Archive for August, 2010
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
 Gregory Dale, COO, comScore By Allan Maurer
RESTON, VA – Most people think of the digital world as direct response media, says Greg Dale, COO of digital measurement firm comScore. “You click on the monkey, go to some form and do something.” Yet, “The click is absolutely the wrong measure” of a digital ad’s effectiveness, says Dale.
At a recent event where he spoke, Dale asked the audience how many people had clicked on a banner ad last week? Last month? Last year? Few hands went up. So it’s a mistake to try to understand the effectiveness of an ad by how many people clicked on it, he says.
As one of comScore’s first employees, Dale played a critical role in the creation of the world’s largest representative, continuously monitored consumer panel. And those panels bring an extra dimension to comScore’s analysis of digital advertising and marketing, he says.
Panels are just one part of comScrore’s “unified measurement,” which includes standard Web analytics and other means.
Unified measurement a comScore key
Dale says unified measurment is one of the main topics he’ll address at the Digital East event in Tysons Corner, VA, Oct. 18.
A panel is essentially a group of people who agree to have their digital use measured for market research purposes. “The concept is old and used to be done via a diary or filling out sheets. We use a small piece of software on their computer and they’re tracked in an anonymous pool that identifies only their demographic characteristics – a male with a certain level of income, etc.
That allows comScore to provide its clients with data such as how many people visit both the client and a competitor’s site; whether people watch more video on another site than on the client’s; how many ads do they see?
Marketing campaigns are unique, Dale says and they’re not always designed to sell products directly.
Goals differ
“Goals differ. Sometimes a campaign is to raise awareness of a brand or introduce a new product to a group. We offer products to help measure that, to help understand how well it did hitting target segments, how much did awareness increase?”
ComScore studies have shown that effectively placed digital advertising campaigns can perform as well or better than TV advertising at moving package goods. But people don’t necessarily buy the product online. Many see the ad and buy in the brick and mortar store.
The economic downturn has actually pushed more marketing campaigns online, Dale says. “It’s a cheaper medium, which is something that does well in a recessionary environment.” That’s contributing to the continued death of many print media outlets, although TV has been able to maintain.
Even TV is seeing the number of people who view an ad drop year after year because of the proliferation of channels, Dale notes. “I don’t know how they keep their rates jacked up. It’s one of the trends that’s baffling.”
Don’t use click throughs
But, Dale says, the more a company such as comScore can educate people on measuring online media in the right way, the smarter they can be about how they spend their money.
He re-emphasizes, “Don’t use clicks to measure a branding campaign,” and adds, “Cookies don’t equal people.”
“There is a whole other world out there,” Dale says, adding that the comScore panels help understand that side of the equation. “How effective was your advertising?” To find out, the marketer should ask if it raised awareness, fostered the right kind of activity, made a customer or potential customer more engaged or led to buying in a store.
How good is the creative?
A key element to success, Dale says, “Is how good is the creative? That will have a huge effect on the campaign no matter how good everything else is.” A company may run tons of ads on your site, he points out, and then say, the response was terrible. “Do they think about discussing the quality of the ad on the site? Typically that’s never taken into account.”
You also need to be able to look at the connections between an ad and the content on the site, the “amplification that a site can provide.”
So, Dale concludes, “You need to be very careful of what you measure and you need to understand all these elements to measure in the right manner.
Tags: Digital East, digital measurement, Gregory Dale, Interview with comScores COO, Reston, Tysons Corner, VA
Posted in Events, Internet/New Media, IT | Comments Off
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
 RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – The economy doesn’t concern shoppers as much as many fear when it comes to their shopping habits and more than half of people in a new Channel Advisor survey say they plan to do Christmas shopping online this year.
We found the results generally reflect some of our own shopping habits and those of people we know. We do a significant part of our own shopping online now, usually preceded by information searches via Google or other search engines. Like many surveyed, we don’t care what retail outlet sells us a product, but rather shop for price and reliable service.
Channel Advisor, which describes itself as a solution provider that enables online retailers to improve efficiency and increase revenue, says significant findings from its 2010 Consumer Shopping Habits Survey show:
- 58 percent of those surveyed plan to purchase their gifts online this year, besting brick-and-mortar stores by nearly 20 points.
