Surprising, But U.S. Automaker is #1… on Keynote’s Research into Online Usability of Advertising Microsites

AD:TECH, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF., — April 15, 2008 — Keynote Competitive Research, the industry analysis group of Keynote , today announced top level results of a market research study designed to test and measure consumer engagement with interactive promotional micro Web sites. The goal of the Keynote study was to compare and contrast engagement levels of three automotive micro sites using online usability testing tools: Chevy Avalanche www.chevrolet.com,Volvo C30 www.volvocars.com and Toyota Yaris www.toyota.com

Findings from the Keynote study demonstrate the power of online usability testing and Web 2.0 behavioral tracking capabilities such as those provided by Keynote WebEffective®, the market’s first and only customer experience/UX research tool combining the capabilities and benefits of market research, usability labs and Web analytics into one integrated on-demand solution. To uncover this type of insight might take weeks or months of lab testing whereas WebEffective allows for results in a matter of days. Marketers creating Web 2.0 microsites need the power of WebEffective in order to gain a leg up on their competitors, much in the same way that the Chevy Avalanche site did.

Keynote’s WebEffective study of automobile microsites tracked 175 Internet consumers’ who were interested in purchasing a car within the next six months. Each of the 175 participants, working in their own natural environment -- one of the many benefits of WebEffective is the ability to cost-effectively secure large numbers of qualified prospects to interact with your Web 2.0 microsite in their natural setting -- performed tasks and answered questions regarding their experiences interacting with each of the three microsites. The microsite study was designed to capture behavioral data to understand what visitors interacted with on each microsite and captured data regarding: number of interactions, number of hovers, how long exploring, what did visitors click, what areas of the site were explored and what frustrations or difficulties were experienced.

The study found that the Chevy Avalanche microsite provided the site experience enjoyed most by study participants (41%), followed by the Volvo C30 (32%) and Toyota Yaris (23%).

“As microsites grow in complexity, simply reviewing a site and asking before and after questions will not give marketers the data they need. User perceptions change within the experience, and the end result will be different depending on the elements interacted with. Measuring during the experience will grow increasingly critical as the sites become deeper and more feature-rich,” said Don Aoki, senior vice president and general manager of customer experience management at Keynote. “Historically the consumer was a passive and often unwilling participant. However with interactive advertising, the consumer must be presented compelling content to draw him or her into the interaction. The consumer must be engaged.”

Reporters and analysts interested in receiving a copy of the detailed findings and learnings from the study and/or to receive an in-depth briefing, should contact Dan Berkowitz at dberkowitz@keynote.com or via phone at (650) 403-3305.

For the complete PowerPoint analysis of the Keynote Customer Experience Automobile Microsite Study please register at: www.keynote.com

Advertising Microsites + WebEffective 6.0 = Winning Against the Competition

Internet advertising is the fastest growing category of the $300 billion advertising market. However 69% of consumers favor ad blocking products. Therefore, advertisers are creating the next generation of advertising through rich, interactive promotional microsites that go beyond the traditional banner ad to engage, entice and excite visitors. These microsites are growing increasingly popular as a way to offer more and better information than a standard advertisement, and offer the ability to “connect” with end users They are similar to TV ads in that they offer high production values and incorporate pop culture, However, unlike TV ads, they are highly interactive.

Keynote’s study using online usability testing tools is the first of its kind to measure user engagement within this expanding advertising microsite space. Through the use of new technologies such as Flash, AJAX and DHTML, these interactive sites provide the tools for users to self-segment, and explore the components of the interactive advertising site they are most passionate about. Understanding a consumer’s relationship with interactive media requires new measurement tools and a new approach to measurement. Click-through rates and time spent on a site no longer deliver the insights necessary to continually improve ROI and increase the bottom line.

To perform the study Keynote used WebEffective 6.0, which provides Web marketers, researchers and advertisers a customer experience research and usability lab without walls and now includes cutting-edge capabilities to measure the attitudes and behaviors of users as they investigate an interactive Web site incorporating Web 2.0 technologies. Querying the user as s/he performs specific rich interactive advertising tasks, as assigned by Keynote, and collecting technical metrics at the same time, provides marketers with a holistic picture of which site elements are working effectively to promote your brand, and which are not.

* Note: Vendors can make changes to their sites at any time and the URLs of the microsites published in the press release may currently not be the same microsites that Keynote study participants evaluated.

About Keynote

Keynote Systems (Nasdaq “KEYN”) is the global leader in on-demand test & measurement solutions for continuously improving the online experience. As an independent and trusted third-party, Keynote provides IT and marketing executives with an unbiased view into their Internet services from around the world. For over a decade, Keynote has been providing measurement data and testing capabilities that allow companies to understand and improve their customer’s online and mobile experience. Keynote has four test and measurement businesses: Web performance, mobile quality, streaming & VoIP, and customer experience/UX. In addition, Keynote’s industry analysis group called Keynote Competitive Research publishes proprietary studies measuring customer experience and service levels across a wide range of industries.

Known as The Mobile and Internet Performance Authority™, Keynote has a market-leading infrastructure of 2,400 measurement computers and mobile devices in over 240 locations around the world. Keynote also maintains one of the most representative panels of online users consisting of 160,000 consumers. Keynote’s on-demand, hassle-free infrastructure allows businesses to access services they need, when they need them to pinpoint and fix mobile quality and Internet problems before they impact customers.

Keynote helps over 2,600 corporate customers become “the best of the best” by helping them improve online business performance and mobile communications quality. Keynote’s customers represent top Internet and mobile companies including American Express, BP, Caterpillar, Dell, Disney, eBay, ESPN Mobile, E*TRADE, Expedia, FedEx, Microsoft, SonyEricsson, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and Vodafone.

Keynote Systems, Inc. is headquartered in San Mateo, California and can be reached at www.keynote.com or by phone in the U.S. at (650) 403-2400.

Keynote, The Internet Performance Authority, Perspective and Customer Experience Rankings are registered trademarks and The Mobile and Internet Performance Authority and True Experience are trademarks of Keynote Systems, Inc. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2007 Keynote Systems, Inc.