MSN.CA TAKES ONLINE MARKETING TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH THE LAUNCH OF TWO NEW INTERACTIVE MARKETING TOOLS
Online contests and eCoupons offer business customers new ways to drive traffic and increase brand awareness
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TORONTO, ON, April 16, 2003 — MSN.CA today announced it has enhanced its online marketing program with the addition of two new marketing tools that provide business customers with the ability to increase their one-to-one relationships with consumers. Available now, eCoupons and online games provide a new and innovative way to reach many of MSN.CA’s 16 million monthly unique visitors and MSN® Hotmail® e-mail service’s 8 million Canadian users, by building brand affinity, driving site traffic and increasing revenues.**
Created by MSN.CA, the bi-monthly eCoupon program helps attract new customers and generate additional sales by adding value to the regular member letter distributed to users of the MSN Hotmail service. Hotmail users who choose to receive eCoupons are sent a coupon or promotional code for one-time use only, providing advertisers with comprehensive and timely reporting data on the progress of the promotion.
The second online marketing tool being introduced to MSN.CA business customers is the ability to create custom online games and contests. Developed for MSN.CA by Splashworks.com, one of North America’s leading developers of online entertainment, the interactive games include virtual scratch and win, word games, and sports games such as hockey, soccer and basketball. Business customers can choose to run a game in combination with a contest or on its own as part of their marketing program. In addition to raising brand awareness and promoting new products and services, the advergaming solutions also extend business customers’ consumer relationships by providing additional email addresses for mailing lists, once consumers have opted to receive additional promotional information.
“We are very excited to be working with MSN.CA to offer enhanced interactive marketing services to their business customers,” said Jennifer Crisanti, Vice President of New Business, Splashworks.com. “As consumers become more comfortable and experienced with the Internet, interactive marketing has become a key tool to expand reach, increase brand awareness and ultimately drive revenues.”
Universal Studios Home Video recently utilized MSN.CA’s online contest tool for the launch of its Back to the Future DVD trilogy in December 2002. The game put consumers into the driver’s seat of the famous plutonium-powered DeLorean time-traveling car.
“By working with MSN.CA to execute our online marketing campaign, we leveraged a reputable brand and proven Internet technology to provide consumers with an engaging Internet experience”, said Kelly St. Onge Director, Publicity & Promotions, Universal Studios Home Video.
Marketers are recognizing the opportunities online media provide by offering more interesting and interactive experiences. According to a study of Fortune 1000 company senior executives conducted by Digital Impact, the use of interactive online media marketing is on the rise. The number of online contests rose to 38 per cent from eight per cent in the past year, while eCoupon initiatives rose to 20 per cent from five per cent during the same time period. ***
“Internet marketing is evolving beyond banner ads and keyword searches to become a more interactive and entertaining experience,” said Jill Schoolenberg, Director of Marketing, MSN.CA. “MSN.CA is pleased to lead the way in providing innovative online marketing programs that arm our business customers with the tools to increase brand awareness and drive revenues.”
About MSN.CA
MSN.CA is a leading Canadian Web portal with 16 million ** unique monthly visitors. Its suite of online services delivers news, information, entertainment, and a variety of communication tools including MSN® network of Internet services, Hotmail® web-based e-mail service and MSN® Search. MSN.CA also provides such high-quality interactive services as MSN® Messenger, MSN® Extra Storage, MSN 8®, MSN® Shopping, MSN® Groups and many more for the Microsoft® Windows® operating system. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.MSN.CA.
About Microsoft Canada Co.
Established in 1985, Microsoft Canada Co. is the Canadian subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq "MSFT") the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. Microsoft Canada provides nationwide sales, marketing, consulting and local support services in both French and English. Microsoft Canada is headquartered in Mississauga, with MSN.CA offices located in Toronto and eight regional offices across the country dedicated to empowering people through great software - any time, any place and on any device. Visit Microsoft Canada's web site at www.microsoft.ca.
About Splashworks.com
Splashworks.com is Canada’s leading developer of online entertainment in the form of interactive games and contests specifically deigned for brand customization and integration into Internet advertising campaigns. Splashworks.com is recognized for its high quality products, exceptional creativity, customer satisfaction and value. Founded in 1998, Splashworks.com has developed an extensive library of cutting-edge intellectual properties available to clients on a license basis. Splashworks.com is a privately owned company located in Toronto, Canada. For more information please visit www.splashworks.com.
About Universal Studios Home Video
Universal Studios Home Video is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Vivendi UNIVERSAL Entertainment (VUE) (www.universalstudios.com), the U.S.-based film, television and recreation entity of Vivendi Universal, a global media and communications company.
(c) 2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Hotmail, MSN, Windows and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
**(comScore Media Metrix Canada, Home/Work combined February 2003);Unique Visitors: The estimated number of different individuals within a designated demographic that access the content of a specific site from among the total number of projected individuals (only counted once, even if they visit the same site more than once)
***Trends in Direct Marketing Study," June 11, 2002
