Valassis Hosts Free Webcast on Navigating the Consumer Path to Purchase

LIVONIA, Mich., May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Valassis (NYSE: VCI), one of the nation's leading media and marketing services companies, announced today it will host its third annual Media and Consumer Landscape webcast on Wednesday, May 16 from 2 to 3 p.m. ET. Therese Mulvey, Valassis Vice President of Marketing Intelligence, will present information on navigating the consumer path to purchase, taking a look at how media directs and influences consumers as they make decisions.

"The consumer decision-making journey is more involved than ever," Mulvey said. "Media preferences are changing, due in great part to the swell of digital activity. Consumers are in control and using every type of media available. Savings are paramount and deals are the driver."

The webcast will explore the consumer journey on the new path to purchase, including what media they use and how age and ethnicity influence the process. Highlights of the webcast include:

• Multicultural Markets are the new Mainstream: In 2010, babies born to Hispanic, Black and Asian women will, for the first time ever, account for 50 percent of all births in the nation. The Census Bureau estimates that minorities will constitute a majority of Americans under age 18 in only one decade.
• Consumers 18-34 are Digitally Connected: 30% percent of consumers 18-34 regularly search the Internet using an Android Smartphone (25% for iPhone), compared to only 4% of consumers over 55 who do the same (5% for iPhone).
• Coupons Continue in Popularity: According to BIGinsight MBI, December 2011, 69% of consumers cut out coupons from advertising inserts; 62% from other sources (e.g. newspaper, magazines); 61% an email; 53% from a website; and 18% download coupons to a frequent shopper card.
• Consumers use Print AND Digital: The majority of consumers are using BOTH print and online media to plan grocery shopping trips according to Kantar Retail ShopperScape, 2012, with 45% of consumers 18-34 selecting paper coupons, 35% searching online;  53% of consumers 35-54 selecting paper coupons, 29% searching online; and 52% of consumers over 55 selecting paper coupons, and 16% searching online.

To sign up for the Wednesday, May 16 webcast, go to: http://bit.ly/ISPbDJ.  For more information, please call 1-877-529-5001 or email [email protected].  

About Valassis
Valassis is one of the nation's leading media and marketing services companies, offering unparalleled reach and scale to more than 15,000 advertisers. Its RedPlum® media portfolio delivers value on a weekly basis to over 100 million shoppers across a multi-media platform – in-home, in-store and in-motion. Through its digital offerings, including redplum.com and save.com, consumers can find compelling national and local deals. Headquartered in Livonia, Michigan with approximately 7,000 associates in 28 states and eight countries, Valassis is widely recognized for its associate and corporate citizenship programs, including its America's Looking for Its Missing Children® program. Valassis companies include Valassis Direct Mail, Inc., Valassis Canada, Promotion Watch, Valassis Relationship Marketing Systems, LLC and NCH Marketing Services, Inc.  For more information, visit http://www.valassis.com, http://www.redplum.com and http://www.save.com. To learn about advertising opportunities with RedPlum, please call 1-800-437-0479.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-looking Statements
This document contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the following: price competition from our existing competitors; new competitors in any of our businesses; a shift in client preferences for different promotional materials, strategies or coupon delivery methods, including, without limitation, as a result of declines in newspaper circulation and/or increased competition from new media formats including digital; an unforeseen increase in paper or postal costs; changes which affect the businesses of our clients and lead to reduced sales promotion spending, including, without limitation, a decrease of marketing budgets which are generally discretionary in nature and easier to reduce in the short-term than other expenses; our substantial indebtedness, and ability to refinance such indebtedness, if necessary, and our ability to incur additional indebtedness, may affect our financial health; the financial condition, including bankruptcies, of our clients, suppliers, senior secured credit facility lenders or other counterparties; certain covenants in our debt documents could adversely restrict our financial and operating flexibility; fluctuations in the amount, timing, pages, weight and kinds of advertising pieces from period to period, due to a change in our clients' promotional needs, inventories and other factors, including, without limitation, high levels of coupon redemption rates; our failure to attract and retain qualified personnel may affect our business and results of operations; a rise in interest rates could increase our borrowing costs; possible governmental regulation or litigation affecting aspects of our business; clients experiencing financial difficulties, or otherwise being unable to meet their obligations as they become due, could affect our results of operations and financial condition; uncertainty in the application and interpretation of applicable state sales tax laws may expose us to additional sales tax liability; and general economic conditions, whether nationally, internationally, or in the market areas in which we conduct our business, including the adverse impact of the ongoing economic downturn on the marketing expenditures and activities of our clients and prospective clients as well as our vendors, with whom we rely on to provide us with quality materials at the right prices and in a timely manner. These and other risks and uncertainties related to our business are described in greater detail in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including our reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q and the foregoing information should be read in conjunction with these filings.  We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Valassis