Hearst

www.linkstorm.net

Interlinking Publisher Engine Optimized Display Advertising

www.linkstorm.net

About Linkstorm Linkstorm is an advertising technology company with a well-proven delivery engine for both Online Display Advertising and Publisher Networks and is pioneering a new approach to online advertising with the premise that ads perform better for the advertiser when they are more useful to the customer. The company’s patented IP and delivery system significantly improves a brand’s ability to leverage/engage users with relevant display ads, content and social streams. We make ads perform better for the advertiser by making them more useful for the consumer. Linkstorm has its technology approved across more than 500 publisher sites, 25 of the largest ad networks/exchanges and all the major portals (Yahoo, MSN, Google, AOL). Clients include Dell, Cisco, NY Times, SONY, IBM, American Express, AOL, Nissan, Radio Shack, HSBC, Philips, Liberty Mutual, CNN Money, Ogilvy, Mediacom, Goodby Silverstein, J Walter Thompson. Linkstorm Publisher Engine Linkstorm’s Publisher system is an automated and highly effective way to create a linking/menu overlay to any digital publishing content. Our next-generation hyperlinking system significantly enhances the performance of online advertising, e-commerce and online publishing by overlaying cascading menus onto any kind of hyperlink or ad unit, thus enabling customers to navigate directly to the information or actions that they want. This creates multiple ROI channels in terms of ad revenues, SEO dominance and subscription sales. As new content is added to your database, Linkstorm tags it and subsequently delivers it based on its relevance to specific enabled content on a users webpage. How Linkstorm Works By rolling over a Linkstorm-enabled link or ad, the customer unfurls a menu of links, thus previewing additional destinations even before having to click. Then a single click takes the customer deep into a website, right to the answer to their question, the product info they were seeking or the transaction they wanted to perform. In the case of advertising, these links could include multiple products; offer details or marketing messages that specifically address their interests. Linkstorm's technology represents a new way to navigate a publishers website. Instead of clicking serially through page after page searching for what you want,

www.linkstorm.net

you can preview multiple relevant destinations within a single menu by hovering over a link, image, ad or any other anchor to "unfurl" the menu. The look and feel of a Linkstorm menu is highly customizable using industry standard HTML and CSS and can be incorporated into any type of online content, from banner ads to text in an article, user-posted content, videos, logos or other rich media content including social networking profiles. Interconnecting content from within the Hearst Publishing Network can be an effective way of driving content generated traffic across your publishing network. Linkstorm is an object-oriented, massively scalable routing system where via our patented extensions, a one-to-one hyperlink can be replaced with a Linkstorm menu representing multiple URLs and where control of that menu remains centralized regardless of what based media it anchored to or wherever it goes on the web. Linkstorm menus, while used primarily for ads, can be created for publishing applications where automation links high volumes for content objects. As a result, Linkstorm menus become navigational aids for articles on a publisher site, videos on an aggregator site, or products in a catalog. Highly Optimized Banner Ads Linkstorm ads allow customers to navigate and act based on their true interests and built around specific content of the brand and/or campaign. Linkstorm enables targeting and contextual placement as a means to not only engage the user but also create a conversion-based transaction in the process. This engagment translates into a much higher level of performance and ad dollars for the publisher. Linkstorm ad menus can be easily modified via a centralized system regardless of where the ads are deployed, thus improving advertisers and agencies control of live ads. Changes appear immediately and universally, without having to re-master or re-traffic the ad. These "on-the-fly" updates are informed by the deep customer insights provided by Linkstorm's unique reporting capabilities. Advertisers and agencies can measure customer interests and menu interactions at a remarkably granular level. These insights can be used to optimize the ad menu in mid-flight or in follow-on flights, with minimal effort. Linkstorm has developed a robust back end to enable high-volume serving and tracking of Linkstorm ad menus. Our high-capacity ad servers can further utilize third party Content Delivery Networks for asset delivery support. Linkstorm-enabled ads can be trafficked through most major ad serving systems including those run by DoubleClick and Atlas. Our overlaying cascading menus connect users faster to the information they want and can be optimized in real-time without having to re-create or re-traffic the banner ad.

