Platform-a Showcases AOL’s Programming to U.S. Marketers

New York, NY – November 17, 2008 – Platform-A is taking AOL’s programming on tour to showcase its extensive network of Web properties and new niche sites to advertisers and agencies.  The tour will underscore how Platform-A, http://www.platform-a.com, can leverage AOL’s sites to strengthen an advertiser’s brand and generate revenue. The roadshow, titled “The Wider Web: Achieving Growth in a Fragmented Market,” previewed in Dallas on November 5, is making its national debut in New York City at the American Museum of Natural History on November 17th, and will be followed by an event in Atlanta on November 20. Other events will take place in Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco in early 2009.

The AOL Network reaches 111.3 million monthly unique visitors, and is home to several leading brands such as AIM, MapQuest, and Moviefone, as well as AOL Music, AOL News, AOL Money and Finance, AOL Living, WalletPop, and Engadget that reach a diverse group of desirable demographics.  AOL has recently rebuilt its entire network of Web properties, and has launched more than 20 niche sites, which has resulted in 21 months of growth in unique visitors and page views. In addition, many of AOL’s sites rank No. 1 in their categories, including Asylum, http://asylum.com, Black Voices, http://blackvoices.com, Music, http://music.aol.com, StyleList, http://stylelist.com, and Television, http://television.aol.com. In addition, AOL has relaunched its AOL.com homepage, http://www.aol.com, opening it up to third-party content and services, making it easy for consumers to check e-mail and social networking sites from different providers.

“AOL has one of the largest, most diverse and most engaged audiences on the Web, and combined with Platform-A’s industry-leading technologies, we can offer advertisers a unique combination of scale, integrated branding, and advanced targeting capabilities to enable them to deliver their branding messages in an effective, engaging and highly efficient way,” said Platform-A President Lynda Clarizio. "At a time when companies make sure that every penny spent on advertising counts, AOL delivers quality content and engaged consumers and Platform-A connects marketers to this audience to drive superior results."

“In these times of economic uncertainty, what advertisers need most is the ability to deliver the right message to the right audiences at the right time, and get results,” said Sam Bloom, GM, Interactive, of Camelot Communications, the media buying agency for such brands as Blockbuster and Southwest Airlines. “And the combination of AOL’s vast network of popular and engaging websites, and Platform-A’s advanced tools and technology, is unique in its ability to deliver on that need.”

Over the past two years, AOL has completely revamped its vertical content sites, and has launched more than 20 new niche sites to appeal to an increasingly diverse and fragmented online audience. As a result of these changes, AOL has seen the audience for its content sites steadily increase, with unique visitors climbing 7%, engagement (total minutes) climbing 51%, and page views doubling 101%, year over year, according to the October 2008 comScore Media Metrix Report. Additionally, since launching the new aol.com, the site has experienced strong growth with unique visitors up 9%, engagement (measured in total minutes) up 26%, visits up 9%, and page views up 26%.

Platform-A was established by merging AOL’s advertising business, Advertising.com, TACODA, and Quigo to provide marketers with an efficient, effective means to leverage display, video, mobile, contextual, affiliate and search marketing solutions. The mission of Platform-A is to help marketers harness digital media to build brands and enhance online performance. Platform-A now reaches more than 90% of the online audience in the U.S., and has expanded its reach throughout Europe. 

To date, Platform-A has fully integrated its sales forces, and developed one insertion order and other processes to streamline ad buying. In addition, Platform-A has accelerated its product development efforts with recent launches including Spot Marketplace, enabling advertisers to bid on nonreserved inventory across AOL’s Web sites; PubAccess, a self-service interface enabling Web sites to place their inventory for sale in Platform-A’s third party display network; audience targeting across Platform-A; and the creation of a 300 x 600 ad unit across AOL’s homepages and co-branded sites.

Each roadshow will provide advertisers and agencies with an in-depth look at AOL’s programming, and the opportunities they offer to reach targeted, highly desirable audiences, leveraging Platform-A’s industry-leading tools and technologies.

The New York City event will be hosted by AOL CEO Randy Falco and Platform-A President Lynda Clarizio. It will include a presentation on AOL Products & Programming by Bill Wilson, EVP of AOL Programming, followed by a cocktail reception at the American Museum of Natural History.

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, nine countries across Europe, including Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the UK, and in Japan through a joint venture with Mitsui. Learn more at http://www.platform-a.com.