Rocketshop Helps Fuel Launch of The Netflix Player by Roku™

Business Wire,  July 8, 2008  

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Northwest Advertising and Interactive Agency Drives E-Commerce, Microsite Design and Strategy for Groundbreaking Netflix Product Release

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Today, Rocketshop, a full-service marketing and advertising firm, announced that it has been selected by Saratoga, Calif.-based Roku as its agency of record. Roku (www.roku.com), a pioneer of hardware and software for network music players and Internet radio, as well as various video and other applications, tapped Rocketshop to be an instrumental partner in the May 20 launch of The Netflix Player by Roku([TM]) (www.roku.com/netflixplayer), a new device priced at $99.99 that enables Netflix subscribers to instantly stream movies and TV episodes directly to their televisions.

Rocketshop managed a very short turnaround on design and implementation of the Netflix Player microsite. The project included complete site design, brand look and feel and, in partnership with Portland-based Alpha Multimedia Solutions (www.alpha-multimedia.com), site build, integration of a content management system and customization of a secure e-commerce platform - key to Roku's direct-to-consumer sales model. Rocketshop's efforts also included strategic consultation on product messaging and other launch activities.

"We came to Rocketshop with an exceedingly aggressive development timeline, and stringent requirements for site usability and shopping cart functionality," said Tim Twerdahl, Roku's Vice President of Consumer Products. "Rocketshop offers such a perfect combination of high-tech expertise, branding, development sensibility and overall strategic creative thinking that they immediately became an intrinsic part of our team."

The 8-year-old agency counts high-technology among its specialties, with present and past engagements including clients such as Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas, Fujitsu Computer Products of America and consumer technology brands such as Gamefly, Tapwave and others. Rocketshop's ability to combine traditional advertising and branding strategies with interactive and new media approaches was a major factor in Roku's selection of the company for the Netflix Player launch.

"Many major brands have been chasing an effective delivery model for on-demand digital video content, but Roku is really the first to the finish line with a winning package: great content from Netflix, an easy-to-use product that appeals to everyone, and no additional subscription fees for watching movies as often as you like," said Rocketshop president Greg Jones. "For us, the opportunity to execute our ideas, while working collaboratively with the highest-level executives at Netflix and Roku, has been an incomparable experience. We look forward to helping these companies ride the wave of the product's current success, and to the possibilities that evolving interactive strategies and technologies bring to all of our projects."

Rocketshop encourages an open, title-free environment that cross-pollinates a network of employees and consultant partners to deliver real-world expertise and measurable business results. In developing flow and content for the Netflix Player microsite, the company combined feedback from formal focus groups with informal test-driving by receptionists and staff members' kids to ensure the site measured up to the product's plug-and-play promise.

The agency's flexible model enables it to scale up for major clients, while also leveraging new media and interactive strategies for clients in its own community. In one example, the company recently developed an online tool for locally-based Skyline Sheet Metal to enable the company's customers to design Skyline products right into their architectural plans. Other local clients include C-TRAN and Riverview Community Bank.

About Rocketshop

Founded in 2000, Rocketshop is a creative services firm specializing in advertising, marketing and PR, and growing a portfolio of interactive projects. With an immersive process used to gain quick insight into unique business challenges, Rocketshop delivers solutions that drive revenue. From branding and product messaging, to channel expansion strategies and creative services, Rocketshop offers the end-to-end services our clients need to stay competitive. For more information, visit www.rocketshop.com.

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