Sociosophy

CHANTILLY, VA – BIA’s The Kelsey Group (www.kelseygroup.com), a division of BIA Advisory Services, LLC (www.bia.com), forecasts U.S. mobile search advertising revenues to grow from $39 million in 2008 to $2.3 billion by 2013, a compound annual growth rate of 125.6 percent.

“We anticipate a tenfold increase in the number of mobile Internet users during the forecast period — from 5.2 million in 2008 to 56.2 million in 2013,” said Neal Polachek, chief executive officer, BIA’s The Kelsey Group. “The attendant increase in searches per user and the percentage of search results that are served with ads will drive the growth in mobile search ad revenues.”

BIA/Kelsey will present the forecast during “Winning Media Strategies,” its first conference to focus on the new media landscape and the opportunities for traditional media businesses and online companies, May 20-22 in Washington, D.C. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) recently partnered with Winning Media Strategies to demonstrate the importance of mobile and other online methods of distribution to the broadcast industry.

The Winning Media Strategies program will examine the role of mobile advertising in multiplatform business models and focus on how local advertisers can find income through cross-platforms, including online, social and mobile media. Rick Ducey, BIA’s chief strategy officer, will lead a panel titled, “How Broadcasters Can Get the Local Edge in Mobile Advertising,” featuring Sam Matheny, general manager, News Over Wireless, and Ivan Braiker, CEO, HipCricket. The panel will discuss specific opportunities for broadcasters to win new segments of the advertising pie, including local content, mobile video, messaging and even interactive applications for mobile devices. In addition to advertising revenue models, subscription revenue models will also be explored.

“Broadcasters are very aware that new technology trends can help them compete better in today’s marketplace,” commented Anne Schelle, executive director, Open Mobile Video Coalition, and a speaker at Winning Media Strategies. “The next step is to determine viable, effective go-to-market strategies that monetize their assets.”

This discussion will be front and center at Winning Media Strategies where attendees will examine how to leverage local content and sales forces and develop cross-platform media campaigns to add unique value to their sales and marketing solutions and drive new forms of revenues.

The Winning Media Strategies agenda features speakers from many key market segments, including broadcast and Internet media, mobile platforms, print media, government, academia, finance, lobbying companies, law firms, and trade associations, who will share their insights on what it takes to remain relevant in the changing local media industry. Attendees will learn from industry leaders and innovators from both traditional and new media, including keynote speakers John Kannapell, vice president, AOL Search and Directional Media; Marci Ryvicker, vice president, Wachovia; Jeff Smulyan, CEO, Emmis Communications; Mark Walsh, CEO, GeniusRocket; and Dick Wiley, partner, Wiley Rein.

Media partners for the conference include TVNewsday, Washington Business Journal, Radio-Info.com and Inside Radio. CobbCorp is a conference sponsor. Additional information on Winning Media Strategies, including a full list of sessions and speakers, is available at http://www.bia.com/WMS.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Tagged Inc. announced today its inclusion into the Interpolls Rich Media Pricing Network.

Tagged is experiencing tremendous growth and is now the third largest social network in the U.S., as measured by comScore, with more than 50 million monthly visits. Tagged’s focus on social discovery has propelled it to over six billion monthly page views worldwide.

By joining Interpolls Pricing Network, Tagged will provide highly-competitive pricing and advanced rich media executions to advertisers seeking to leverage rich media across Tagged’s platform.

“At Tagged, we provide our advertising clients with both scale and a highly engaged audience. By joining the Interpolls Network, we enhance our advertising solutions with a complete portfolio of rich media products and exceptional client service,” said Steve Sarner, Vice President of Sales at Tagged.

“Interpolls is thrilled to partner with Tagged to provide innovative rich media solutions to advertisers and media agencies. Tagged.com has very quickly become a top social networking site, and having them on board will provide our clients with another great place to distribute Interpolls rich media units,” said Peter Kim, CEO of Interpolls. Advertisers can leverage Interpolls rich media ads for the same cost as standard ads, while benefiting from the massive audience Tagged.com brings to the online advertising community.

LOS ANGELES, CA- Leading social viewing platform View2Gether.com, has secured its “Series A” investment round from an investor group including View2Gether.com Chairman Jeff Sagansky and View2Gether Pacific. Today’s announcement was made by View2Gether.com President and CEO, Chris Adams. Adams was the co-founder of noted production company Participant Media and Producer of Facebook.com and Comcast’s “Facebook Diaries.”