- The economy doesn’t seem to be as big of a factor as some may believe for the consumers we surveyed: 41 percent said that their shopping habits were unaffected by the state of the economy, and 43 percent think the economy is bouncing back.
- When browsing for a gift idea, 59 percent of those surveyed started on search engines, followed by marketplaces at 28 percent. Only 10 percent started directly at a retailer’s webstore.
- Consumers are not as retail-name conscious as one may expect: 67 percent said they would purchase an identical product from an unknown store if the store offered a better value.
- When asked what promotion enticed shoppers to purchase, “best price” was most popular, followed closely by “free shipping,” and then “trusted seller status.”
- Reviews are exceedingly important as 92 percent of consumers said they read product reviews. Of that 92 percent, 46 percent were influenced to purchase based upon the reviews, and 43 percent were deterred from purchasing. The other 3 percent said their decision was unaffected by the reviews.
- When asked what makes a webstore trustworthy, consumers overwhelmingly listed the following three answers, in ranking order: security verification, reviews and webstore aesthetic.
ChannelAdvisor surveyed hundreds of consumers across the country for the Consumer Shopping Habits Survey to learn online shopping habits, thoughts on the economy, recognition of and comfort with new technology and much more.
Muti-channel approach still best
However, comparing the changes over the years has yielded interesting results as well. For example, when asked how much they spent online per month, consumers selecting more than $76 (the highest monetary option given) increased by 27 percent from 2009 to 2010.
The main takeaway from the survey that has stayed constant over the years: a multichannel approach is still the best way to reach consumers when and where they are shopping online. Complete survey results are available in the free white paper entitled, “Through the Eyes of the Consumer,” which can be downloaded here: www.channeladvisor.com/consumersurvey. — Allan Maurer
To contact TechJournal South Editor & Writer Allan Maurer: Allan at TechJournalSouth dot com.
Tags: Channel Advisor, Consumer Shopping Habits Survey, NC, Research Triangle Park
Posted in Carolinas, Internet/New Media, IT, Marketing, North Carolina, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
 COLUMBIA, MD – Technology Crossover Ventures has invested an undisclosed amount in customer relationship marketing agency Merkle, the company says. The investment is a minority stake. It is the first outside investment in the 22-year-old company.
Merkle has experienced double-digit growth for more than 20 years, added hundreds of employees and expanded to include offices across the country. The company employs more than 1,000 people.
It says the move to seek outside capital occurs in response to several pivotal events taking place in the marketing industry today, including the rise of customer strategy as a business strategy and growing interest in digital media and channel optimization.
The company’s customers include Dell, Geico, DirecTV, Wendy’s, American Cancer Society, OnStar, Urban Outfitters, T.G.I. Friday’s, Disney and Microsoft.
Merkle Chair and CEO David Williams said, “The investment by TCV is happening at a pivotal time in the marketing industry. Companies are actively embracing customer relationship marketing and looking to expand and optimize their marketing across media and channels.”
Customer relationship marketing is one of the big buzz concepts right now. The Internet, of course, has brought a whole new set of possibilities to the field. Even an established firm such as Merkle sees the expanse of opportunity open to companies that get the equation right.
But does that mean that we’ll all be hearing from the companies we do business with more often? Personally, we already dislike those out-of-the-blue calls from banks and other companies which are really designed to up sell us new features or products.
Perhaps better targeting will mean they’ll only bring us products and services we’re actually interested in buying, but we wouldn’t bet on it. –Allan Maurer
To contact TechJournal South Editor & Writer Allan Maurer: Allan at TechJournalSouth dot com.
Tags: Columbia, customer relationship marketing, financing, MD, Merkle, Technology Crossover Ventures
Posted in Internet/New Media, Marketing, Maryland, Potomac | Comments Off
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
COLUMBIA, MD – The Maryland Technology Development Corp. (TEDCO) has invested $1.12 million in 15 Maryland startups, each receiving $75,000.
“From devices that will make great medical contributions to technologies that will change the face of modern agriculture, TEDCO’s Maryland Technology Transfer and Commercialization Fund helps a wide-range of innovations become a reality,” said John Wasilisin, acting president and executive director of TEDCO.
“This million-dollar investment will contribute to the quality and safety of our everyday lives and we look forward to following the progression of these promising technologies as they move from the laboratory to the marketplace.”
