PointRoll and Clearspring Form Exclusive Partnership to Enable Viral, Rich Media 'SnaggableAds'

December 10, 2007; 06:25 AM

MCLEAN, Va. & CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Clearspring Technologies Inc., the market leader in widget syndication and tracking, and PointRoll, Inc., the leading developer of innovative rich media solutions, today announced a strategic alliance. Under the terms of the exclusive partnership, advertisers currently using PointRoll to incorporate rich media into their online campaigns will now be able to leverage Clearspring’s viral sharing technology to convert new or existing rich media ads into SnaggableAds.

SnaggableAds have a widget component that can be easily grabbed from any PointRoll ad unit and shared across social networks, start pages and blogs. The viral distribution capability exponentially spreads the advertiser’s brand messaging across the Internet, while tracking functionality lets advertisers monitor the widget’s progress and user engagement long after it has been grabbed from the initial ad.

Widgets include engaging content such as games, tools, animated characters, audio, video, dynamic data and more. The more compelling a widget, the more likely it is to be grabbed and dropped onto other pages, significantly extending the reach of the brand.

PointRoll’s creative team can build the widgets from scratch or from client assets, using their rich media expertise in conjunction with Clearspring’s cross-platform widget services. Clearspring’s viral sharing functionality may be placed into any of PointRoll’s ad formats, including FatBoy expandable ads, TowelBoy pre-expandable ads and TomBoy polite ads.

“The timing of this partnership makes perfect sense as PointRoll continues to build its arsenal of messaging solutions,” said Jason Tafler, PointRoll’s senior vice president of business operations and strategy. “Inherently viral, SnaggableAds are a particularly effective method of promoting a brand, and Clearspring’s widget leadership makes it an ideal partner in our quest to make ‘snaggable’ rich media ads both accessible to advertisers and ubiquitous to consumers.”

Hooman Radfar, Clearspring founder and chief executive officer, said, “Our alliance with PointRoll to introduce viral sharing and tracking capabilities into rich media advertising signifies a major shift in online media and advertising. We believe that this partnership, fortified by PointRoll’s market leadership and proven rich media expertise, will help shape the next generation of sharable ad formats.”

Results are easy to see, thanks to advanced reporting capabilities from both partners. PointRoll provides over 100 rich media metrics, including the number of times a widget was snagged. Clearspring tracks widget syndication, showing which placements the widget was snagged from, where it has landed and how users are interacting with it.

As part of their alliance, PointRoll will become the exclusive rich media ad provider for Clearspring’s Widget Ad Network, an in-widget advertising network also announced today by Clearspring. Through this aspect of their agreement, advertisers can use PointRoll to incorporate rich media ads directly into a wide variety of leading publisher widgets that are in Clearspring’s Widget Ad Network.

About PointRoll, Inc.

PointRoll, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), offers a solution to the limited performance of standard banner ads by effectively bringing a mini-Web site to the user without requiring a click. PointRoll's superior rich media technology and service enable advertisers to connect with consumers by creating an interactive online environment that generates conversion. With interactive features such as streaming video, polling, instant email, data collection and more, marketers can easily create and deliver ads that build brand and drive sales. The result: great creative controlled by the user and improved ad effectiveness – without the negative experience associated with intrusive technologies. Additionally, PointRoll delivers comprehensive, real-time reporting that definitively illustrates return on investment. For more information, please visit www.pointroll.com.

About Clearspring

Clearspring is the market's leading widget syndication and tracking and monetization service, used by the world's largest media companies and advertisers, and independent widget developers. Clearspring helps publishers and marketers extend their reach to the leading social networks, start pages and blogs and to respond to growing consumer demand for a more personalized desktop, Web, and mobile experience. Headquartered near Washington, D.C., Clearspring offers a comprehensive set of widget creation, distribution, management and monetization services. For more information about Clearspring Technologies and how to use widgets in your business or to join the Clearspring developer community, please visit www.clearspring.com.