Claritas Partners With PRO Group

Claritas Inc., the premier provider of intelligent marketing information and target marketing services, announced today it had entered into an agreement with PRO Group, a leading co-op for independent consumer electronics retailers, to provide its membership with targeted marketing information developed from the PRIZM® NE lifestyle segmentation system.

Neil Portnoy, Claritas Assistant Vice President, Consumer Durables, said the PRIZM NE data will be utilized to create custom segments based on data from PRO Group members' customer files. He added that the analysis of the customer data, which is being funded by a major electronics manufacturer, is currently underway.

"This level of cooperation between retailers and manufacturers is groundbreaking and will result in the execution of target marketing strategies aimed at upscale consumers in all trade areas where PRO Group retailers are located," Portnoy said. "PRO Group retailers will drive more foot-traffic into stores," continued Portnoy, "by using precision marketing capabilities to target their most valuable consumers with products and offers that are attractive and meaningful to them."

Dave Workman, the Executive Director of PRO Group, said the organization partnered with Claritas because its segmentation data is a proven marketing tool in reaching the right customers.

"This is a very exciting initiative for all of our members in advancing their customer-centric marketing programs through the use of Claritas' PRIZM NE segmentation data," said Workman. "This clearly demonstrates that our membership is dedicated to not only reaching their best customers, but also in providing them with the best products and services," he added.

PRIZM NE is a geo-demographic system that categorizes the population into 66 segments and ranks them on a socio-economic level, with each segment described by a "catchy" name that captures the makeup of that segment population -- names such as Blue Blood Estates, Young Digerati and Bohemian Mix.

About PRO Group

PRO Group is the consumer electronics industry's leading upscale market buying group. In addition to coordinating purchasing, the Group facilitates the exchange of ideas regarding the best advertising, merchandising and training practices between its members. PRO Group's membership includes: Abt Electronics, Anderson's, Bjorn's Audio/Video, Car Toys, Inc., Crutchfield Corporation, Electronics Expo, Flanner's Home Entertainment, Harvey Electronics, Home Theater Store, Huppin's/OneCall, Ken Crane's, ListenUp, MyerEmco, Ovation Audio/Video, 6th Avenue Electronics, Stereo Advantage, Tweeter Home Entertainment Group and Vann's of Montana. For more information, please contact PRO Group at admin@progroup.net

About Claritas

Since 1971, San Diego-based Claritas has been the pre-eminent source of accurate, up-to-date marketing information about people, households and businesses within any geographic area in the United States. Its target marketing services are aimed at reducing the cost of customer acquisition and growing customer value. Claritas offers industry-leading consumer segmentation systems, consulting services and software applications for site analysis, advertising sales and customer targeting. Claritas is a division of the Nielsen Company, a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek) and trade shows. To learn more about Claritas and Nielsen products and services visit their web sites at www.claritas.com and www.nielsen.com .

Contact: Stephen F. Moore Claritas Inc. (858) 677-9634 Email Contact