Getting More For Less is Easier Than Ever with the New Valpak.com®

LARGO, Fla., Sept. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- This month Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, Inc. (@Valpakcoupons) launched its newly redesigned website developed using data from 11 different consumer research projects including more than 11,000 consumer interviews --all to give consumers an ideal savings hub experience.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080107/CLM009LOGO-b )

The research, led by the Valpak^®  research services team, used third party services to conduct online and in-person surveys, usability testing of prototype sites and eye-tracking studies.

"As of today, www.Valpak.com offers a fundamental change of the way consumers interact with Valpak digital both on the web and mobile web," said Michael Vivio (@mvivio), President of Cox Target Media, Inc., provider of Valpak.  "This new site is a great complement to our Valpak envelope because consumers can easily access great savings deals wherever they are – at home, online or on their phone." 

Now, online savings options including tens of thousands of Valpak coupon offers and the new Valpak Deals^®  product which links the Valpak print and digital resources into a hyper local e-commerce platform (expected to be in 53 markets by year end and 100+ in 2012) are delivered at a single glance. The redesign is cleaner and easier to navigate, incorporates the latest thinking in geo-location, social sharing, back-end technology, search engine optimization and site navigation to create an optimal consumer experience. 

The mobile experience (smart phone and tablet) was also essential in this redesign as Valpak has seen dramatic traffic increases from these devices.  Creating an equally positive mobile experience was an important element of the redesign.

Since it became one of the first online coupon sites in 1994, Valpak.com has undergone eight renovations, but until now it hasn't focused on being a consumer savings source.  Today, Valpak wants its content to be everywhere consumers search for savings and value.

"This represents a strategic shift in the way we approach our business.  Times are still tight for most of us and we want Valpak.com to make people's lives better," said @mvivio.  "We want to be the number one trusted consumer source for local savings and the best way we can do that is by giving consumers more ways to save and make it easier for them.  So you'll see us continue to add more savings offers and e-commerce options to our envelopes and to Valpak.com, which is good for everyone."

And the site is getting personal. The more information consumers share about their preferences, the more their savings experience can be customized to ensure they can easily find offers on the content most relevant to their lifestyle.

The redesign represents another step in the evolution of the trusted Valpak brand.

• Last fall, Valpak began offering e-commerce deals for purchase, called Valpak Deals, with discounts of 45% off or more.  Valpak Deals differentiates itself by giving the advertiser greater control over the terms of the deal and it often includes a hyper-local, targeted promotional print piece in the Valpak envelope to direct consumers to the online offer. Early research shows this is a highly effective strategy, and with more than 20 billion Valpak inserts printed each year, the benefits of marrying print and online resources to build advertiser online exposure are tremendous.
• Since 2009, Valpak has offered mobile coupons through smartphones, an app for augmented reality with @junaio,  as well as mobile phones, including apps for iPhone^®, iPod touch^®, Android^®, Palm Pre^®, Blackberry^®, and Windows^® 7 platforms.  
• Most Valpak markets now offer SMS texting packages to local advertisers to make it easy for them to build loyalty programs with new and existing customers.
• Valpak has adopted a platform agnostic approach to content syndication with 150 plus distribution channels including major search engines, shopping and coupon sites as well as mobile platforms to deliver Valpak offers to consumers wherever they search.  This added level of visibility is also valuable to businesses, which often lack the time and resources to develop expansive networks themselves.  

To deliver more of what consumers are looking for, Valpak launched the site during National Coupon Month, and is offering weekly chances to win cash prizes and copies of consumer advocate and savings expert Clark Howard's newest #1 New York Times Best Seller, "Living Large in Lean Times." Consumers can visit the Valpak Facebook page for more information and to enter the giveaway. 

About Valpak^®

Valpak, one of the leading direct marketing companies in North America, is owned and operated by Cox Target Media, Inc., a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Media Group, Inc. With nearly 180 franchises throughout the United States and Canada, The Blue Envelope^® delivers savings and value to nearly 40 million households each month. Annually, Valpak will distribute some 20 billion offers inserted in more than 500 million envelopes. Valpak also offers digital solutions with www.Valpak.com^®, an online site for local savings, which has nearly 70 million offer views each month, as well as mobile phones, including apps for iPhone^®, iPod touch^®, Android^®, Palm Pre^®, Blackberry^®, and Windows^® 7 platforms. For more information, please contact 1-800-676-6878.

About Cox Media Group

Cox Media Group, Inc., a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises, Inc., is an integrated broadcasting, publishing and digital media company that includes the national advertising rep firms of Cox Reps. With $1.8 billion in revenue, the company operations include 15 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, 86 radio stations, four metro newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications, and more than 100 digital services. Additionally, Cox Media Group owns and operates Valpak, one of the leading direct marketing companies in North America.  For more information about Cox Media Group, please check us out online at www.coxmediagroup.com.

Contact information:
Marsha Strickhouser
8605 Largo Lakes Drive
Largo, FL 33773
727-399-3175 – office
[email protected]

SOURCE Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, Inc.