www.linkstorm.net

Publisher Benefits Get certified as Linkstorm reseller Getting certified is a snap. Our hands-on certification process makes Linkstorm ads both easy to sell and accept. Contact us today to get the certification process started and be on the list for Linkstorm ad buys! New revenue opportunities for Publishers Linkstorm is a premium ad format and command higher pricing based on its and performance and conversion ability. Optimize the value of your inventory Linkstorm ads expand within existing advertising real estate, whether it's intended for static ads or expanding ads, allowing publishers to provide greater value to advertisers without adding more clutter. Linkstorm certified publishers are thus able to command a premium for both high and low demand inventory by making them both perform better. Retain traffic Linkstorm ads allow users to engage with advertiser content without leaving the publisher's site instead of getting lost many pages deep into the advertiser's website, never to return. Also, no matter how deeply a user clicks into the advertiser's site via the Linkstorm menu, the user is always just one click back to the publisher's page.

www.linkstorm.net

Advertiser Benefits More Clicks, Better-Qualified Clicks, More Conversions Customers self-qualify for ad offers by navigating through options presented in a familiar, cascading menu format. Linkstorm's Clickless Navigation™ offers direct access to desired content or transactions while still on the page with the ad. Unconstrained by Banner Size By separating the banner from its navigation, Linkstorm ads offer customers multiple deep links via menus untethered by the size constraints of the underlying banner. Optimized For Both Attention and Action In Linkstorm enabled ads, a banner's sole purpose is to grab customers' attention and generate a rollover. This will 'pass customers over' to the Linkstorm menu, which will guide them to take appropriate action. Banners and menus can be tweaked independently during a live campaign in order to optimize their combined effectiveness. Centralized Management Makes it Easy to Optimize Live Campaigns Linkstorm menus can be easily modified from a centralized point of control no matter where they are deployed, thus improving performance even after campaign launch. Changes are reflected immediately and universally, without having to re-master or re-traffic the ad. Centralized Updates can be Manual, Automated, or Both Linkstorm menus can be populated manually (by ad-hoc decision of the marketer) or dynamically based on business rules, data feeds, or mash-ups from multiple sources and data formats. By designing Linkstorm menus with distinct, alternative marketing messages and navigation paths, it is possible to reach customers across all stages of the purchase funnel and demographics with just one ad unit. Linkstorm Optimizes Value of Existing Assets By embedding multiple deep links into banners, users are driven from ads directly to high value website content, maximizing the ROI of existing assets. The Linkstorm experience can even be continued on the advertiser's website or landing pages, further increasing page views, time spent on site, brand engagement and conversions.

www.linkstorm.net

Actionable Analytics Linkstorm goes beyond traditional campaign measurements by offering detailed reporting on engagement with the menus before the click, then on click-throughs at the individual menu choice level, and finally, on post-click activity. This presents advertisers and publishers with unique insights into user behavior that can be used to further optimize their Linkstorm campaigns, which can be done on the fly. User Benefits Puts users in control Linkstorm puts users in control by making it easy for them to find content and products of interest to them — resulting in a better experience for both users and advertisers. Respectful of users' time Deep links into specific advertiser pages alleviate potentially frustrating (and potentially aborted) navigation through an advertiser's site in search of relevant information. Friendly, easy-to-use format Linkstorm's non-intrusive format and interface lets users easily interact with ads when they want to, without being distracted from the publisher content they are reading. No matter how deeply a user clicks into the advertiser's site via the Linkstorm menu, the user is always just one click back to the publisher's page

Reseller opportunity Our Partnership Program is here to help develop new, high-performance ad solutions for your portfolio and its clients. Linkstorm can also help you create new co-marketing opportunities by integrating content and advertising in new and innovative ways with added value to your advertisers and bolt on revenue for you. Linkstorm is rapidly adding new publishers to our list of sites certified to accept Linkstorm ad buys. Our technology is standards compliant to make it easy for publishers to certify and run Linkstorm campaigns.

