and documentation to build a loyal following of technology
professionals and launch a successful bid into the business-to-business e-commerce
arena a category projected to exceed $1 trillion by the year 2003, according to
Forrester Research.
"Fatbrain.com is about problem-solving, bright ideas and feeding your mind," said Chris
MacAskill, president and CEO of Fatbrain.com. "We've worked hard to get in on the
ground floor of the business-to-business e-commerce movement, one of the
fastest-growing sectors of the Internet today. Our FindITnow program now connects
employees and purchasing departments in many of the leading firms from Silicon Valley
to the East Coast. We're ready to move beyond this to address professionals in a wider
range of industries, and an important part of this is to build and market a new brand that
suits our mission."
Next week, the company will launch its first integrated branding campaign with print and
outdoor advertisements. Designed to introduce the professional community to the brand
Fatbrain.com, the campaign's striking, colorful artwork uses a melange of surreal images
such as human figures, drawings, scribbles, motherboards, switches, wires, plugs and
cables.
"Our typical customers are smart and creative, and as such, they have unique
information needs," said Robert Cudd, vice president of marketing and editorial for
Fatbrain.com. "The goal was to create a look that appeals to these customers and
drives them to our Web site, where we can prove that we're a better bookstore solution
for their professional needs."
Fatbrain.com offers a world-class selection of books, training materials and
documentation plus sophisticated search tools to assist professionals in locating the right
resources to solve their unique challenges. Fatbrain.com also provides unique, advanced
editorial services such as expert reviews and reading recommendations.
Over the past four months, the company has created custom intranet bookstores
through its FindITnow program for more than 60 corporate customers including 3Com
(Nasdaq:COMS), Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE), Bank of America, Compaq (NYSE:CPQ),
KLA-Tencor (Nasdaq:KLAC), Netscape (Nasdaq:NSCP), Network Associates
(Nasdaq:NETA), Oracle (Nasdaq:ORCL), Philips (NYSE:PHR), SAS Institute Inc.,
Seagate (NYSE:SEG), Siemens Information and Communication Networks, Unwired
Planet, Verifone, Xerox PARC and others.
About FindITnow
Introduced last fall, Fatbrain.com's FindITnow intranet bookstore program allows
businesses to provide customized professional bookstores on their corporate networks.
These co-branded stores provide employees with a quick, easy way to find and order
books and resources specific to their individual needs. FindITnow bookstores integrate
with existing business processes to give organizations control over procurement. The
program offers unique expertise in professional, technical and business books, training
materials and documentation. Corporations may realize significant cost savings by
leveraging the FindITnow program with the corporate intranet and existing processes.
About Fatbrain.com
Fatbrain.com is the Internet's most comprehensive professional bookstore. The
company offers a world-class selection of books, training materials and documentation
for experts in business and finance, technology and other industries. A leader in
business-to-business e-commerce, Fatbrain.com specializes in creating custom
corporate intranet bookstores that work seamlessly with existing infrastructure.
Formerly ComputerLiteracy.com, the company first built a loyal following among
programmers and IT professionals for its unique specialty in resources for technology
professionals. Fatbrain.com offers discounts of up to 40 percent, and all in-stock orders
placed by 4 PM PT ship the same business day. Visit Fatbrain.com on the Web at
fatbrain.com.
This announcement may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and
uncertainties including, among others, Fatbrain.com's limited operating history,
anticipated losses, the unpredictability of its future revenues, competition, risks
associated with system development and operation risks, management of potential
growth, and risks of new business areas, international expansion, business combinations,
and strategic alliances. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed. More
information about factors that potentially could affect Fatbrain.com's financial results is
included in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
including its Registration Statement filed under its original name, Computer Literacy,
Inc., on Form SB-2 on November 19, 1998, as amended. All forward looking
statements are based on information available to the Company on the date hereof, and
the Company assumes no obligation to update such statements.
All company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with
which they are associated.
CONTACT:
A&R Partners for Fatbrain.com
Amy Nemechek, 650/363-0982 ext. 3930
anemechek@arpartners.com |
