Results From Surround Sessions Just Like TACH: NYT Research Indicates Dramatic Lift in Message Association and Brand Awareness

American Airlines and Nexium campaigns show that traditional positions combined with extended duration yield maximum impact for advertisers NEW YORK--Feb. 7, 2002-- New York Times Digital, the digital business unit of The New York Times Company, today announced results from the first New York Times Surround Sessions that it launched on NYTimes.com in late 2001.

This new online advertising model allows a single advertiser to control every major ad position and maintain total share of voice across multiple pages of the Web site. The focus of Surround Sessions is to expose a user to the messaging of an exclusive advertiser for an extended period of time, in an effort to improve advertising efficiency.

The Surround Sessions package included an optional Dynamic Logic AdIndex study that uses a control-exposed methodology to test the branding value of live online campaigns. This specific study measured the campaign effectiveness of Surround Sessions in terms of brand awareness, brand favorability, message association and purchase intent.

Dynamic Logic results for pilot Surround Sessions, including American Airlines and Nexium, showed that an integrated Surround Session campaign outperforms more traditional Internet advertising on all four measures. Surround Sessions achieved four times the lift of a traditional campaign for message association and purchase intent, and nearly three times the lift for brand awareness and brand favorability (see attached chart of aggregate results).

Other key findings showed that:

Surround Sessions are a powerful tool for increasing key branding and advertising effectiveness metrics. Advertising creative that utilizes a focused message, an omnipresent logo and a consistent look and feel yields the best results. A combination of branding, direct response and benefit-driven creative generates maximum impact for advertisers, and Conversion rates have increased for Surround Session advertisers according to anecdotal evidence. The Surround Session pilots that ran in December 2001 illustrated a variety of creative approaches. For example, the American Airlines ``Great American Get-Together'' campaign consisted of complementary banners with a consistent, focused message that mirrored their broadcast and print campaign. AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals ran multiple creative units with a range of value propositions for the Nexium ``Today's Purple Pill'' campaign, including downloadable white papers and a trial offer coupon. Another pilot campaign combined consistent messaging, special offers and high-profile branding.

``We were very pleased with the results and return on investment from Surround Sessions,'' said James Hering, director of interactive marketing for Temerlin McClain. ``Surround Sessions enabled us to extend the reach of American Airline's ''Great American Get-Together`` campaign from TV and print to the Web, while adding the call to action and purchase components made possible by the online medium.''

``The ability to achieve both branding and acquisition goals is an exciting precedent for online advertising,'' said Martin Nisenholtz, CEO of New York Times Digital. ``Surround Sessions are designed to act as a cohesive unit, creating an immersive experience that enhances the ad's effectiveness.''

Other top-tier advertisers that have run Surround Sessions on NYTimes.com include Miramax and Verizon. Surround Session campaigns are scheduled for Audi and Saab.

Surround Sessions use existing ad serving technology and standard Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) ad formats. A number of quality content publishers have supported the concept and plan to implement Surround Sessions in the coming months. Boston.com, New England's largest regional portal and a part of New York Times Digital, will also feature Surround Sessions on its site.

About New York Times Digital

New York Times Digital is the digital business unit of The New York Times Company and includes market leaders NYTimes.com and Boston.com, and an archive distribution business. NYTD's mission is to provide a high-quality, worldwide online audience with trusted editorial content from The New York Times and The Boston Globe.