EyeWonder Launches the In-Stream 2.0 Research Initiative to Lead the Evolution of 'Pre-' Through 'Post-Roll' Video Advertising Environments

EyeWonder Launches the In-Stream 2.0 Research Initiative to Lead the Evolution of 'Pre-' Through 'Post-Roll' Video Advertising Environments

Industry Elite, Including NBC Universal, OMD Digital, Akamai Technologies and Research Firm InsightExpress Have Joined EyeWonder's Consortium in a Project Designed to Exponentially Advance Current Levels of In-Stream Advertising Effectiveness and Measurement

ATLANTA, June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- EyeWonder, Inc., rich media and digital video's fastest-growing technology innovator, today announced it will lead a research consortium of online publishers, advertisers and agencies via the EyeWonder In-Stream 2.0 research initiative. Working in close partnership with the consortium, it will deploy, test, track and analyze consumer behavior and attitudes tied to new digital video and video-based rich media ad platforms and formats.

In-Stream 2.0 paves the way for innovations designed to diversify existing inventory offerings among publishers while making its purchase more accessible for media buyers and catalyzing next-generation rich media and interactive video ad creative designed specifically for environments that currently run pre-, mid- and post-roll video advertising fully capitalizing on the two-way communication power of the Internet.

"EyeWonder's near-decade of rich media and digital video innovation and our position as the technological pivot for publishers, advertisers and agencies make us uniquely qualified to lead the In-Stream 2.0 research project," said John Vincent, CEO of EyeWonder. "For years, we've helped agencies and advertisers move toward limitless online creative potential, and many of these top shops will help us conduct this research on behalf of their biggest clients and begin to aggressively design more effective creative for in-stream ads. Simultaneously, our record of rich media and digital video solution innovation with a number of the largest online publishers and key technology partners gives them the confidence to join us on what will be a ground-breaking study. Through In-Stream 2.0, we will engage in what we do best: leverage our experience and technology to drive further innovation for richer industry results."

Representing one of the most ambitious online advertising field research projects to date, In-Stream 2.0 currently counts NBC Universal, OMD Digital and Akamai Technologies among its initial set of more than 30 partners that includes publishers, technology companies, advertisers and interactive agencies. This consortium will examine how new pre-, mid- and post-roll advertising solutions meet with user behavior to ultimately maximize the Internet's power to facilitate interactivity in previously static environments. Importantly, it will gauge the optimal ratio between maximum impact and minimal interruption time to Web users engaging with such ad technologies. Leading online market research firm, InsightExpress will serve as the project's research partner. It was important to select a research partner who could help drive the initiative forward from the measurement side, but also in gauging the multiple facets of this effort and their implications to the online video advertising market as a whole.

"We are always working to provide our clients with the most efficient and effective way to reach our consumers," said Peter Naylor, SVP Digital Media Sales, NBC Universal. "EyeWonder has been an early leader in developing interactive video ads, and we are excited to take part in a project designed to develop the next generation of online advertising. We also applaud EyeWonder for its commitment to streamline the workflow for all parties, making it easier for us to offer our clients the most cutting edge ad units currently available."

In-Stream 2.0 Research Initiative Overview: Where New Formats Meet Consumer Behavior

Today's announcement marks the deployment of new, EyeWonder-driven interactive video and rich media advertising platforms and formats for extensive field-testing and analysis in current pre-, mid- and post-roll video environments. Through In-Stream 2.0, EyeWonder and its In-Stream 2.0 partners will rigorously gauge multidimensional variables tied to In-Stream 2.0 advertising technology solution sets, including:

-- User attitudes, perceptions and reactions to new video ad platforms and formats that include branded placements, sponsorship, interactivity and companion ads

   -- Optimal ad and/or video duration   -- Ad and/or video creative tied to engagement and interactivity   -- In-stream sequencing (pre- vs. mid- and post-roll)   -- Ad placement relative to contextual relevance   -- User preferences tied to user experience  

-- Key brand performance metrics (i.e. brand awareness, message association, purchase intent)

"We are excited to be a part of the EyeWonder In-Stream 2.0 Research Project," notes David Goodrich, West Coast Director of OMD Digital. "For years, OMD has been pushing the creative envelope for our clients in the in- page ad environment with EyeWonder, and we are ready to do the same in the in- stream space. We are proud to participate, and believe that EyeWonder's research initiative will result in the first real innovation for in-stream advertising since its debut on the Web."

In-Stream 2.0: Industry Implications

EyeWonder's In-Stream 2.0 research initiative will help define the optimal in-stream advertising experience for all key stakeholders -- users, publishers, interactive media buyers, interactive creative agencies and advertisers by:

-- Shaping the future of in-stream advertising while establishing optimal interaction tied to minimal intrusion. In other words, it will cultivate online advertising experiences within a video content player environment that achieve the most effective results for advertisers while delivering a user friendly format and the most effective ROI for both the publisher and the advertiser.