We feel getting Hearst Publications setup as a Linkstorm reseller is a great starting point in

building a strong partnership together.

www.linkstorm.net

Linkstorm Publisher Interlinking ROI Benefits • Higher Search Engine Rankings = more traffic. • Better Site Navigation = more page consumption and engagement. • More Content/link click throughs (30-50% more). • Better, faster, cheaper recombinant information products. • Better, faster, cheaper business development. Turn every reference to your content anywhere on the web into a “sales kiosk” – distributed anywhere and centrally controlled. Tactically • Top-level Google Rankings. • Superior user experience. • Radically reduced product development time. • Radically reduced web/development/maintenance costs. Strategically • Strengthen leadership position in Publishing Sector. • Publication can become center of sector eco-system. • Develop and extend premium offerings and premium pricing • Brand Reinforcement • Reinforce your advertiser/partner network. Effective Branded Integrity During our implementation process, we leverage your existing creative investments and assets. The decision tree navigation menu that overlays Linkstorm enabled link will quickly guide customers to content that is both relevant to them and within your data/content library.

www.linkstorm.net

Linkstorm’s Special Sauce: Digital Object Identifier (DOI) The Handle System as it relates to DOI, is a technology specification for assigning, managing, and resolving persistent identifiers for digital objects and other resources on the Internet. The protocols specified enable a distributed computer system to store identifiers (names, or handles), of digital resources and resolve those handles into the information necessary to locate, access, and otherwise make use of the resources. That information can be changed as needed to reflect the current state and/or location of the identified resource without changing the handle. What does it mean? Patricia Seybold: “We predict that, within five years, the DOI standard will be used to tag any “published” material from any industry—that is, all content or information that is officially released for consumption, whether within or outside of your firewalls.” Harold McGraw III: “The DOI is…a standard that will contribute strongly to the development of the e-book marketplace and the market for all digital content, and deserves the support of the publishing community." Dr. Robert Kahn: “The applications…and related technology being brought to market by Content Directions and the other participants [Microsoft, Adobe, etc.]…represent the tip of the iceberg in terms of the economic value that will be unleashed by the widespread adoption of this new approach.” Steve Sieck (EPS): “A unique aspect of CDI’s approach is a contextual multilinking capability… By developing software that essentially automates the registration of new content, inter-relates its associated metadata, and creates “purchasing links” to retailers, CDI has streamlined the implementation process to the point where a publisher’s primary task is identifying how DOIs can be deployed most strategically... The vision of content IDs bringing order to a chaotic digital world seems a bit closer.”

The Future of Publishing Interlinking And Object Level Content delivery

www.linkstorm.net

McGraw-Hill, 8 Years of Operational Efficiency. Every book in McGraw-Hills Profession Bookstore along with its digitized meta data has its own unique Linkstorm menu attached, created and maintained dynamically by our fully-automated process. Mouse over the book’s title for a navigation menu that instantly interlinks to all other books by the same author and the same subject as well as opportunity buy the book at Amazon/B&N. http://dx.linkstorm.net/10.1036/0071486003

Hachette Filipacchi’s website Premiere.com, where in a 9-month study, our menus increased page views >35% by making the content easier to find. http://www.linkstorm.net/clientresults/liveexamples/premiere/

Meredith (a topic-based widget interlinking related magazine articles from Parents.com, coupled with advertising on this highly-contextual menu): http://linkstorms.com/demo/meredith/pregnancy/

IAC Jimmy Buffett demo showing synergy and cross-sell among IAC media properties: Ticketmaster, City Search, Evite and Ask.com. http://www.linkstorms.com/demo/IAC/index.html

NBC “Heroes” on TV Guide (showing the power of distributing your content navigation into off-site contexts, like in this case TV Guide: http://www.linkstorms.com/demo/nbc/heroes01/

Our Technology is Unique!!

