CONTACT:
Su Doyle, ADSmart
Jim McManus, The Weber Group
Deborah Johnson, Black Sun Interactive
Tim Eckles, Planet Direct
Robert Goergen, McCann Interactive
BLACK SUN INTERACTIVE, ADSMART, AND PLANET DIRECT JOIN FORCES IN PIONEERING ADVERTISING IN ONLINE COMMUNITIES
The Black & Decker Dustbuster SpokesBottm revolutionizes advertising in online communities.
March 24, 1997
San Francisco, CA. -- March 24, 1997
Today Black Sun Interactive, a leading provider of products for building online communities, ADSmart Corporation, creator of the first fully
automated system to manage the online advertising process, and Planet Direct, creator of a new consumer Internet service, announced a partnership to deliver the SpokesBot,
an innovative advertising solution for online communities. The SpokesBot integrates advertising into the community dialogue, by providing relevant information and the opportunity
for the consumer to interact with the advertiser. This solution allows for a more targeted and interactive advertising campaign, enhancing the value proposition for both the
consumer and advertiser, converting the community into a revenue generating site.
"Together we demonstrate the economic viability of communities," said Franz Buchenberger, president and CEO of Black Sun Interactive. "Interactive media has paved
the way for a new, more effective targeting model based on the user's behavior and interest. The SpokesBot is one in a series of innovations from Black Sun and ADSmart
that will deliver the power of interactive media to advertisers."
Through branded chat rooms and theme communities, advertisers have access to a focused group of users. Advertisers have been reluctant to advertise in other vendor's
chat systems because customers are often too focused on chatting and do not notice the ads placed outside the chat window. By integrating the advertiser's message into
the chat window and having an animated character in the 3D world, the SpokesBot addresses this concern. With the addition of the SpokesBot advertisers can create animated
interactive characters that invite consumer participation and deliver targeted messages. The customer asks the character questions and listens to entertaining scripts, learning
more about both the product and the company all via the chat window of the program. And they can learn about the product without ever leaving the online community.
"Online communities, like Planet Direct, are an excellent value for advertisers--people involved in online communities are active web participants who voice opinions on topics they
truly care about. Communities attract people with similar interests and activities," said Martin Lowrie, president of ADSmart, "and our goal is to hone in precisely on customers
most likely to be interested and receptive to advertisements in a community environment."
Black Sun Interactive has developed a Community Bill of Rights for all SpokesBots in public communities. The Bill of Rights provides guidelines for the advertisers, ensuring
that their SpokesBot act in a courteous and friendly manner.
Since the SpokesBot is integrated into the ADSmart system, advertisers can rotate, track, and evaluate the efficacy of these new innovative advertisements in both a
2D and a 3D online community just as they can with standard banner ads. These advertisements are targeted based on the topic of the chat session (for example an
interview with a golf celebrity would be targeted to golfers). Through ADSmart's True Targeting Planner, advertisers and their agencies will have online access to a myriad
of chat advertising opportunities.
Partners
Planet Direct, a partner in this revolutionary advertising solution, is the first customer to use the SpokesBot in their personal Internet service. Planet Direct developed
"Dusty the Dustbuster SpokesBot" for their partner, Black & Decker, to demonstrate the value of integrated and interactive advertising. SpokesBot Dusty is an engaging
3D robot that politely introduces himself to curious visitors offering information about the Black & Decker Dustbuster SpokesBot.
"We are excited to be at the forefront of this new technology which will deliver a more compelling and useful advertising experience to our customers," said Hans G. Hawrysz,
president and CEO of Planet Direct. "The interaction between the SpokesBot and the consumer is a pioneering step for the advertising industry."
"We are happy to be pioneers in this joint effort to push the boundaries of marketing on the Internet. The Black and Decker Dustbuster Spokesbot is a new and exciting
advertising concept," said Robert Goergen, Account Supervisor at McCann Interactive, representing Black & Decker. "We are enthusiastic to test "Dusty" the Spokesbot in
an online community and anticipate positive results."
About Black Sun Interactive, Inc.
Black Sun Interactive, based in San Francisco and Munich, is the leading provider ofstandards-based products for building online communities and collaborative environments.
Black Sun Interactive, co-author of Living Worlds, an emerging standard for online communities, is fully compliant with existingstandards such as HTML, VRML, and Java.
Founded in 1995, Black Sun delivers an extensible and scaleable platform for running online communities. The Black Sun Community Server and the Passport plug-in transform
Web sites into 2-D and 3-D communities where people can meet and interact in real-time.
About ADSmart Corporation
ADSmart Corporation provides the next generation interactive service for planning, buying, and analyzing Internet advertising campaigns that is fully automated. ADSmart
is committed to enable advertisers, advertising agencies and Web publishers to capitalize on the Internet as an emerging mainstream advertising medium through its technology,
consultative relationships and experience in direct marketing, advertising, software development and Internet operations. ADSmart has created an Internet based system to
provide agencies, advertisers and Web publishers the tools and services needed to conduct successful and profitable Internet advertising campaigns. ADSmart is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of CMG Information Services (Nasdaq: CMGI), a leader in technology-based direct marketing services. ADSmart was founded in April 1996 and is
headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts.
About Planet Direct
Planet Direct (http://www.planetdirect.com) is a pathbreaking new Internet service, offered in partnership with a nationwide network of Internet Service Providers (ISPs),
and a large number of innovative technology and content partners. The Planet Direct service is available to the subscribers of ISPs across the country. The service is
free to ISPs, and free to their customers.
Planet Direct integrates a powerful and easy-to-use format for navigating the Web with a collection of premier content spanning 90 topics. With each successive visit,
individual members are presented dynamic content that revolve around their unique interests within a geographic context based on where they live. Members can live
online in any one of over 400 cities and towns across the United States. Among Planet Direct's broad set of features include: customized news; local and national
weather conditions and forecasts; lifestyle and entertainment content; stock quotes; maps and driving directions; discussion groups; the ability to locate a place, person
or other resource in seconds; text and 3D chat environments.
Launched in March 1997, the company announced that its highly personalized consumer Internet service has been made available to over 500,000 subscribers, through
more than 40 ISPs, on its first day of operation. The company's revenues will be derived from ISP shared local and national advertising as well as additional premium services.
Planet Direct is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CMG Information Services (Nasdaq: CMGI), a leader in technology-based direct marketing services. Planet Direct is
headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts.
Black Sun Interactive, Black Sun Passport, Black Sun Community Server, and SpokesBot are trademarks of Black Sun Interactive.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ADSmart, ADSmart Corporation, ADSmart.net, and CMG are all trademarks or service marks of
CMG Information Services.
Participating Companies:
Black Sun Interactive http://www.blacksun.com
ADSmart Corporation
Planet Direct http://www.planetdirect.com
Black & Decker http://www.blackanddecker.com
CONTACT:
Su Doyle of ADSmart Corporation
sdoyle
Jim McManus of the Weber Group
jmcmanus
Deborah Johnson of Black Sun Interactive
deborah
Tim Eckles of Planet Direct
teckles
x3138
Robert Goergen of McCann Interactive
rob_goergen