-- Leading to a cooperatively developed, standard, publishing-side player -- a technology solution set that employs the use of existing publisher ad serving platforms and will create an efficient and familiar process for media buyers and creative developers to execute against while supplying real time, readily understood results to bridge the gap between broadcast and interactive campaigns.

-- Empowering publishers to monetize video content without negatively affecting user experience and afford them a straightforward, efficient implementation and buying process with minimum strain on technical resources.

-- Furnishing interactive agencies with an exponentially more powerful creative palette that allows for rich and engaging interactive advertising executions while establishing and maintaining a creative baseline for further innovation.

-- Offering media buyers uniform trafficking, buying, and reporting to create efficiencies for execution and value analysis.

For more information on In-Stream 2.0 or to find out how your company or agency might participate, please contact EyeWonder via email: instream@eyewonder.com

About NBC Universal

The NBC Universal Television Stations division comprises 14 NBC television stations in major U.S. television markets, along with 15 stations affiliated with the Telemundo Network. Together, these stations cover approximately 30% of the nation's viewing households, and annually generate more than $2 billion in revenue from advertising sales. Individually managed and staffed, these stations broadcast NBC and Telemundo network programs and present substantial amounts of locally produced news, sports, and public affairs programming. The company's Telemundo stations are in key Hispanic markets to capitalize on the nation's fastest-growing population segment, and station duopolies in six of the nation's top 20 markets enhance profitability and enable the stations to deliver the highest quality programming to their audiences.

About OMD

OMD (www.omd.com) is one of the largest and most innovative media communications specialists in the world, with more than 140 offices in 80 countries. Named 2006 Most Creative Agency in the World by The Gunn Report for Media, OMD also had the distinction of being named Media Agency of the Year and winning a Gold Lion and two Bronze Lions at the 2007 Cannes International Advertising Festival. In addition, OMD was awarded the most Effies in 2006 and 2007, including the highest honor of Grand Effie, and was named 2005 Global Media Agency of the Year by Adweek and 2005 Media Agency of the Year in the U.S. by Advertising Age. The agency network is a unit of Omnicom Group Inc.

About InsightExpress

InsightExpress is an acknowledged pioneer of rapid turnaround, high- quality, online marketing research services. With its patented technology, market research expertise, and access to more than 100 million online individuals, InsightExpress enables its clients to easily harness market research to make the right business decision in real-time. The company is headquartered in Stamford, CT, and maintains offices in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. InsightExpress is affiliated with General Atlantic LLC. Visit us on the Web at www.insightexpress.com or call 203-406-3233.

About Akamai

Akamai(R) is the leading global service provider for accelerating content and applications online. Thousands of organizations have formed trusted relationships with Akamai, improving their revenue and reducing costs by maximizing the performance of their online businesses. Leveraging the Akamai EdgePlatform, these organizations gain business advantage today, and have the foundation for the emerging Web solutions of tomorrow. Akamai is "The Trusted Choice for Online Business." For more information, visit www.akamai.com.

About EyeWonder, Inc.

EyeWonder, Inc., is rich media and digital video's fastest-growing innovator, empowering brands and advertisers to leverage the industry's most comprehensive creative capabilities for campaigns that are proven to deliver richer results. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company's pioneering technology enables advertisers and agencies to focus their time and energy on producing the strongest interactive ad campaigns that reach across today's top browsers and operating systems while eliminating inefficiencies that limit creativity and slow workflow processes. Moreover, EyeWonder delivers. A 2006 Dynamic Logic study found that the EyeWonder-powered campaigns generate a 65% increase in aided brand awareness and a 34% increase in message association, and that it leads all other top rich media providers in three out of four core brand metrics.

EyeWonder services the world's top agencies and brands, and its rich media and video ad products are accepted by more than a thousand online publishers, including Yahoo!, AOL, and MSN. For more information on Richer Media and Richer Results, please visit http://www.eyewonder.com.

Source: EyeWonder, Inc.

CONTACT: Kathleen Zakrzewski, +1-610-934-7563, +1-215-939-5709 Mobile,
kathleen@0to5.com, or Scott Gleeson Blue, +1-610-934-7560, +1-215-356-7423
Mobile, scott@0to5.com, both of Zer0 to 5ive, for EyeWonder, Inc.

Web site: http://www.eyewonder.com/
http://www.akamai.com/
http://www.insightexpress.com/
http://www.omd.com/

---

Profile: International Entertainment