For Immediate Release

OMMA Magazine Awards Outrider and Sears.com OMMA Award for Best Search Copy Campaign

Leading global search marketing agency recognized for search strategy implemented for major retailer; first winner in new category of national award

St. Louis ­­­– October 2, 2006 – MediaPost.s OMMA Magazine has awarded Outrider, a leading global search marketing agency, with the 2006 OMMA Award for Best Search Copy Campaign. The award was given to Outrider and major retail client, Sears.com, for outstanding search strategy and execution. The OMMA Awards are divided into 19 categories related to online marketing, media and advertising; Outrider and Sears.com are the first to receive the award for the new category of Best Search Copy Campaign.

Outrider's incorporation of consumer segmentation and the integration of search into the overall marketing mix is what made the agency's strategy for Sears.com an award-winning campaign.

"Receiving this award illustrates that advanced search marketing strategy is key to an organization's success in what has become a $10 billion industry," said Chris Copeland, Senior Partner and Managing Director of Outrider. "The strategy for Sears.com in 2006 proves the dynamic impact search marketing can have when integrated with other elements of an organization's marketing mix."

Together, Outrider and Sears.com identified two search marketing goals: increased revenue and return on investment (ROI). To accomplish this, a search campaign was developed around what Sears was offering through its other marketing channels, with attention to known strategies that influence consumer behavior.

Taking search marketing beyond traditional website optimization and paid ad placement on the search engines, Outrider and Sears looked cross-channel at the organization's marketing efforts and identified ways to leverage the retailer online. The strategy – integration of promotions from Sears' weekly national print circulars, combined with proactive campaign management, utilization of the search engines' special tool offerings, and messaging that is more relevant to the consumer's interests – yielded remarkable results. Sears.com achieved a click-through-rate (CTR) increase of 200-300%, executed smarter search spending that coincides with Sears' promotions, and improved placement on the search engines without increasing cost-per-click (CPC).

"We want to help our clients stay ahead of the curve as search marketing continues to evolve and provide strategy so that search marketing plays an effective, valuable role in their marketing mix," said Copeland. "By integrating promotional efforts with services that appeal to the customer, Sears.com has a search campaign that is not only more relevant to consumer interests, but is more relevant to their marketing efforts."

OMMA Awards honor creative excellence

The OMMA Awards set the standard for creative excellence in the online industry by honoring brand marketers, agencies and content providers who continue to push the potential of online advertising creative. The goal of the OMMA Awards it to offer insight and vision on what is truly possible using the online arena, and to illuminate those who continue to stretch the boundaries of online advertising creative. The annual industry award is hosted by OMMA magazine, the only monthly magazine dedicated to the business of Online Media, Marketing and Advertising.

This summer, MediaPost named Outrider as a finalist for two major industry awards – OMMA magazine's OMMA Awards and MEDIA magazine's Creative Media Awards. Outrider was the only search agency to be named as finalists for both awards, securing two of three finalist positions in the OMMA Awards Best Search Copy Campaign category, featuring highlights from search marketing campaigns for clients Sears.com and Sears Home Services (Sears In-Home Repair). Outrider's campaign for Sears.com was selected as one of three finalists in the Online Media – Search category for the Creative Media Awards.

About Outrider
Outrider (www.outrider.com) is a leading global search marketing consultancy that provides relevant, comprehensive search and consumer-driven media strategy for market-leading organizations including Sears, Brinks Home Security, Xerox, AstraZeneca, Showtime, Microsoft and more. Regarded in the industry for their thought leadership, Outrider helps Fortune 1000 clients realize the impact search marketing has when integrated into the overall marketing mix and enables clients to experience relevance through search by connecting client content with user intent. Identified as an industry pioneer since emerging as the first search marketing firm in 1995, Outrider's unique client service model and dedicated analytics department allow the company to serve as proactive ambassadors for clients to ensure their search marketing campaigns delivers insight, immediacy and impact.

Outrider is a WPP company and the dedicated search marketing agency for GroupM, WPP's media planning and buying arm responsible for 30% of the world's media buying. With North American headquarters in St. Louis, Outrider has offices in New York, and Chicago, and in 14 countries around the globe.

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