View2Gether.com is a social media platform that allows users to gather in an online community to watch, share and customize video content all while chatting with each other in real time. The View2Gether.com platform gives users the power to create personal “lounges” around content themes, subjects, genres, personalities – whatever they like – in effect creating their own “channels.” For partner sites, turning users into programmers offers vast increases in traffic, video and page views and time on site, all of which translate into increased revenues. View2Gether.com’s first launch was with CBS Interactive’s www.adikted.tv (one of the leading broadband entertainment sites in Australia) and has recently signed a universal license deal with Sony. On March 30th 2009, View2Gether.com launched with ABC Family and is currently powering Viewing Parties for their hit show, “GREEK.”

“We could not be more thrilled by this investment as it really validates our business model, approach and will help us continue to secure market share,” comments Adams. “The social viewing space is emerging rapidly and we are very pleased to be at the forefront, redefining the way consumers engage video content and social media.”

View2Gether Pacific is an investment vehicle for several leading Australian arts and entertainment investors including Film Producer Bruno Charlesworth, Theatre Director Michael Kantor and Music Promoter Steve Castan. “Our investment in View2Gether.com is about the people. Having entertainment and new media heavyweights such as Chris Adams and Jeff Sagansky involved provides great leadership and security,” added Charlesworth. “That combined with the power and flexibility of the View2Gether.com platform has resulted in an offering that’s an unrivaled market leader. Being involved with such an intuitive, experienced and nimble operation was an opportunity we couldn’t afford to miss.”

Additional investment capital in this round was secured from View2Gether.com’s Board Chairman Jeff Sagansky. Sagansky, former CEO of Paxson Communications, Co-President of Sony Pictures and President, CBS Television, is currently Chairman of RHI Entertainment.

Nokia (NYSE: NOK) and America Movil, through its Telcel subsidiary, today announced they will be offering the breakthrough 5800 Comes With Music concept to the Mexican market. The 5800 Comes With Music is the industry’s most comprehensive, powerful and exciting digital music offer, combining the Comes With Music service and the highly innovative Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia’s first touch-screen device.

5800 Comes With Music will be commercially available on May 1st through Telcel, the leading wireless services provider in Mexico. Consumers getting the solution either through Telcel’s Authorized Customer Centers or through its Authorized Distributors, will be able to take advantage of the largest voice and data network coverage in the country, plus best prices and value added services in the market. It will also be available at Nokia’s flagship store located at the Antara Shopping Mall and Nokia’s Online Store http://www.nokia.com.mx/shop.

The 5800 Comes With Music service offers consumers a new way of discovering and enjoying music from the mobile device or PC. Consumers accessing Comes with Music through their Nokia 5800 XpressMusic device will be able to navigate and enjoy a wide-ranging music catalog of tracks from local and international artists for a year without worrying about track cost and without experiencing access restrictions to millions of tracks available from Nokia Music Store, the new digital music store in Mexico. In addition, they will be able to keep their music on the mobile device or PC once the subscription is over. This service revolutionizes the digital music experience known thus far.

“The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic has already sold 3 million devices worldwide, now Mexican consumers will be able to get hold of the 5800 Comes With Music,” said Francisco Lorenzo, Nokia Mexico Director. “Users can simply find and discover all the music they want, without worrying about the price of each album or track. Simplicity and freedom of use are two of the leading features of this service, but most revolutionary of all is that users get to keep all their favorite music in their PC or Nokia device without worrying about the cost of each track,” he said.

This breakthrough concept succeeded in uniting all known music labels, including EMI, Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, among others, in addition to independent music companies and other music agents.

“Today’s needs for communication are greater, that’s why Telcel is always looking at offering the best devices like the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, a phone that will provide our users with a new way of experiencing the music in a mobile phone”, said Patricia Hevia, Operations Director of Telcel’s Region 9. “The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic takes advantage of Telcel’s 3G network, which today covers 149 cities and thousands of villages”, she continued.

Telcel, aiming to foster the use of mobile Internet, and with the introduction of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic to the Mexican market, offers competitive rates, appropriate to its users. This way, it promotes and facilitates the mobile experience, while users can rely on access to affordable prices and services, and benefit to the max from 3G technology applications through Telcel’s Unlimited Data Plan backing up the great features that 5800 XpressMusic offers to consumers.

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

On music-focused devices, consumers demand a high-quality music experience, more memory, powerful speakers, simple synchronization, and mobile functionality with direct access to key content and contacts. The new Nokia 5800 XpressMusic provides all these features, plus simple access to content, regardless of user location.

