Business Editors
LOS ANGELES & IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 2, 2003
Southland Firms Introduce Innovative New Product Which Offers
Dynamic Features That Include Extensive Tracking, Measurement
and Campaign Management Tools
Two southern California firms today announced a joint venture to produce "next-generation" digital corporate annual reports that, for the first time, provide public companies with the capability to track and measure readership, as well as initiate and sustain interactive communications with shareholders.
Interactive Annual Reports -- an association between Los Angeles-based Foley/Freisleben LLC, a respected investor and corporate relations consultancy, and NetScope, Inc., a leading interactive marketing agency headquartered in Irvine -- brings unprecedented functionality and features to the digital annual report, and crystallizes the increasing obsolescence of printed books due to cost and readability factors.
The joint venture's first namesake product -- its interactive annual report (IAR) -- adds a cutting-edge dimension to investor communications by enabling two-way, electronic dialogue to shareholders through email and other periodic outreach, plus the aforementioned tracking and measurement of readership features. Additionally, the IAR will include sophisticated, high-impact interactive graphs, charts and tables that grow and move, as well as the inclusion of audio and video clips into the report.
More cost effective than both existing digital annual reports and the printed books which it has been conceived to replace, the IAR extends the value of company's dollar investment by eliminating high printing costs except for such items as mandated Form 10-Ks or optional custom packaging.
"One of the inherent, historic drawbacks to corporate annual reports -- both printed and the first generation of digital 'books' -- is the lack of a definitive way to measure whether shareholders actually read them," said Gerald Freisleben, president of Foley/Freisleben, who has written and project-managed nearly 200 annual reports during his career. "The interactive annual report product effectively overcomes that obstacle by its tracking and measurement features which are unique to our solution. These will now enable public companies to know on which sections its shareholders are focusing. It is a powerful investor communications tool that provides valuable feedback to corporate management."
NetScope President Michael Beresford commented, "We've enjoyed working with Foley/Freisleben in the past, so naturally teaming with them on this partnership was a great fit. With NetScope's vast experience in web development and interactive marketing, combined with Foley/Freisleben's investor and corporate relations expertise, we can offer clients extensive experience and resources to increase their shareholder readership and position the public company as forward-thinking."
Differing in price and features, two versions of the Interactive Annual Report are available, Standard and Full Custom alternatives. The Full Custom product is developed based entirely upon client company's specific criteria and offers limitless array of functions and features. Both provide studio-produced audio of chief executive officer delivering letter, standard navigation, basic text, designed financials, and many other features. In addition, options such as printed 10-K form, custom folders or packaging, and seamless Web hosting capabilities are available. The Full Custom alternative package includes: extensive use of sophisticated graphics and interactive financial data; stock-marketing and investment-community outreach tools such as electronic mail communication and Campaign-Management Tools for tracking costs per impression.
Accompanied by a company's annual report as filed on Form 10-K, the Interactive Annual Report complies with all Securities and Exchange Commission reporting regulations, and ideally supplants the printed annual, particularly in such sectors as technology, where an interactive report is more appropriate.
Foley/Freisleben LLC provides financial communications and marketing public relations services to a diverse roster of companies. Located in Los Angeles and Irvine, the firm specializes in investor and corporate relations, with a complementary expertise in business-to-business and technology communications. The Los Angeles office is located at 800 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 300, Los Angeles, Calif., 90017, telephone 213/955-0020. The Irvine office is located in the Park Place complex, 3333 Michelson Dr., Suite 400, Irvine, Calif., 92612 and may be reached at 949/622-0020. For further information, visit www.folfry.com.
NetScope, Inc is one of the largest and most successful interactive marketing agencies in southern California, serving clients both large and small throughout the region and nationwide. Founded in 1995, the company is located at 16 Technology, Suite 126, Irvine, Calif., 92618. The firm's dynamic team of 20 developers, creative members and project managers also offers web site development, hosting and maintenance solutions, search engine optimization, content management, online training, e-commerce and email marketing and extensive tracking options. For more information, call 949-450-1122 or visit www.net-scope.com
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