Valassis Wins Seven WebAwards from the Web Marketing Association

Awards Acknowledge Excellence in Corporate Web Sites

    LIVONIA, Mich., Nov. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Valassis ( VCI),
 announced today that the company received seven WebAwards in the Web
 Marketing Association's (WMA) 2007 WebAward Competition. The WMA, an
 organization working to create a high standard of excellence for Web site
 development and marketing on the Internet, has held the WebAwards
 Competition for the past 11 years, and names the best Web sites in 96
 industries each year. More than 2,400 sites from 40 countries were judged
 during this year's competition.
     "We are extremely proud of the online experiences our team has created,
 because they are helping our clients grow their businesses," Phil Hussey,
 General Manager, Valassis 1 to 1 Solutions, said. "The Web Marketing
 Association is setting the standard of excellence for all Web site
 development, so it is an honor to receive these prestigious awards from
 this organization."
     "The fact that our data-driven marketing solutions are receiving worthy
 notice and important validation from one of the top industry benchmarks is
 great news," Erik Norwood, Creative Director, Valassis 1 to 1 Solutions,
 said. "More than anything, this is a clear indication of the interest in
 online programs that connect to, and deepen, the offline media solutions
 that Valassis is offering our clients."
     The Hastings Entertainment Playhastings Web site
 (http://www.playhastings.com) received the Entertainment Standard of
 Excellence WebAward and Game Site Standard of Excellence WebAward. Valassis
 transformed PlayHastings.com into a true gamers' destination by converting
 the original registration form into an exclusive, e-mail club sign-up
 registration. The goals of the project were to deliver information about
 game releases in a more efficient and engaging way; expand the content into
 a community model; reorganize the site into logical sections; and target
 users with personalized information based on their preferences of game type
 and platform.
     The Friendly's Ice Cream Corp.'s iScream Contest
 (http://www.iscreamfriendlys.com) received the Online Community Standard of
 Excellence WebAward and Restaurant Standard of Excellence WebAward. The
 iScream Contest was a fully integrated campaign that encouraged consumers,
 ages 13-25, to express their love for Friendly's ice cream by submitting
 photos and videos either online or texting via their mobile phones. Site
 visitors could then view and rate the submissions, eligible to win both
 weekly contest prizes. The weekly prizes included iPods, digital cameras,
 or computers, and the grand prize was a $10,000 Apple shopping spree.
     The UNO Chicago Grill Pizza Month Microsite
 (http://www.unopizzamonth.com/test) received the Food Industry Standard of
 Excellence WebAward. Valassis created this flower-child themed, e-mail and
 interactive microsite for Uno Chicago Grill that was targeted to men and
 women, ages 25-49, and designed to build their e-mail database through
 viral activity. Users who registered received a coupon for a free
 individual deep- dish pizza, and were entered in a sweepstakes for free Uno
 Pizza for one year. Additionally, users could determine their "Pizza
 Personality," an interactive quiz that identifies the toppings most
 appropriate to the user's responses.
     UNO Chicago Grill 12 Days of UNO Microsite
 (http://www.twelvedaysofuno.com/test) received the Food Industry Standard
 of Excellence WebAward and Restaurant Standard of Excellence WebAward. As a
 thank you to the members of the Uno Chicago Grill Insider's Club, Valassis
 and Uno invited these devoted pizza lovers to visit the Web site,
 www.twelvedaysofuno.com, to receive daily coupons over the course of the 12
 days leading up to Christmas, 2006. After logging onto the site, users were
 greeted by a chorus of animated carolers singing a Uno-themed parody of
 "Jingle Bells" and encouraged to tell a friend about the site.
     According to the WMA, these awards are given to sites that set the
 standard that all other corporate Web sites should strive to achieve. Web
 sites are judged on design, ease of use, copywriting, interactivity, use of
 technology, innovation and content. Judges included members of the media,
 advertising executives, site designers, creative directors, corporate
 marketing executives, content providers and webmasters.
     For more information about Valassis 1 to 1 Solutions, please contact
 Phil Hussey at husseyp@valassis.com or(781) 221-5300.
     For additional details about the WebAwards, please visit
 http://www.webaward.org.
     About Valassis
     Valassis is the nation's leading marketing services company, offering
 unique and diverse media plans with the most comprehensive product and
 customer portfolio in the industry. The company offers products and
 services including newspaper-delivered promotions such as inserts,
 sampling, polybags and on-page advertisements; shared mail; direct mail;
 in-store marketing; direct-to-door advertising and sampling;
 Internet-delivered marketing; loyalty marketing software; coupon and
 promotion clearing; promotion planning; and analytic services. We reach
 over 60 million households through weekly newspaper distribution and 90% of
 U.S. homes through shared mail distribution. The company has relationships
 with more than 15,000 advertisers worldwide in various industries. With
 global headquarters in Livonia, Michigan, the company employs approximately
 7,000 associates in 29 states and nine countries and is widely recognized
 for its associate and corporate citizenship programs. Valassis companies
 include ADVO, Inc., Valassis Canada, Promotion Watch, Valassis Relationship
 Marketing Systems, LLC and NCH Marketing Services, Inc. For additional
 information, visit the company Web site at http://www.valassis.com.
 
 

SOURCE Valassis