To date, 134 companies have received funding from MTTCF and completed their projects. With an investment of more than $9.3 million, these companies have gone on to receive downstream funding from angel and venture investors, federal awards and other resources exceeding $394.8 million. This is a leverage of the state’s investment through TEDCO of $42.4 to $1.
Companies funded in this round are:
- Amidus, Baltimore, is working with the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) Tech Center to provide innovative technology solutions using custom algorithms that have wide applicability, especially in the events industry.
- Cognapse, Baltimore, is a healthcare company working with the Emerging Technology Center to focus on diseases and disorders of the brain as people age, such as Alzheimer’s. Remiva, the company’s first product, expected to be launched in 2011, is a proprietary combination of natural supplements and vitamins.
- CYNCZ, Germantown, Md., is working with the Germantown Life Sciences Incubator to provide an automatic self-updating address book that can aggregate all contact data sources including emails, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), mobile phones and social networking sites.
- Differential Dynamics Corp. (DDMotion), Owings Mills, Md., is working with the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) to introduce an all-mechanical green technology called Infinitely Variable Motion Control (IVMC) which has applications for power generation, compression, air conditioning, and vehicle transmissions. DDMotion is using TEDCO’s grant to enable IVMC to convert variable wind speed into constant output, allowing wind power generation that is capable of capturing a greater portion of available energy.
- Hememics Biotechnologies Inc., Rockville, Md., is working with the Shady Grove Life Sciences Center to provide ambient temperature shipping services to in-vitro diagnostic reagent manufacturers of cells at lower cost, while also extending the shelf life of many cell-based perishable products.
- Nour Immune Inc., Annapolis, is working with UMCP to create “proof of concept” for the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), which will demonstrate the in-vivo activity of its newly created anti-inflammatory agent, Nourexin-4, in a mouse model of H1N1 influenza infections. Nourexin-4, once developed and commercialized, will also have the potential to combat overactive inflammation in other diseases such as Hepatitis C and Sepsis.
- NutriGrown, Columbia, Md., is working with the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Services (USDA ARS) to produce a line of matrix-based, soil nutrient products designed to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous leaching by up to 80 percent, resulting in reduced nutrient leaching and enhanced plant growth.
- Omic Biosystems Inc., Rockville, Md., is working with the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI) to create technological solutions for modern omics-based biological sciences such as genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and system biology.
- Pearl LifeScience Partners, Baltimore, is working with the UMBC Tech Center to bioengineer “synthetic dendritic cells” which are capable of stimulating an immune response against foreign agents. These synthetic dendritic cells will then act as host cells infected with an enveloped virus that subsequently replicates and stimulates the cell surface molecules which stimulate the immune system.
- Plasmonix Inc., Baltimore, is working with UMBI to develop Metal Enhanced Fluorescence (MEF) microplates that provide life science researchers with multiple thousand- fold increases in fluorescent signal assays. Once the MEF microplate product line is well-established, the company will introduce applications in the areas of biohazard detection and medical diagnostics.
- Quantum Medical Metrics, Baltimore, is working with the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU APL) and the UMBC Tech Center to refine, clinically test and produce an affordable, high performance Forearm Strength System for accurately estimating the strength of the forearm, which is one of the most common sites for osteoporotic fractures.
- Remedium Technologies Inc., College Park, Md., is working with UMCP to develop a propriety novel hemorrhage controlling technology called “Nano-Velcro.” Nano-Velcro is a wound care technology and user-friendly hemostat, which is able to orchestrate the rapid, self-assembly of a clot-like seal upon contact with blood.
- SAJE Pharma, Baltimore, is working with Johns Hopkins University (JHU) to develop new therapeutic drugs that provide significant benefits over currently available therapies. The company’s current lead compound, SPL-334 is being developed to treat asthma.
- Seguro Surgical Inc., located in Columbia, Md., is working with JHU to develop the Lap Pak ™, a medical device for the efficient and secure packing of bowels which will expose the surgical site during major abdominal surgeries.
- Viracine Therapeutics Corp., located in Columbia, Md., is working with the USDA ARS to develop and characterize a series of genetic promoters for DNA containing viruses infecting invertebrates, such as shrimp, that are pantropic in nature and can be used to prevent plant diseases.