Competitive Advantages!Technology Hard to Copy. It’s very hard to syndicate reliably across the Web.!Certified Publisher Network. Certification compliance process is long and tedious.!Extensive Patent Protection. 9 Major Filing Families covering 1500+ claims. !Current IP Status. 9 Patents awarded. 30+ Patents in the pipeline. !

Our First Priority is Client Value!20B+ Ads Served via Hundreds of Campaigns!

!

www.linkstorm.net

Linkstorm vs non-Linkstorm – rigorous A/B tests (same websites, same placements on page, same times of day)

CLIC

K-TH

ROUG

H RA

TE

DIFF

EREN

TIAL

500% 358%

214%

525%

268%

339%

192%

NON-LINKSTORM

0!

Proof that Linkstorm Works!!

Actionable Analytics !

Linkstorm Analytics Drives Conversions !Our Analytics (20-50+ Data Points per Banner) let you optimize on the fly.!

In Flight Optimization!Based on click behavior, a menu’s content and design can be !

optimized in real time without having to re-create or re-traffic the ad.!

Impressions!Menu unfurls!Hover time!Post-click actions!!

Number of ads served!Number of user interactions!Number of conversions!Where did they go after click!

Click-Throughs!Conversions!Actual interaction time!For each menu link!!

•  Number of times an ad has been called and successfully loaded.!•  Track how successfully the banner and call-to-action works.!•  Record how much time users spend interacting with your ad.!•  Measure users specific interests on a granular level.!•  Identify key factors and menu choices that drive conversions!•  Drive prospects directly into the purchase funnel.!

0 100 200 300 400 500 Sheraton Logo CTA

Spa Escape Membership Sign-In

Weekend Offers Last Minute Deals

Special Discount Offers Popular Destinations See Hotel Directory

View Latest Offers Find Rooms & Rates

Major Online Travel Company! Customized Metrics Based on Banner!

Deeper Insights provide actionable data! to optimize the ad in real-time!

www.linkstorm.net

How to Optimize Your Strategy!

•  Utilitarian way to express a multi-faceted marketing message in a single ad unit."

"•  Customized Menu Structure that can

be organized in a number of smart ways to drive engagements: by target customer profile, by stage in purchase funnel, etc.."

"•  Deeper/more granular measurement

of what works and what doesn’t, with ability to act in Real-Time based on those measurements."

Linkstorm is the “The Last Mile” of Behavioral Targeting – allowing the customer to choose !

and act based on their own needs and interests.!

Linkstorm supports any kind of target ing (Geo, Demographic, Behavioral…) by presenting a menu whose content is specifically tailored to the person the ad is catering to."

Linkstorm Menu Optimization!Information Architecture & Design!

The decision-tree navigation menu that overlays the banner ad is a core component to the Linkstorm solution. These menus wi l l quickly guide customers to content that is relevant to them. Clients are encouraged to participate, ensuring product knowledge and market is tapped to create an ideal navigation structure.!

•  Offer navigation options that lead to user action. !•  Offer just enough options to help the user quickly understand the offer. !•  Avoid complex navigation; 2-3 levels is a good balance. !•  Offer intuitive, hierarchical organization of navigation options.!

Optimize Creativity without Clutter!

www.linkstorm.net

Results (Major Educational Publisher)!

Linkstorm Traffic > 3X regular Web site traffic!

1 2 3 4 5 Total Visits from

Publisher's Web site 1451 2329 2272 2081

Total Visits from DOIs 178 1079 5118 6469

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000

Tota

l Vis

its

DOI Traffic Report –Major Educational Publisher!

Google Relevance Rankings!Medium College Text Book Publisher!

Before! After! % Improvement!Sample Size! 62! 62!

First Page! 28! 33! 18%!

Ranked # 1! 11! 15! 36%!

Within Top 2! 14! 21! 50%!

1st Page out of >1mm hits! 5! 15! 200%!

