Brand Communities Go Mobile with Demand Media

04/06/11

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Apr 06, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Today, Demand Media (NYSE:DMD) released new functionality that facilitates brands' initiatives to extend their online communities to mobile devices. The extended feature set from Pluck, Demand Media's social media platform that helps digital marketers build consumer communities, gives brands and their agency partners new tools to create engaging social experiences in mobile applications.

"We want to help brand marketers engage their customers on every digital channel in their social mix," said Steve Semelsberger, senior vice president and general manager of social solutions for Demand Media. "We've recently given marketers the ability to embed Pluck applications in branded Facebook pages. Now we are making it easier for them to add community to their mobile experiences."

Brand marketers use Pluck to create a single customer community across multiple digital channels including websites, mobile applications and Facebook. Using the Pluck Platform, marketers can foster engagement, boost conversions and improve insights with a combined view of customer activity across every channel. Consumers also have their choice of creating a new account on the brand's domain or using Facebook to sign in, participate in conversations and share information across multiple networks.

"McGraw-Hill Construction has leveraged Pluck for integrated community management on our websites for several years," said Michael McNerney, senior director of media at McGraw-Hill Construction, which publishes Architectural Record. "We are excited to bring our powerful content to our customers through our mobile initiatives."

Pluck's new mobile functionality includes tools for software developers that provide native experiences and streamline the creation of community features. These new tools - software development kits, or SDKs built on Pluck's APIs - are optimized for popular Web programming languages, including Objective-C commonly used to build Apple iOS apps along with Java for Google Android applications. Developers will also have access to application templates that make it easier to embed Pluck social features into both their mobile applications and their mobile websites.

Today's announcement builds on Pluck's existing mobile support that enabled customers to embed social functionality using existing APIs. Companies that have leveraged Pluck to create social experiences across web and mobile platforms include:

Architectural Record. McGraw-Hill Construction recently made its Architectural Record Photography Showcase app available in Apple iTunes. The app provides mobile access to the award-winning Architectural Record photo galleries supported by Pluck. It also lets users take architecturally interesting photos and upload them to the app's mobile Pluck photo gallery.

NFL. The National Football League relies on Pluck's mobile capabilities to add social features to its Android NFL Mobile application. Pluck gives the NFL the ability to assign a source tag to comments, which lets the league segment comments for purposes of discovery, moderation policies, user tiering, contributor badges and rewards.

Trinity Mirror Football. UK publisher Trinity Mirror has launched an iPhone version of Mirrorfootball.co.uk, its hugely popular football site. Pluck lets community managers and content moderators control the community from a single set of platform tools.

Glamour Magazine. Glamour.com, a Condé Nast property, offers a mobile version, m.glamour.com, to those who visit the site on a mobile device. Condé Nast has extended its Pluck Comments implementation on Glamour.com to the mobile website. Pluck delivers a single community experience across both Web and mobile browsers.

The Pluck integrated community platform optimized for mobile is available immediately. More information is on www.pluck.com.

About Demand Media

Demand Media, Inc. (NYSE:DMD) is a leading online media company that informs, entertains and connects millions of people every day. Through a portfolio of vertical web properties that reaches more than 100 million monthly visitors, a global network of digital partners, and an innovative content studio, Demand Media publishes what the world wants to know and share. Founded in 2006, Demand Media is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA with offices in Bellevue, WA, Austin, TX, New York, NY, Chicago, IL and London, UK. For more information visit: www.demandmedia.com.

© 2011 Demand Media, Inc.

Demand Media and Pluck are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Demand Media, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Cautionary Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties regarding Demand Media's future financial performance, and are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about Demand Media's industry, financial condition, operating performance and results of operations, including certain assumptions related thereto. Statements containing words such as "may," "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project," "business outlook," and "estimate" or similar expressions constitute forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted, and previously reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among others: our ability to compete with new or existing competitors; our ability to maintain or increase our advertising revenue; our ability to continue to drive and grow traffic to our owned and operated websites and the websites of our network customers; our ability to effectively monetize our portfolio of content; our dependence on material agreements with a specific business partner for a significant portion of our revenue; future internal rates of return on content investment and our decision to invest in different types of content in the future; changes in the methodologies of Internet search engines and the impact such changes may have on driving search related traffic to our owned and operated websites and the websites of our network customers; our ability to attract and retain freelance content creators; the effects of changes in marketing expenditures or shifts in marketing expenditures; the effects of seasonality on traffic to our owned and operated websites and the websites of our network customers; changes in stock-based compensation; changes in amortization or depreciation expense due to a variety of factors; potential write downs, reserves against or impairment of assets including receivables, goodwill, intangibles or other assets; changes in tax laws, our business or other factors that would impact anticipated tax benefits or expenses; our ability to successfully identify, consummate and integrate acquisitions; our ability to retain key customers and key personnel; risks associated with litigation; governmental regulation; and the effects of discontinuing or discontinued business operations. From time to time, we may consider acquisitions or divestitures that, if consummated, could be material. Any forward-looking statements regarding such acquisitions or divestitures are based upon the assumption that such acquisition or divestiture is consummated during the relevant period. The actual impact of such acquisition or divestitures on actual results could differ materially from any forward-looking statements.More information about potential risk factors that could affect our operating and financial results will be included in Demand Media's annual and quarterly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (www.sec.gov), including, without limitation, information under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."

SOURCE: Demand Media

Demand Media
Kevin Morgan, 310-917-6400, ext. 6630
kevin.morgan@demandmedia.com