CNET Networks and Ignited Minds Introduce Groundbreaking NOP World Sta

CNET Networks and Ignited Minds Introduce Groundbreaking NOP World Starch Research for Online Ads; Studies Results Reveal Creative Best Practices for Effective Online Ads

    Business Editors/High-Tech Writers/Marketing Writers

    SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 25, 2005--CNET Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNET), a leading global interactive media company, and independent ad agency Ignited Minds (www.ignitedminds.com), today introduced the results of the first-ever NOP World Starch(TM) study designed to provide marketers best practices for creating effective online ads. Results of this breakthrough research reveal the creative elements and ad formats that work best online in grabbing and holding users' attention, connecting them to the brand, and effectively communicating key messages.
    CNET Networks' GameSpot (www.gamespot.com) and Ignited Minds, whose client roster includes top interactive entertainment publishers, worked with the Starch Communications division of NOP World, which for more than 80 years, has set the industry standard for research designed to measure print ad readership. In fact, Starch research has helped advertisers and publishers develop best practices for maximizing print advertising effectiveness and gain insight into what creative executions work best in print.
    So far, surveys have been conducted on CNET Networks' GameSpot and CNET.com Web sites, with other CNET Networks sites to participate later this year. Nearly 8,600 users participated in the surveys. The GameSpot survey tested the performance of 100 game title online ads across five ad sizes, and the CNET survey tested 33 online ads for consumer electronics products across three ad sizes. Working with CNET Networks, Starch modified and expanded the questioning areas to adapt to the online environment, using similar methodology across the studies.
    In other media, there are established creative guidelines that help marketers effectively elicit the desired emotional response from consumers, communicate product benefits, and otherwise achieve their campaign goals. Online, where marketers are still learning, there is little understanding of which creative approaches work. To date, online research has focused on campaign-specific brand perception studies. While these studies help marketers understand whether or not a campaign resonates, they do not isolate the effect of the specific creative elements within a campaign. Starch provides generally applicable, real-world insight on the creative elements that cause ads to succeed or fail, aggregated across multiple ad units.
    As marketers shift their spending online in order to reach the increasingly distracted, always-on consumer, their biggest concern is finding an answer to the $64,000 question: what works in this relatively new medium? According to an annual survey of US Advertising Professionals conducted by the American Advertising Foundation (AAF, 11/04), the top two challenges advertisers face include developing ideas that break through the clutter, and using creative to change consumer behavior.
    "Online advertising offers unique advantages: rich tools like Flash, video and animation, and powerful measurement capabilities that show user engagement," said Joe Gillespie, chief marketing officer of CNET Networks. "What's missing is an understanding of which creative executions will have the desired impact. Starch addresses this void, and by testing multiple ads at once, provides valuable feedback from a real-world environment and relative to other advertising."
    "Many marketers do not yet know how to create effective advertising online. We know this through research that the IAB has done in conjunction with The Advertising Research Foundation (ARF)," said Greg Stuart, CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). "Providing insights and information that assists marketers in how to create online advertising that works is critical."
    "Like advertising in print or TV, online ads have the power to grab consumers' attention and communicate vital marketing information," said Michael Zimbalist, president of the Online Publisher's Association (OPA). "The insights provided by this study should be of great interest to marketers and online publishers alike."
    "Starch has been conducting advertising research longer than anyone in the world," said Phil Sawyer, senior vice president & director of NOP World's Starch Communications division. "The creative standards Starch established for print were considered breakthrough decades ago, and now, we are excited to bring that same level of innovation to assessing online ad creative. If we achieve our goal, online best practices will reach a point where they are accepted as a cornerstone of marketing strategy, just as print best practices are today."

    Starch Results

    After careful review of the data and extensive observation of the ads, best practices including three core themes and several specific creative principles emerged from the GameSpot and CNET.com Starch research. In addition, valuable insights were gained regarding approaches that do not resonate well with users. While a top-line overview of core themes is below, a comprehensive summary of key findings and examples, as well as a detailed description of methodology, is available by contacting Jenifer Concepcion in the CNET Networks PR department at jenifer.concepcion@cnet.com.

