Claritas Announces a ''Breakthrough'' Software Upgrade for Customer, Site and Market Analysis; iMARK 2.0 Provides Rapid Access to Actionable Information in Real Time

Business Wire, May 14, 2001

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 14, 2001

Claritas Inc., the premier provider of intelligent marketing information and target marketing services, announced today it has launched a "breakthrough" software application called iMARK 2.0, the latest version of the iMARK series that combines the company's powerful, demographic databases with a client's proprietary information to deliver fast access to actionable information -- anytime, anywhere.

Greg Schibler, Claritas assistant vice president of Spatial Product Strategy, said that iMARK 2.0 stands apart in how it imports customer data and links to their data warehouses in real time. "Imagine looking at a map showing your own sales data as a percent of the total market available in a given area and seeing that map change before your very eyes, as your point of sale system updates your sales figures," he said.

Robert Nascenzi, president and CEO said the real time aspect cannot be overstated because of the significant time and cost savings it can provide. "For example, it takes just a few minutes to link the data -- that's it. No more frustrating delays in waiting for the data to be cut and then imported. The data is always live." He added that for many customers, it can take weeks from the time they first request a custom dataset until the import process is completed.

Schibler said that in addition to combining their data with Claritas data, iMARK 2.0 users can save various templates, allowing quick access to pre-determined map and report layouts. They can also interact with a presentation-quality map from the outset with the ability to overlay multiple thematic views of their data.

"Users can map specific geographic extents, as well as choose the extent used to calculate thematic breaks, providing some of the most visually appealing, informative and persuasive maps possible," Schibler explained.

The functionality, he said, is highly intuitive and the initial reaction from customers has been equally as favorable. "While we were certainly striving to create an intuitive application, I am absolutely thrilled with the frequency with which customers go out of their way to tell me how easily they used iMARK to convert a fleeting thought into an actionable and profitable marketing plan."

iMARK 2.0 is the fourth installment in the software series, which was first introduced in late 1998 with iMARK 1.0.

About Claritas

Based in San Diego, Claritas Inc. is regarded as the premier worldwide provider of precision marketing solutions, developed, in part, through intricate customer segmentation systems and other such marketing tools. It is a division of VNU Marketing Information Inc. (VNU MI Inc), an established leader in providing a wide variety of industries with innovative precision-marketing solutions including geodemographic information and qualitative audience research. VNU MI Inc. is a subsidiary of VNU Inc., that also includes Nielsen Media Research, Bill Communications, BPI Communications, SRDS, VNU eMedia, and VNU Expositions.