For Immediate Release

Outrider Named As Finalists For Two Industry Awards

MediaPost announces finalists for OMMA and Creative Media Awards; Outrider is only search agency named as finalists for both awards

St. Louis , MO ­­­– September 6, 2006 – MediaPost has named search marketing agency Outrider as a finalist for both the 2006 OMMA Awards and MEDIA Magazine's 2006 Creative Media Awards. Outrider is the only search agency to be named as finalists for both awards, securing two of three finalist positions in the Best Search Copy Campaign category for the OMMA Awards, and featuring highlights from search marketing campaigns for Outrider 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.

These annual industry awards are hosted by MediaPost, an integrated publishing and content provider serving the media and interactive industries. 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.

Outrider's incorporation of consumer segmentation and the integration of search into the overall marketing mix is what makes these two search campaigns strong candidates for the OMMA Awards. By applying these tactics to the strategy and implementation of the search marketing, Outrider and Sears illustrated the dynamic impact search marketing can have on an organization's marketing efforts. Taking search to a new level by focusing on consumer segmentation and marketing integration yielded a click-through-rate (CTR) increase of up to 300 percent for Sears.com, and a 93 percent CTR increase and 280 percent conversion rate increase for Sears In-Home Repair.

MEDIA Magazine's Creative Media Awards acknowledge creativity in media and pays tribute to advertisers and their agencies for the year's most creative and innovative campaigns. In the Online Media - Search category, the award recognizes a campaign that creatively uses online search as its centerpiece. A finalist in this category, Outrider's Sears.com campaign utilized four strategies, including tying weekly promotions from Sears' national print circulars into search creative, to drive revenue and ROI. Special attention to search creative, integration of channels within Sears' marketing mix and aggressive campaign management not only resulted in a CTR increase of up to 300 percent, but also executed smarter search spending that coincides with Sears' promotions, and improved placement on the search engines without increasing cost-per-click (CPC).

Winners will be announced at evening award galas during Ad Week in New York City. The the OMMA Awards (September 26, 6 p.m.) and Creative Media Awards (September 27, 6 p.m.) will take place at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square.

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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