    The core themes include:

--	Online ads can communicate on both an emotional and rational level. This finding is meaningful in that it contradicts the assumption that online is primarily a direct response platform. Strong creative that conveys an emotional benefit (i.e. the excitement of playing the game) as well as rational attributes (i.e. the game's release date) were among the top performing ads. Ads that connected on an emotional level were more likely to be described by viewers with such statements as "humorous," "entertaining," "fun," "unique," "engaging," "memorable," and "persuasive." Marketers who do not include emotional elements in their ads are missing an opportunity to communicate brand essence to consumers.
--	Understand and leverage the unique strength of each ad unit. All ad units are not created equal. Findings from the GameSpot and CNET.com studies found that specific ad units perform well for specific functions. Advertisers should think about the ad unit's size and shape attributes and apply creative approaches that are shown to work best for those attributes, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, re-sizing a single creative execution to different types of ad units. The Starch results outline the best uses of standard ad units including Interactive Messaging Units (IMUs), Leaderboards, and Skyscrapers, and provide best practices examples.

    "This finding is particularly meaningful to us, as it underscores the need for a close partnership between our creative and media teams," said Lydia Estrada, vice president of media services for Ignited Minds. "Each ad unit size and shape provides a different creative opportunity. Marketers who simply resize a single creative to fit multiple ad units are likely missing out on a lot of traction. Starch research helps us make this case to our clients, so we can guide them toward better results."

    -- Strong creative makes a difference. Ads that rated best among
    users combined a number of creative elements, such as simple
    and easy-to-understand visuals with images that pop; the fast
    and clear communication of benefits; and the smart use of
    motion to create a natural flow that draws the eye to the
    visuals then past the headline and copy to the logo.

    About CNET Networks, Inc.

    CNET Networks, Inc. is a worldwide media company and creator of content environments for the interactive age. CNET Networks takes pride in being "a different kind of media company," creating richer, deeper interactive experiences by combining the wisdom and passion of users, marketers and its own expert editors. CNET Networks' leading brands -- such as CNET, GameSpot, MP3.com, Webshots, and ZDNet -- focus on the personal technology, entertainment, and business technology categories. The company has a strong presence in the US, Asia and Europe.

    About Ignited Minds (www.ignitedminds.com)

    Ignited Minds is a fully integrated advertising agency located in Marina del Rey, California, that offers a complete range of services including: advertising, graphic design, online, video, event management, promotions, media and strategic planning. The agency was founded in 1999. Clients include Sony Electronics, The U.S. Army, Activision, Newegg.com, Sega of America, Cadbury Schweppes, Jose Cuervo, Namco Hometek and Loyola Marymount University.

    About NOP World...

    Starch Communications is a division of NOP World. A leading supplier of syndicated and custom research, NOP World offers focused expertise across six areas -- automotive, business and technology, consumer and retail, financial services, health and media. Industry specialists are supported by five Centers of Excellence. Four focus on the key stages of the marketing cycle -- Market Opportunity, Brand Strategy, Marketing Effectiveness and Customer Management. The fifth -- NOP World's Research Center of Excellence -- provides best-in-field research design, methodologies and analytics.
    NOP World was formed in 2004, by uniting US and European research leaders, including Allison-Fisher...Market Measures/Cozint...Mediamark Research Inc...NOP Automotive...NOP Healthcare...NOP Research Group...RoperASW...RoperNOP Consulting...Strategic Marketing Corporation...and Eurisko.

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CONTACT: CNET Networks, Inc. Martha Papalia, 617-225-3340 (Media) Martha.papalia@cnet.com Cammeron McLaughlin, 415-344-2844 (Investors) cammeron.mclaughlin@cnet.com or Ignited Minds Lauren Larsen, 310-754-3341 llarsen@ignitedminds.com

KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: HARDWARE ADVERTISING/MARKETING SOFTWARE INTERNET E-COMMERCE SOURCE: CNET Networks, Inc.

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