An Overview of SmartBrief, Content for Busy Executives

By: Tom O’Brien

Q: How Do Business Leaders Stay Smart?

A: With a daily dose of SmartBrief.

What Is SmartBrief?

SmartBrief is a media company on a mission to save busy professionals time and

keep them well-informed.

The premise behind our company is simple: there’s too much information out there

and too little time in the day to read it all. Our editors hand-pick the most relevant

and important news from all over, summarize it, link to the original sources and

deliver it -- for FREE -- in a one-stop-shop e-newsletter.

We provide our readers with the news they need – and nothing more. They read it

quickly and get on with their day, making smarter, faster, and better informed

decisions.

• SmartBrief publishes more than 70 vertically-focused e-mail newsletters in partnership with major

trade associations and corporations

• SmartBrief editors:

– aggregate news from thousands of sources,

– select 10 to 15 of the most critical stories,

– write a brief summary of each story,

– organize the stories into relevant news sections, and

– distribute the e-mail newsletters in an easy-to-read, HTML, format.

• All of SmartBrief’s publications are free to subscribe and 100 percent opt-in

• The majority of SmartBrief’s newsletters are distributed five times per week

• Quick Facts:

– More than 2.5 million opt-in subscribers receive a SmartBrief daily

– SmartBrief’s roster of newsletters span more than 25 major industry segments

– Approximately 350,000 of SmartBrief’s readers are Presidents or C-Level

What Is SmartBrief?

What Does a SmartBrief Look Like?

Chevronl ogos for mock up purposes only

SmartBrief on Leadership News Sources

—CEO

―It’s about more than just awareness building.

It has had a definite impact on how I do business.

The information is so timely and far reaching

that it helps me to think about innovation and

development going forward.‖

SmartBrief Subscriber

—President & CEO

―When I meet with clients I am better informed.

I know things that [they] haven’t heard yet, and it

allows me to speak knowledgeably about a wide

range of topics. It is a great confidence builder.‖

SmartBrief Subscriber

The SmartBrief Subscriber

Reader Survey Observations, January 2009*The vast majority of respondents are highly engaged with SmartBrief.

• Over 80% read SmartBrief at least three days per week.• Over 50% report reading it every day.

SmartBrief Subscribers are well-rounded and have an appetite for a variety of business and personal interests:

• Staying abreast of advances in technology• Fostering company and industry innovation• Defending against competitive threats• Hiring and retaining top talent• Acquiring new business/integration • Achieving a work/life balance• Personal health and fitness• Planning for retirement• Managing their investments• Ensuring their family's health

Sample size: 200,000 subsIn conjunction w. Summus Consulting

Engaging business leaders on the hot topics

If need be, take the money back

SmartBrief on Leadership | 03/25/2009

• Response to last week's poll outpaced that of any question we've posed to date. More than 2,429 SmartBrief on Leadershipreaders weighed in: Amid the uproar over AIG's payment of bonuses after the infusion of more than $160 billion in government bailout funds, would you support a "claw-back" or special tax of 100% on the bonuses -- even if the bonus payments were a contractual obligation?

• "This outcome may be tempered by the fact that AIG execs have now largely agreed to return their retention bonuses. However, it's notable that a decisive majority of our readers support a "claw-back" or special 100% tax to recover bonuses paid to AIG execs. The fact that even business leaders are unwilling to cut slack to companies using federal or taxpayer funds sends the mesChevron that public money is not to be trifled with. Even though a "claw-back" tax may in fact be unconstitutional, it's clear that patience is shortening and business' normally 'long view' on the sanctity of contracts is coming into question." Eva Schmatz, president, Summus Limited

62.5%

37.4%

Amazing subscriber growth

0 27%49%

61%41%

27%

40%

70%

-

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000

3,000,000

Subs

subscribers

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009Year:

Average Annual Growth: 45%

CAGR: over 1200%

2,599,344 total subs.

The SmartBrief Audience by Industry

Market/Business Function # of Subscribers Advertising 68,475

Aviation & Aerospace 73,300

Biotechnology 29,200 Small Business 18,400 Construction & Real Estate 65,350

Consumer Packaged Goods 186,300 Distribution 48,700

Education 261,400

Energy 14,300

Finance 48,900 Food Service 104,000 Healthcare 185,200

Insurance 38,500 Leadership 52,200

Manufacturing 236,500

Media & Entertainment 183,700

Retail 303,700 Technology 184,500 Telecommunications 174,700

Travel & Hospitality 98,700

The SmartBrief Audience by Function

Relevant Readers for Any Campaign:

•68 Percent are Managers and/or Decision Makers

•23 Percent C-Level or Presidents

•80 percent of the SmartBrief audience is North America

Why Advertise with SmartBrief?