Tags: ; Cognapse, Amidus, Annapolis, Baltimore, College Park, Columbia, Differential Dynamics, funding, Germantown, Hermenmics Biotech, Maryland, Nour Immune, NutriGrown, Omic Biosystems, Owings Mill, Pearl LifeSicence Partners, Plasmonix, Quantum Medial Metrics, Remedium Technologies, Rockville, SAJE Pahrma, Seguro Surgical, TEDCO, Viracine Therapeutics
Posted in Biotech, Hardware, Healthcare, Internet/New Media, IT, Maryland, Medical Device, Potomac | Comments Off
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
 SARASOTA, FL – Sunovia Energy Technologies Inc. (OTCBB:SUNV), a clean-tech firm focused on LED lighting and solar technologies, has named Art Buckland CEO.
The company hired the turnaround veteran as it engages in a court battle with EPIR Technologies, a shareholder in Sunovia that terminated a research, development and supply agreement it held with the company after Sunovia allegedly breached the agreement and fell back on the required payments.
Buckland’s leadership has resulted in corporate turnarounds, hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue growth, billion-dollar increases in book value, IPOs and LBOs.
He has raised $175 million in private and public capital while starting nine companies, completed 36 M&A transactions worth over $1.45 billion, and turned around seven companies. He has 24 years of experience serving on public company boards. Buckland has led profitable growth and innovation in energy and clean tech for many years.
He guided some of the first developments of Smart Meters in the 1980s, using his semiconductor background working with a diverse array of utility companies and municipalities.
Buckland received the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award (from NASDAQ, Ernst & Young, Sprint, USA Today, and others) for his work with CP Clare, where he grew a small $5 million failing semiconductor company to $147 million of annual revenue in three years.
The IPO at CP Clare resulted in a 122 percent IRR for investors. Recently, in his two years at Soliant Energy, Buckland pioneered the development of a strategic vision for the next generation of solar panels that could generate distributed electricity at utility costs without government subsidies.
Buckland said, “I expect to grow Sunovia efficiently and effectively to realize the tremendous value that has already been created in EvoLucia, and look forward to the challenge of realizing the value in our solar initiative soon after that.”
Sunovia recently reported that it had sold 58 million shares of stock in a private placement, raising $1.16 million.
Tags: Art Buckland named CEO, FL, LED lighting, Sarasota, solar, Sunovia
Posted in Energy, Florida, People | Comments Off
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
 SILVER SPRING, MD – Motionsoft, a company selling club management and billing software, has received a $5.5 million investment from New Jersey-based Edison Ventures, it’s first institutional backer. Motionsoft says it will use the funds to expand sales, marketing and development.
The company sells its club management payments and marketing software used to automate membership and recruitment to clients worldwide.
Founding in 1983 as Karch International, it currently has more than 2,000 customers in the US, Canada, and Mexico. They include health clubs, corporate and hospital based wellness centers, universities such as Equinox, Gold’s Gym, Starbucks, Mayo Clinic and Duke Fitness Center.
Motionsoft placed 102 in business products and services division of the recent Inc. magazine ranking of America’s fastest growing companies.
We have noted that automation of a variety of business processes, billing, membership, accounts receivable and others continue to look like favorable bets to many institutional investors. They offer clients clear ROI and automate tasks that are tiresome and error prone when done manually.
We’ve also seen a considerable amount of funding activity in Maryland this year, which has, if anything, grown even more noticeable this quarter.
The Potomac region seems to be easing out of the recessionary economy more quickly than the rest of the Southeast.
To contact TechJournal South Editor & Writer Allan Maurer: Allan at TechJournalSouth dot com.
Tags: club managment software, Edison Ventures, financing, MD, Motionsoft, New Jersey, Silver Spring
Posted in Internet/New Media, IT, Maryland, Money, Potomac | Comments Off
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
 ATLANTA – FX (Forex) Bridge Technologies Corp., a provider of combined FX spot, CFDs, and options trading software, has closed on a $1.03 million equity financing, according to to a regulatory filing. The company provides an online trading platform for forex (foreign exchange market), options and contracts for difference (CFOs).
The company raised $2.5 million in equity and debt in October.
It says it utilizes the latest Windows Presentation Foundation controls and includes a multi-tabbed, customizable tradestation with an unlimited array of dockable workspace layouts.
Its new Instrument Navigator allows traders to maneuver effortlessly among thousands of spot, option and CFD products.
