MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 5, 2000--
Entries Illustrate Personalization is Becoming a Mainstream
Marketing Strategy
The stage is set and anticipation is growing over a major contest sponsored by Net Perceptions Inc. (Nasdaq: NETP) and Wheelhouse Corporation as part of the ICONOCAST Web Attack! conference in New York June 8-9.
Today, four organizations have been named as finalists in the competition based on the creativity of their proposals, the clarity of their visions and on how they would uniquely apply personalization technology. They are Harvard Business School Publishing, New York Life Insurance Co., OshKosh B'Gosh, Inc. and The Procter & Gamble Co. The four were selected from a pool of more than 50 companies that responded to a Net Perceptions challenge issued in April. The goal of the contest is to identify and make real an innovative application of Net Perceptions' personalization solutions software.
This week each of the finalists will present before a panel of judges how they would use personalization tools to enhance one-to-one relationships with their customers. The judges will select two from that group to present their ideas in an open session Thursday of the ICONOCAST Web Attack! conference in New York. On Friday the winner will be named and will receive implementation of their personalization solution up to a total value of $500,000. The prize includes Net Perceptions' enterprise personalization software and integration services through Wheelhouse, a leading supplier of eMarketing services. Net Perceptions and Wheelhouse also will work with the winner's Web designers to ensure that the resulting personalization solution is integrated and consistent with the company's overall business objectives and Web design initiatives.
The winner's application ultimately will be showcased and demonstrated at the Personalization Summit in San Francisco, November 13-14, with the winner, Net Perceptions and Wheelhouse reporting on the results.
"The number and variety of companies participating in the challenge is very revealing," observed Steve Larsen, Net Perceptions senior vice president. "There is clearly a growing awareness of how personalization in business - whether large or small, online or off -is fundamentally changing the marketplace. And the range of ideas offered by entrants shows companies are beginning to think creatively about what they want out of this technology."
About Net Perceptions
Net Perceptions is a leading provider of realtime personalization and precision marketing software solutions for Internet and multi-channel retailers. Its software is designed to help retailers understand customers individually, optimize product assortments, prices and inventories and offer the right product to the right customer at the right price. Net Perceptions' customers include many of the world's best-known brands including: Art.com, Bertelsmann, The Children's Place, Egghead.com, eToys.com, Fingerhut, Hudson's Bay Company, J.C. Penney, Procter & Gamble, Tower Records and Walgreens. Incorporated in Delaware, July 3, 1996, the company has offices in Minneapolis, San Francisco, New York, Austin, Texas, Richardson, Texas, Berkshire, U.K. and joint venture operations in Japan.
About Wheelhouse
Wheelhouse Corporation is the first eMarketing services firm focused solely on helping companies exploit the Internet's transformational marketing power. Wheelhouse enables organizations to attract, develop and retain customers through the strategic implementation of Internet marketing strategies, technologies and techniques. The firm's services center around two fixed-price consulting practices, eMarketing Strategy and Internet Marketing Technology Implementation, followed by two optional continuing offerings, eMarketing Services and Applications Management. Incorporated in October 1999, the company is funded by leading venture capital firms: Charles River Ventures, Integral Capital Partners and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. For more information visit www.wheelhouse.com or contact Wheelhouse at info@wheelhouse.com or telephone 781-505-3000.
Net Perceptions is a registered trademark of Net Perceptions Inc. Greenlight Go! is a service mark of Net Perceptions. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are the company's limited operating history, delays in product development, development of the Internet market, changes in product pricing policies, competitive pressures and the risk factors detailed from time to time in the company's periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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