Ad Awareness And Ad Tagline Recall Increased By +64% And +60% Respectively

ALEXANDRIA, VA, AND New York, NY, 8/13/01 - Lightningcast and Diameter, the research division of DoubleClick Inc, (NASDAQ: DCLK), today announced the results of a study demonstrating the effectiveness of audio advertising over time for building brands online. The study, based on a major cellular carrier’s audio ad delivered to users via Internet radio over the space of a month, examined three primary objectives to understand the effectiveness of audio advertising online: brand and advertising awareness, advertising element recall and intent to use the service.

With a combination of Diameter’s ad-serving and survey delivery capabilities, the study compared brand awareness of the cellular carrier’s audio ad among a randomly sampled target group of 560 Web users on Internet radio, 237 of whom had been exposed to an audio ad, and the remaining 323 Web users who formed the control group. The advertisement was a 60-second audio ad created and delivered using Windows Media Audio streams. All sampled users completed the same questionnaire.

“For some time brand marketers have been wondering when and if the Web would satisfy their requirements as an advertising medium. This case study indicates that their wait is over," said Karl Spangenberg, President & CEO of Lightningcast. "Today streaming media delivered via Internet radio reaches more than 40 million listeners on a monthly basis and is growing at a double digit rate each quarter."

The results showed that online audio advertising worked for brand building for the cellular carrier advertiser:

• Web users exposed to the audio ad were 10 percent more likely to be aware of the advertiser, 59 percent more likely to recall its slogan, and 14 percent more likely to choose the cellular carrier when considering a wireless service provider
• Advertising awareness and advertising tagline showed striking effects with increases of +64% and +60% respectively
• Web users who heard the ad retained a greater brand awareness of the advertiser for up to a month. The ad's impact was greatest, at 11 percent, among people who had heard the ad within a week of being surveyed. But even among listeners who had last heard the ad 15-30 days before being surveyed, awareness of the cellular carrier was 9 percent higher than among users in the control group
• Frequency of exposure increased impact on all brand metrics measured. The greatest increases were noted for advertising awareness (+118% after 21 or more exposures to the audio ad) and ad element recall (+195% after 21 or more exposures).
• The likelihood to use the service increased the more one saw the ad by nearly 25% (frequency of 21+ exposures) and even after 15-30 days had passed, by over 14%

"Our research is driven by the desire to understand and discover new opportunities online and to identify more effective forms of online advertising - and it’s another indication that audio ads are an important part of a brand-building campaign,” said Doug Knopper, Vice President and General Manager of Diameter. “The study provides the platform to advance our knowledge of audio ads and to continue to research their effectiveness on the online advertising industry.”

The study was powered by Diameter’s Advertising Effectiveness tools, which provide customizable solutions to measure the true impact that ad campaigns have on brand identity. Through survey sampling and sophisticated backend technology, advertising effectiveness provides methodologies to accurately measure brand awareness, purchase intent and creative and message impact.

“This study shows that advertisers can use Windows Media to deliver compelling online advertising that increase brand awareness," said Jonathan Usher, General Manager of the Windows Digital Media Division at Microsoft. "We're working closely with broadcasters and the advertising community who are looking to use Windows Media the best platform for advertising on the Internet.”

In an effort to establish a base of research evidence, Lightningcast and Microsoft, in conjunction with Diameter, will continue to build upon this body of knowledge. Together, they plan to sponsor four additional studies over the next several months to further demonstrate the power of streaming media advertising.

About Lightningcast, Inc.
Lightningcast’s technology and services benefit webcasters, online publishers, advertisers, and traditional radio stations that simulcast their signals on Web-based and satellite-delivered formats to affiliates. The company’s proprietary technology enables advertisers to target individuals and specific audience groups based on streaming site, music preference, geographic location, age, and gender. The technology automates video and audio ad insertion, ensuring that appropriate commercial spots are inserted for targeted listeners at the right time. Lightningcast’s affiliate network currently exceeds 20 partners. Headquartered in Northern Virginia, Lightningcast is a privately held corporation with offices also located in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. www.lightningcast.com .

About Diameter
Diameter, a division of DoubleClick Inc., leverages the company's experience in developing new technologies to harness the power of new media. Diameter is a complete suite of research tools, offering media intelligence tools, audience measurement, and advertising effectiveness products. Providing a richer understanding of online behavior, purchasing patterns, and detailed analyses of online campaigns, Diameter offers both pre-campaign as well as post-campaign analysis tools that give advertisers, brand marketers and e-businesses a more complete understanding of the online world. With sound methodology, Diameter allows for a new way to plan and evaluate online campaigns and strategies. www.diameter.net.