Vibrant Defies Downturn to Show Record 2009

NEW YORK, March 11, 2010 -- Contextual advertising leader Vibrant delivered a strong 2009, despite the economic downturn. The New York-based advertising company showed record revenues and record profits and achieved double digit EBITDA margins in 2009, with category growth in Consumer Packaged Goods topping 68% Y-Y. Fourth quarter growth hit a whopping 34%.

“We are especially pleased with our 34% Q4 growth. Now, when every ad dollar spent is scrutinized, Vibrant is able to deliver a brand experience with real results. We are effectively extending advertisers’ keyword targeted campaigns past search and into content, delivering both accountability and branding for our advertisers.”

Working with the world’s leading global brands, Vibrant managed more than 50 billion hyperlinks in 2009, reaching 170 million unique users, a 29% increase over 2008, and a record high for Vibrant. As marketers shift dollars from traditional ad channels, advertisers see the value in leveraging Vibrant’s growing platform and premium publisher network to drive performance and user engagement.

According to Doug Stevenson, Vibrant Co-Founder and CEO, “We are especially pleased with our 34% Q4 growth. Now, when every ad dollar spent is scrutinized, Vibrant is able to deliver a brand experience with real results. We are effectively extending advertisers’ keyword targeted campaigns past search and into content, delivering both accountability and branding for our advertisers.”

Ritu Trivedi, Managing Director at Mindshare says, “In-text connects search and display like nothing else, and the fact that the Vibrant ads can deliver dynamic content like recipes makes them even more desirable - almost like branded content.”

Says comScore Search Evangelist Eli Goodman, "Advertisers are increasingly leveraging search to achieve brand marketing objectives. Contextual advertising is an effective way to extend the reach of keyword targeted campaigns across thousands of premium websites, marrying the power of search with the rich media brand experience of display.”

Also fueling the company’s 2009 growth are its industry-leading editorial products, Vibrant Related Content and Vibrant Convenient Search, which bring internet users relevant search, white papers, articles, music, and videos, without ever having to leave the page. Accounting for more than 40% of the company’s current inventory, these editorial hyperlinks are rapidly accelerating the Vibrant network growth by attracting more premium publishers, and in turn, more premium brand advertisers.

Source: Vibrant