TORONTO and BOSTON, Jan. 7 /CNW/ - Rogers Media, operator of Canada's
premier category-leading media properties, and BzzAgent, the advertising
industry's only international word-of-mouth (WOM) media network, today
announced a landmark partnership in which Rogers Media will license the
BzzAgent brand exclusively in Canada.
According to the agreement, Rogers Media will assume exclusive rights to
sell access to BzzAgent's WOM network in Canada and develop campaigns for that
consumer channel, under the name BzzAgent Canada. The Canadian company will
add WOM marketing services to its existing print, digital, broadcast and other
marketing solutions. The partnership makes Rogers Media the first and only
major Canadian media company to incorporate WOM into its advertising suite,
cementing Rogers Media's ability to offer 360-degree marketing solutions.
"We have always believed word of mouth to be the purest medium, and
today's announcement is proof positive," said Dave Balter, founder and CEO of
BzzAgent. "One of the world's most recognized media companies has just made an
unprecedented commitment to word of mouth in 2008. Canada has become the focal
point for the future of the industry."
The practice of activating and measuring WOM has become pervasive in the
US and is quickly gaining momentum in Canada. The BzzAgent network consists of
more than 360,000 unpaid consumers, nearly 10 percent of whom live in Canada.
These consumers, called Agents, volunteer to experience and discuss products
and services with members of their social circles. Since 2002, the company's
Agents have triggered more than 100 million honest, unscripted conversations -
online and offline.
"Working with BzzAgent reflects what we call the Rogers' Advantage - our
focus on being Canada's innovative one-stop marketing partner," said Brian
Segal, President and CEO, Publishing, Rogers Media. "We can now provide
clients with exclusive access to the leading provider of WOM marketing and
media services for the world's most esteemed brands."
This alliance will allow Canadian marketers to reap the benefits of WOM
marketing in an organized and measurable way. A BzzAgent WOM marketing
campaign will provide Rogers' clients with an opportunity to harness the power
of honest, authentic WOM through a targeted and measurable media network.
BzzAgent will help to bring the right brands together with the right consumers
to amplify traditional Rogers Media buys.
About Rogers Media Inc.
Rogers Media Inc., a division of Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX: RCI;
NYSE: RCI), operates Rogers Broadcasting and Rogers Publishing. Rogers
Broadcasting has 51 AM and FM radio stations across Canada. Television
properties include 5 Citytv stations as well as the OMNI multicultural
television stations. Rogers Sportsnet, Canada's live event leader, offers
viewers five channels and Sportsnet HD and the Shopping Channel is a televised
and Internet shopping service. Rogers Publishing produces many well-known
consumer magazines such as Maclean's, Chatelaine, Flare, L'actualité and
Canadian Business, and is the leading publisher of a number of industry,
medical and financial publications. All media properties are integrated with
their own popular web sites. Rogers Media also owns The Toronto Blue Jays
Baseball Club and Rogers Centre, a year-round sports and entertainment
facility.
About BzzAgent
BzzAgent, Inc. is an international word-of-mouth media network that helps
companies to accelerate and measure honest, real-world conversations among
everyday consumers. BzzAgent's innovative process, platform and programs
enable the acceleration and measurement of word of mouth as a marketing
medium. BzzAgent's clients generate awareness and shape perception about their
products and services via the company's growing community of 360,000 trained
consumer volunteers. Since 2006, BzzAgent participants have spread honest word
of mouth to more than 60 million friends and family members. For more
information on the company, visit www.bzzagent.com.