The new Nokia 5800 XpressMusic features a touch-screen technology introducing the “Multimedia Bar,” a simple pop-up menu providing direct access to music and entertainment, including songs, videos and pictures. The “Multimedia Bar” also provides a direct link to the Web, as well as to various online information-sharing applications. With the new Nokia 5800 XpressMusic supporting flash content, users will be able to navigate across the Web. Additionally, the new Nokia 5800 XpressMusic delivers basic music essentials, including a graphic equalizer, 8 GB of memory for up to 6,000 tracks, support for all digital music formats and a 3.5 mm jack. The built-in stereo speakers’ surround-sound experience makes them the most powerful in the market.

With the new “Contacts Bar,” users are able to highlight four of their favorite contacts on the home screen. And with a single touch, they can track a recent history of text messages, e-mail, call log, pictures and blog updates.

LOUISVILLE, KY – VibrantNation.com, the online destination for women 50+ and the first peer-to-peer information exchange populated by these smart and passionate women, is continuing to establish their reputation as the thought leader on issues relating to women 50+. Vibrant Nation founder and CEO Stephen Reily and Senior Strategist Carol Orsborn, Ph.D., will lend their expertise to several upcoming marketing and boomer conferences – M2W(R) – The Marketing to Women Conference (Chicago, IL – April 29 & 30), Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference (Tampa, FL – May 12), Targeting Boomers & Beyond (Washington, DC – May 15), BookExpo America (New York, NY – May 28 -31) and PRSA Counselors Academy Spring Conference (Palm Springs, CA – May 31-June 2).

“Vibrant Women are continuously growing their online presence,” commented Stephen Reily. “We at VibrantNation.com know the power of the smart, savvy woman 50+ and will be sharing unique data and marketing opportunities with conference attendees.”

“Women 50+ are increasingly defining the online landscape,” commented Carol Orsborn, Ph.D. “We’re growing our networks, shopping, reading and learning from each other. Marketers who learn to speak into us Vibrant Women, will be able to tap into the healthiest and wealthiest generation of our time.”

Vibrant Nation’s April and May conference schedule will include:

Marketing to Women – April 29 & 30, 2009, Chicago

M2W(R) – The Marketing to Women Conference will bring together the top brand executives and marketing-to-women thought leaders. At M2W(R) Mr. Reily and Dr. Orsborn will each host a roundtable discussion on affluent women 50+ and marketing via social media.

Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference – May 12, 2009, Tampa

The Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference offers an in-depth look at issues having the greatest impact on Boomer’s lives including the global economy, financing longevity, care giving, wellness and health, and personal reinvention.

At The Florida Boomer Lifestyle Conference, Dr. Orsborn will participate in a panel discussion titled, What Do Women Want?, where she will share findings from the Vibrant Nation’s white paper – Well Connected and Wired: The Vibrant Woman.

Targeting Boomers and Beyond – May 15, 2009, Washington, DC

The Targeting Boomers and Beyond workshop offers new ideas and insight from internationally recognized experts in mature marketing.

Dr. Orsborn will be conducting a seminar – Well-Connected and Wired: Motivating the Five Segments of the Vibrant Woman Market where she will share findings from the Vibrant Nation’s white paper – Well Connected and Wired: The Vibrant Woman.

BookExpo America, May 28-31, 2009, New York

BookExpo America (BEA) is the largest publishing event in North America. The conference attendees gain access to what’s new, what’s next and everything exciting in the world of books.

Dr. Orsborn will moderate the panel for Wired and Receptive: Reaching Boomer Book Buyers Online, where the panelists – including Mr. Reily – will discuss how women 50+ are using online destinations, like VibrantNation.com as virtual book clubs and working out win-win relationships with publishers.

PRSA Counselors Academy Spring Conference, May 31-June 2, Palm Springs, CA

The PRSA Counselors Academy Spring Conference is organized by the Public Relations Society of America and engages PR industry professionals with ideas, advice, answers and encouragement aimed at growing their business.

Dr. Orsborn will participate in a panel discussion titled Starting Over: The Art of Resilience. This panel discussion will feature industry luminaries who will share their experiences of how they embraced failure and moved on to own and manage successful agencies. Relying on stories, anecdotes and practical advice, attendees will find out how to be the kind of individual, team or organization that thrives regardless of the challenges they face.

Stephen Reily is a successful marketing entrepreneur, marketing expert and founder of VibrantNation.com. At Vibrant Nation, Mr. Reily serves as CEO and writes the weekly Flash Forward blog, where he engages marketers as well as VibrantNation.com members with insights and fresh research about marketing to the new 50+ woman.

Dr. Orsborn is an internationally known author and thought leader on issues related to Boomer women and matters regarding adult development and quality of life. Carol serves as Senior Strategist to VibrantNation.com and pens her regular Inside the Nation blog for the new online destination for women 50+.