Dealers get a customer alerting, communication, and monitoring subsystem which allows them to track, communicate en mass, and handle one-on-one contacts with their entire trader base in any language.
It’s interesting, the range of financial services companies that are headquartered in Atlanta. Although Charlotte in North Carolina is also a banking center, it has not, at least to this point, seen anything remotely like the much broader financial services spinouts, tech companies and offshoots that Atlanta has and continues to produce.
To contact TechJournal South Editor & Writer Allan Maurer: Allan at TechJournalSouth dot com.
Tags: Atlanta, financing, Fx Bridge, trading platform
Posted in Georgia, Internet/New Media, IT, Money | Comments Off
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
 CHARLOTTE, NC – Rigemont Equity Partners, a middle market buyout and growth equity firm, has signed a definitive agreement for a majority investment in Unite Private Networks, a provider of high-bandwidth, fiber-based communications networks. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
UPN specializes in providing high-capacity data communications networks and related services to schools, government, carriers, data centers and enterprise business customers. UPN currently provides service in 12 states, primarily in the Midwest U.S.
Ridgemont is a private equity firm that was formed in August 2010 and specializes in middle market buyout and growth equity investments. The principals of Ridgemont have invested over $3.1 billion in more than 140 companies over the last two decades.
“Our arrangement to partner with the management team at UPN and serve as the equity sponsor of the company is indicative of Ridgemont’s core strategy going forward as an independent firm. UPN operates within one of our historical focus industries and fits the profile of a company with strong opportunities for growth,” said George Morgan, partner at Ridgemont.
“We were impressed with UPN’s consistent and profitable earnings, long-term customer relationships, and dedicated employee base. UPN has developed an efficient platform for growth and we are excited about the potential for the business to continue to expand and serve new markets.”
Tags: acquisition, Charlotte, NC, Ridgemont Equity Partners, Unite Private Networks
Posted in Acquisitions, Carolinas, IT, North Carolina | Comments Off
Monday, August 30th, 2010
 GAINESVILLE, FL – Xhale Inc. has received a $1.8M SBIR Phase II grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) of the NIH to develop a next generation breath-based ethanol sensor.
Current devices used to measure breath ethanol rely on technologies that are several decades old and the results from these devices are becoming harder to defend in a court of law. Under this grant, Xhale will develop a portable, evidential breath-based ethanol monitor with superior detection capabilities.
According to the grant’s principal investigator, Richard Melker, M.D. Ph.D., “There is a tremendous need for testing equipment that can produce incontrovertible evidence of accurate quantitation of blood ethanol levels using breath-based technologies. Current commercial field breath analyzers have created this dilemma, because they are not able to produce truly irrefutable evidence.”
Due to harsher penalties, more people charged with drunk driving have decided to take their cases to court. Inaccuracy issues in current breath analyzers have resulted in an increased number of accused drunk drivers fighting and winning their cases.
“Using currently available technology, DUI acquittals are becoming more common when based on the limitations of the current breath analyzers. One key limitation used by defense attorneys is the issue of interferents in the driver’s blood and breath that can lead to inaccurate readings” states co-investigator, Donn Dennis, M.D., F.A.H.A.
“Many common personal hygiene, household, and industrial products contain compounds which can be inhaled or absorbed into the blood and later exhaled in the breath. These substances can interfere with the accuracy of current ethanol detectors in use today, and provide an all too common venue for DUI acquittals.”
Tags: breathalizer, FL, Gainesville, NIH grant, Xhale
Posted in Biotech, Florida, Hardware, Money | Comments Off
Monday, August 30th, 2010
 FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – Upsteam Worldwide, (OTCBB:MFGD), a “reverse logistics” company, has raised $2.94 million of a $4 million mixed securites offering, according to a regulatory filing.
The company recylces precious metals and electronics solicited from consumers via advertising and its online platform.
The company was previously known as Modena 2 Inc., Money 4Gold Inc., and Money4Gold Holdings Inc. It became Upstream Worldwide in June to reflect its expansion into recycling consumer electronics, many of which include minor amounts of precious metals.
The company reported revenue of $25 million for the six months that ended June 30.
It disclosed the current raise in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
Tags: financing, FL, Fort Lauderdale, Money4gold, Upsteam Worldwide
Posted in Florida, Internet/New Media, Money | Comments Off
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