GSI Commerce and The Timberland Company Win An MITX Award for Successful Interactive Marketing & Brand Campaign
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., Nov. 21, 2005 – GSI Commerce Inc. (Nasdaq:GSIC), announced today that the company’s interactive marketing group along with its e-commerce partner, The Timberland Company (NYSE: TBL), recently won a prestigious MITX award for a rich media, online marketing campaign. Sponsored by the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX), the MITX awards program is an annual competition that recognizes excellence in the creation and use of interactive technologies.
The interactive campaign successfully raised consumer awareness online for Timberland’s custom boot program, which had relaunched in August with a new, flash-based interactive shopping feature on Timberland’s online store at www.timberland.com. The feature enables customers to monogram and create their own one-of-a-kind boot, seeing their design selections real-time on men’s, women’s and children’s styles.
To get the word out about the new custom boot feature, the interactive marketing group of GSI Commerce, in conjunction with Timberland, created an online brand and product marketing campaign using “expandable” rich media banner ads, which immediately draws the consumer into an interactive experience with the Timberland brand. As soon as the consumer “mouses over” the banner ad, that person can explore the interactive process of personalizing a Timberland boot as part of the actual advertisement. If the consumer’s interest is sufficiently piqued, he or she can click directly to the Timberland online store from the ad, customize the product and make the purchase. The campaign’s performance generated strong interaction, click-through, and conversion rates.
“It is an honor to stand alongside our e-commerce partner, Timberland, and win an MITX award,” said Ben Tatta, vice president of GSI Commerce and head of its interactive marketing group. “This award, along with the results achieved by the campaign, is proof that good things happen when world-class brands like Timberland embrace rich media advertising. Our next step is to develop more ways to leverage rich media to syndicate Web commerce functions such as personalization and ‘check-out.’”
“Results materialize when you combine great product with powerful marketing and seamless execution,” said Troy Brown, The Timberland Company’s senior director for e-commerce. “The interactive ad generated significant brand awareness for Timberland and for our new custom boot offering on timberland.com. Collaborating with GSI Commerce on this advertising campaign provided Timberland with excellent results.”
As its interactive marketing agency, GSI Commerce’s interactive marketing group offers a host of services for GSI Commerce partners including strategic online market planning and consulting, return on investment modeling, forecasting, competitive analysis, search and affiliate marketing programs, online advertising, comparison shopping engine marketing, short message service (SMS) marketing and marketing through emerging platforms such as iTV and wireless.
This is the tenth year for the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX) Awards program and GSI Commerce and Timberland are among five finalists for the use of rich media in a branding or a direct response campaign. From the finalists, MITX selects a winner in 24 categories. Winners were announced during a gala awards ceremony held in Boston on Nov. 2.
The MITX awards are considered to be among the most prestigious interactive awards competition in the country. The awards recognize the most innovative, effective and compelling achievements in the development and implementation of interactive technologies designed, developed or produced in New England or on behalf of New England-based companies. The Timberland Company is based in Stratham, N.H.
About GSI Commerce
GSI Commerce is a leading provider of e-commerce solutions that enable retailers, branded manufacturers, entertainment companies and professional sports organizations to operate e-commerce businesses. We provide solutions for our partners through our integrated e-commerce platform, which is comprised of three components: core technology, supporting infrastructure and partner services. We either operate, or will operate pursuant to signed agreements, all or portions of the e-commerce businesses for approximately 50 partners. As the interactive marketing unit of GSI Commerce, GSI Commerce’s interactive marketing group offers a host of services for GSI Commerce partners including strategic market planning, modeling, analysis, forecasting, and competitive analysis; search and affiliate marketing programs; online advertising; comparison shopping engine marketing, co-marketing and marketing on emerging platforms such as iTV and wireless.
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements made in this release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “guidance,” “potential,” “continue,” “project,” “forecast,” “confident,” “prospects,” and similar expressions typically are used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the then-current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about the business of GSI Commerce and the industries and markets in which GSI Commerce operates. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors which may affect GSI Commerce’s business, financial condition and operating results include the effects of changes in the economy, the impact of FASB 123(R), consumer spending, the financial markets and the industries in which GSI Commerce and its partners operate, changes affecting the Internet and e-commerce, the ability of GSI Commerce to develop and maintain relationships with strategic partners and suppliers and the timing of its establishment, extension or termination of its relationships with strategic partners, the ability of GSI Commerce to timely and successfully develop, maintain and protect its technology and product and service offerings and execute operationally, the ability of GSI Commerce to attract and retain qualified personnel, the ability of GSI Commerce to successfully integrate its acquisitions of other businesses, if any, and the performance of acquired businesses. More information about potential factors that could affect GSI Commerce can be found in its most recent Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and other reports and statements filed by GSI Commerce with the SEC. GSI Commerce expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as otherwise specifically stated by GSI Commerce.
Contact:
Greg Ryan
GSI Commerce, Inc.
Director, Corp. Communications
tel: 610-491-7294
ryang@gsicommerce.com
Kristin Conrad
GSI Commerce, Inc.
Account Executive
tel: 610 491 7193
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
