bCandid Launches New Web Publishing Unit; `Productbuzz' Division Will Offer Home Medical Equipment Industry Most Efficient Business-to-Business Sales Lead Generation

Business Wire, Oct 11, 1999

BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 11, 1999--

bCandid Corporation today launched its new "Productbuzz" Web publishing unit designed to deliver product information and generate sales leads faster and more efficiently that any other business-to-business advertising medium. The company also named Alan Stevens (see bio below), an experienced trade publishing industry executive, to head the new division.

The new unit will create and operate vertical industry communities that offer 24-hour a day online access to the latest information from leading product manufacturers and distributors. The company plans to target eight to 10 vertical industries in the next year, beginning with the home medical equipment market. More than 50 medical equipment product manufacturers have signed on to participate in the first Productbuzz community, Home Medical Equipment (www.homehealth.productbuzz.com).

Productbuzz will leverage the power of the Internet to get product information out fast and to reach both domestic and international markets at the same time. Customers will be able to request product information with one convenient click rather than filling out paper forms, reducing the time required to generate qualified sales leads from months to a matter of hours.

"Business communities are built around a common interest in product usage, and we meet that need by providing actionable product information faster than any other medium," Mr. Stevens said. "Productbuzz is the first to offer interactive, vertical industry communities built exclusively around products. We'll do a better job of bringing product buyers and sellers together because we've made that our sole focus."

Productbuzz subscribing vendors can list product and service information at Productbuzz for no charge and pay only on delivery of qualified sales leads. Subscribers receive leads electronically, saving time and money.

Productbuzz vertical sites also will enable vendors to:

-- Customize distribution of sales leads -- Vendors can include

their whole marketing and sales chain on product inquiry

distribution -- from sales distributors to dealers to after-market.

Productbuzz will offer easy customization of how manufacturers and

distributors want to receive and distribute marketing data and

sales leads.

-- Integrate into international sales efforts -- Unlike most product

magazines, Productbuzz supports a significant international

readership. Data can be sent to every country on the planet in less

than 15 minutes.

-- Electronically deliver sales leads -- Vendors receive sales leads

electronically, allowing them to perform additional analysis and

integrate data into contact or lead management systems.

-- Host discussion forums -- Productbuzz provides, at no cost, the

technology to conduct interactive discussions with the customers.

Vendors will be able to host archiveable discussions for Web site

visitors about the product they represent.

The Productbuzz Home Medical Equipment product site officially launches on Oct. 11. Productbuzz is a division of bCandid Corp., the leader in Internet discussion group technology. Its customers include AT&T, Excite@Home, Sprint, GTE, Cable & Wireless, and over 650 others. bCandid's mission is to make Internet-based discussion as ubiquitous and indispensable as email.

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ALAN STEVENS

General Manager

bCandid ProductBuzz Division

Alan Stevens is the driving force behind ProductBuzz, a new application of bCandid's discussion group technology for vertical business-to-business communities. The ProductBuzz concept, which Stevens is developing and launching, will bring buyers and sellers of products together in new ways using the power of Internet discussion technology.

Mr. Stevens is a graduate of the Stanford University Publishing Program and has a distinguished background in the publishing industry. His publishing industry credits include positions at Ziff-Davis Publishing Corporation, Henry Ansbacher Inc. and Stevens Publishing Corporation. Mr. Stevens has launched over a dozen business-to-business magazines and has managed operations ranging from newsletters and industry directories to marketing data and online services.

Mr. Stevens' direct marketing experience also extends into consumer marketing in the financial services industry. He served as vice president, credit card marketing at First Union Bank. In that position, he was responsible for all customer acquisition, relationship marketing, new product development, professional sports franchise and affinity card marketing efforts for First Union's $6.5 billion credit card portfolio.

In 1993, he earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is a graduate of Lake Forest College where he received a BA in Business.