Despite a result set that doubled or tripled in most cases; there is solid Google ranking improvement—a 50% gain in rank in the top 2 positions and triple the number of Page 1 results. !Similar impact measured across all major search engines — Yahoo, MSN, etc.!

www.linkstorm.net

Working with Linkstorm!Steps to Launching a Linkstorm Ad!

and Designing a Successful Campaign!

!!!!!!

Define! Design! Deploy! Debrief!•  Campaign Objectives"•  Media Plan/Scope"•  Ad Tree Mapping"•  Rich Media Options"•  Distribution"•  Analytic Objectives"

•  Graphical Assets"•  Branding Guideline"•  Design Prototypes"•  Final Ad Units"•  Test Tags"•  Distribution Tags"

•  Test Tags"•  Analytic Test Tags"•  Redirect URL’s "•  Campaign Launch"

•  Performance Reporting"•  Campaign Analysis"•  Optimization Review"•  Campaign Objective Review"•  Report Summary"

A Linkstorm ad contains two assets — a banner and a menu overlay. These are separate units and may be created independently utilizing different ad technologies. The menu overlay component is DHTML and is designed and developed by Linkstorm. The banner can be created by Linkstorm or a third party, and can be formatted as a JPEG or GIF image, or as any type of Flash file, embedding video, animations, etc."

A Linkstorm ad requires a slight shift in !thinking from traditional ad banner design!

Linkstorm Deployment Process*!

*48-72 hour Linkstorm creative turnaround after receipt of final graphical assets, campaign objective and Insertion Order. Linkstorm handle all technical issues with network via detailed test tag on the campaign prior to full on launch. Full Detailed Reporting from Test Tag > Deployment > ROI. The agency creates the basic ad units then then pays Linkstorm a small incremental Rich Media serving fee.!

Function! Agency/Client Deliverable! Linkstorm Function!

Menu Design! Agency provides:!Creative ad unit!Campaign objectives!Relevant Graphic Assets!Branding Parameters!

Linkstorm creates menu design and functionality. !

Site Acceptance! Agency provides media plan with: Sites, flight dates and impression levels.!!

Linkstorm interfaces with each publisher site and gets approval to deploy.!

Trafficking & Reporting!

Agency provides:!Tracking Assets with each URL and !1x1 view pixel!

Linkstorm uses tracking assets to generate code and deliver to publishers!

!!!!!!

www.linkstorm.net

Automotive Example!Drive Customers Directly to the Showroom!

Upon rollover, customers are able to select among 5 different S/RS series models. After rolling over to choose a vehicle of interest, a second menu unfurls allowing consumers to further select the specific information they seek, request a quote, download a brochure and locate a delivery.!

Film & TV Marketing Examples!Drive Users Directly into the Social Grid while

Interacting Directly with your Fan Base!

www.linkstorm.net

Consumer & Retail Example!Drive Customers Directly to the Checkout Counter!

This unit highlights Linkstorm's e-commerce transaction capabilities. Upon rollover, Father's Day shoppers browse from a selection of digital cameras and are able to make a secure purchase all within the Linkstorm Banner.!

Using a Linkstorm menu, E TRADE is able to promote multiple products (i.e. trading, banking, mobile pro) to prospective clients in a single creative. After selecting a product of interest, a secondary menu allows clients to link directly to the offer of their choice.!

Financial Service Example!Promote Multiple Products in a Single Ad Unit!

www.linkstorm.net

Telecom Industry Example!Drive Targeted Brand Offers!

A banner "rollover" surfaces 5 no annual contract phones eligible for the "Unlimited Nights and Weekends" offer. Selecting the phone of their choice, a secondary menu displays a large image of the phone and allows users to link directly to details, payment plans, and offers.!

Travel Industry Example!Universal Updating on the Fly!

With the ability to optimize and swap out banners on the fly, Expedia uses Linkstorm to surface continuously changing offers by destination city and drive west coast users to geo-targeted landing pages.!