REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 8, 1997 — The Sidewalk
™
personalized city guide to entertainment published by Microsoft Corp. today announced several new national and regional advertisers and sponsors: BankBoston, Bantam Books, Holland America Line, The Nasdaq Stock Market Inc., Norwest Bank, REI, and Sears Roebuck and Co. The new sponsors join existing advertisers Bank of America and Seafirst Bank, Barnes & Noble Inc., BMW of North America Inc., Citibank, Club Med Sales Inc., Prudential Real Estate, United Airlines and Visa U.S.A.
“We are proud to announce our new advertisers, all of whom are leading brands in their categories,” said Matt Kursh, business unit manager of Sidewalk. “They understand that Sidewalk attracts consumers who are ready to go, see, do and buy. Like our current sponsors, they are eager to promote their messages to the individuals most likely to respond.”
Advertisers can further enhance local targeting opportunities by participating in Sidewalk city launch events and other offline promotions.
Targeted Messaging
By advertising on Sidewalk, advertisers can target consumers when they are poised to spend. Sidewalk also offers companies the ability to personalize their messages for individuals in local markets. In addition, fast, reliable data-gathering tracks the effectiveness of specific ads, helping marketers adapt their messages for increased impact. The new national advertisers join thousands of local businesses that already enjoy the unmatched ability of Sidewalk to reach residents when they are thinking about heading out of their homes to go, see, do and spend. For several national sponsors, including Sears and Holland America, Sidewalk represents their first efforts to reach local consumers online.
“Sidewalk provides a creative vehicle for Sears to offer relevant local market information to our customers,” said John H. Costello, senior executive vice president of marketing at Sears. “Sears customers have indicated they want more information on the Internet – not only to make purchases online but to research Sears services, events and products that they want to buy in our stores. Sidewalk offers an opportunity for Sears to connect with our customers in a meaningful way.”
“Every day, more of our customers are going online to plan their next vacation,” said Jack Anderson, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Holland America Line. “Sidewalk lets us communicate with them in a very targeted, personal way. The ability to deliver different messages to different markets and get quick measures of effectiveness is a major benefit.”
Besides enabling advertisers to deliver different campaigns to different markets, Sidewalk allows them to evaluate the effectiveness of campaigns in those markets, so Holland America will be able to tell which markets respond most positively to which campaigns.
The ability of Sidewalk to provide sponsors with comprehensive, qualitative and quantitative data allows them to change and tailor messages quickly, thereby maximizing their advertising dollars.
“We’re able to offer fantastic targeting abilities and razor-sharp data,” explained Kursh. “Sidewalk is proud to help its advertisers establish high-quality relationships with their customers, and our new sponsors indicate that we have indeed been successful in helping companies reach their desired audiences.”
Sidewalk offers residents a way to make better decisions about what to do, where to go, what to see and when to see it. From concerts to movies, restaurants and sporting events, Sidewalk provides previews, reviews and even customized suggestions about what’s happening every day. Sidewalk is available in Seattle; New York; Boston; Houston; Denver; Minneapolis/St. Paul; San Diego; San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; and Sydney, Australia. Sidewalk is also scheduled to come to Chicago.
Sidewalk is free on the World Wide Web at (http://sidewalk.com/) and is a featured offering on MSN
™
, The Microsoft Network Internet online service, at (http://www.MSN.com/) (connect-time charges may apply). Advertising sponsors include BankBoston; Bank of America and Seafirst Bank; Bantam Books; Barnes & Noble Inc.; BMW of North America Inc.; Citibank; Club Med Sales Inc.; Holland America Line; The Nasdaq Stock Market Inc.; Norwest Bank; Prudential Real Estate; REI; Sears Roebuck and Co.; United Airlines; and Visa U.S.A.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
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