• Our readers trust us. SmartBrief boasts some of the highest open rates in the industry, averaging more than 35 percent.

• We’ve got tons of data, and are looking for someone to share it with. SmartBrief is an opt-in news service with profiles on all subscribers (Name, Company, Title, e-mail, etc.). Our technology allows us to see who is opening the newsletter each day, on which articles they click, and, most importantly, on which advertisements they click. We provide our sponsors with unparalleled campaign reporting, which includes a detailed list of company names and titles.

• We enjoy our relationship with trade associations. So should you. All of SmartBrief’s newsletters are the official e-mail news publications of our respective association partners. When we go to market with a new publication, we do so with the strong brand recognition and membership of the association. Our sponsors are aligning themselves with an endorsement from the most influential trade groups in the world.

• A reasonable investment. SmartBrief exclusively publishes electronically … no expensive printing or shipping costs. We pass these savings along to our sponsors. For the price of one color print ad in most trade publications, a sponsor of SmartBrief could see up to 20 times the frequency at half the cost.

Ad Specs

SmartBrief offers two types of ad placements:

1. Leaderboard Banner:•Located at the top of each newsletter•728x90 pixels•File: 120k maximum; .gif or .jpeg; no limits on animation

2. “News Section” Sponsorship:•Integrated within the content of a news section•Includes logo at the Section Header (160x45 pixels)•3 format options to choose from:

•Logo/Text Format:•120x110 image (.gif or .jpeg, animated)•300 characters of text (excluding spaces)

•468x60 Banner Format:•.gif or .jpeg, animated

•Outline Format:•Headline – 50 characters of text •Text Copy – 300 characters of text

Lead Gen. Landing Page

Note: Pre-populating data fields

Campaign Reporting

• Extensive non-invasive readership data

• Track position, format and clicks for every ad

• Get company name and title for every click

• Real-time, 24/7 online access to reports

• Monthly delivery of comprehensive campaign results

SmartBrief’s Program Options

• Run of Network Campaign

– SmartBrief monitors click activity across the network and optimizes/shifts impressions to the top performing properties throughout the campaign

– Multiple ad formats are utilized across the network, including:

• 728x90 Leaderboard Banners (animated gifs or jpegs) – these units are great awareness, traffic drivers

• News Section Sponsorships – a combination of a branded logo and 300 characters of text provides the flexibility to tailor your mesChevron to specific audiences (Retail, Healthcare, etc.)

• An impression is defined as an OPENED newsletter, not a send!!!

• Vertical “Thought Leader” Channel Campaign

– Advertiser selects the Channel(s) they’d like their ads to appear in (i.e. Leadership, Workforce)

– Advertisements are purchased on a CPM basis (impressions within the Channel)

– An impression is defined as an OPENED newsletter, not a send!!!

• Lead Generation (CPA)

– Advertiser provides SmartBrief assets (white papers, case studies, demos) to promote across our Network and SmartBrief provides Advertiser detailed lead information (Name, Title, Company Name, Email, etc.) on a cost-per- lead basis

• Requirements

– Minimum network run: 10 newsletters

– Minimum investment: $20,000 net

– CPM: $25-$50 (depending on criteria)

– Minimum lead gen 200 leads @ $50 net/ lead

SmartBrief Network Options

• Run of Site: Ads rotate throughout all SmartBrief newsletters

– Similar to traditional business media buy

• Vertical industry focus– Choose the industries that deliver the best sales results

• SmartBrief Business & Thought Leadership Network

– Reach the cutting edge of business theory and innovation

• SmartBrief on Leadership

• SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs

• SmartBrief on Workforce

• SmartBrief on Social Media

• National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) SmartBrief

• National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) SmartBrief

• Shop.org SmartBrief

• IAB SmartBrief

• AAAA Smart Brief

• Achieve client goals– Awareness, thought leadership, reach, market leadership, lead generation, newsletter sign-ups

Why SmartBrief?

• Targeted: Reach executives and decision makers at leading companies in 25 industries

• Valued: Association brand and opt-in subscriptions mean high reader loyalty and desire to read SmartBriefs

• Flexible: Multiple advertising options in uncluttered environment

• Measurable: Easy access to detailed reports

• Successful: 80% renewal rate for annual campaigns

Delivering Results for Leading Global Brands