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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LIVEDEAL.COM AND ADSTAR ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP TO INTEGRATE LIVEDEAL'S FREE ONLINE CLASSIFIEDS WITH LOCAL NEWSPAPERS ACROSS THE U.S.
Enables LiveDeal.com’s Classifieds Advertisers to Broaden Their Reach to Local Print Publications;
Provides Lucrative New Revenue Opportunity for Newspapers
MARINA DEL REY, Calif. and SANTA CLARA, Calif., – July 26, 2006 – AdStar, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADST), the leading provider of e-commerce transaction software and services for the advertising and publishing industries, and LiveDeal.com (www.livedeal.com), one of the nation’s leading free local online classifieds sites, today announced a strategic partnership to integrate AdStar’s functionality into LiveDeal.com. The combined capabilities of AdStar and LiveDeal will enable LiveDeal.com classified advertisers to effortlessly broaden their online classifieds listings to local newspapers and offer the newspaper industry a lucrative new revenue-generating opportunity.
The partnership between the two companies marries the strength of LiveDeal’s online classifieds leadership with AdStar’s expertise in self-service classified ad placement and its deep relationships in the newspaper industry, which includes working with more than 100 of the nation’s leading newspapers.
“Our partnership with LiveDeal.com represents a tremendous fusion of print and online advertising, combining the convenience and power of the Web with the reach and franchise power of local newspapers,” stated Leslie Bernhard, president and chief executive officer of AdStar, Inc. “LiveDeal attracts more than 1.4 million unique visitors each month, and at any point in time, has ad listings of more than $5 billion worth of goods for sale in local markets throughout the United States. By helping extend LiveDeal’s online ads to print, we are creating an incremental revenue-generating opportunity for newspapers and helping them to easily tap into LiveDeal’s rapidly growing online customer base.”
LiveDeal will use AdStar’s classified ad transaction technology to provide its online classified advertisers with the option to place their online ads in local newspapers. After posting their online ads, LiveDeal’s users will be presented with the option of publishing their ads in participating local newspapers. When LiveDeal.com users select the print publishing option, they will use AdStar’s print ad placement platform, where a new ad will be created from the information provided in their online LiveDeal listings. Advertisers will then have the option to “accept” or “edit” the ad. AdStar’s platform will format the ad for the selected newspaper(s), match the category from LiveDeal.com to the appropriate category in the individual newspaper, and submit the finished ad to the newspaper’s publishing system for print and online publication.
Participating newspapers will also have the opportunity to upsell online classified advertising opportunities on LiveDeal.com to their print classified advertisers. The LiveDeal.com classifieds platform enables newspapers to effortlessly provide their print classified advertisers with a sophisticated and rewarding online classifieds experience, which includes photos, listing enhancements, e-commerce, fraud protection, community-building, identity protection, storefronts and advanced local search capabilities.
“We are delighted to form this strategic alliance with AdStar to provide offline media the opportunity to benefit from the increased revenue streams made possible by the Internet,” noted Rajesh Navar, chief executive officer of LiveDeal.com. “Our partnership with AdStar turns the powerful concept of integrating online and offline classifieds into reality. Together we are creating a unique channel for online classified advertisers to extend their reach beyond the Web and an effective way for local newspapers to reach LiveDeal.com’s large and growing group of active advertisers.” |
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LiveDeal is one of the leaders in the free local online classifieds market with more than $5 billion worth of goods listed for sale, in every city and zip code across the U.S. Buyers and sellers come together through the vast LiveDeal.com marketplace, which is ideal for trading items you want to see or try before you buy, such as automobiles, furniture, appliances, real estate and more. LiveDeal is also the perfect place for sellers seeking to place pets in loving homes and for buyers to find the pet of their dreams. LiveDeal partners with online and offline media to quickly and cost effectively power their classifieds via its dynamic LiveDeal classifieds platform. LiveDeal was founded in 2003 by Rajesh Navar, an original member of eBay’s engineering team, with executives from other pioneering Internet companies. As part of its global expansion, LiveDeal recently launched LiveDeal Canada (livedeal.ca) in partnership with Torstar Corporation and Gesca Ltd. For more information about LiveDeal, see www.livedeal.com.
About AdStar, Inc
AdStar, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADST - News) is the leading provider of e-commerce transaction software and services for the advertising and publishing industries. AdStar’s proprietary suite of e-commerce services includes remote ad entry software and web-based ad transaction services, as well as payment processing and content processing solutions that are provided through its Edgil Associates subsidiary, the industry's largest supplier of automated payment processing services. AdStar delivers classified ads to more than 70 of the largest newspapers in the United States, CareerBuilder, and a growing number of other online and print media companies. EdgCapture, Edgil’s automated payment process solution, is currently employed by call centers at more than 100 of the nation's leading newspaper and magazines. AdStar is headquartered in Marina del Rey, Calif., and its Edgil office is located in North Chelmsford, Mass. For additional information on AdStar, Inc., visit www.adstar.com.
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Media Contacts:
Kathy Wilson
781-652-0499
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