AOL Launches New Lifestyle and Pop Culture Sites; AOL Programming Hits Record Traffic Numbers in August

AOL announced the launch of two new specialty sites, Lemondrop, http://lemondrop.com, which covers women’s lifestyle, and PopEater, http://popeater.com, which focuses on pop culture. The new sites continue AOL’s efforts to launch experiences targeted at specific audiences. Both sites provide consumers a forum to interact and engage in a fun and entertaining format about lifestyle and pop culture features. In addition, AOL announced that unique visitors and page views for its programming sites grew in August, the nineteenth consecutive month of growth. Unique visitors climbed 5% year-over-year in August, page views climbed more than 100%, and time spent climbed 49%, according to the August 2008 comScore Media Metrix report.

The new sites are supported by AOL’s digital advertising business, Platform-A, http://www.platform-a.com, which will identify key opportunities for advertisers and provide relevant display advertising and content-targeted links on the sites.

“As people change the way they use the Internet, we are continually looking to offer more relevant content that targets people’s passion points,” said Bill Wilson, Executive Vice President, AOL Programming. “The new sites provide comprehensive engaging and interactive experiences and offer a place for consumers and advertisers to connect with programming that is truly dynamic. In addition, our continued growth in traffic and engagement show that this approach is resonating with online consumers.”

Vignette Launches Digital Publishing Platform for Telecommunications, Media and Entertainment Industries

Vignette announced the upcoming availability of Vignette Media, a unique solution that helps telecommunications, media and entertainment (TME) organizations deliver integrated media strategies. The new solution empowers marketing and business professionals to manage, deliver and present virtually any type of digital content. For IT professionals, Vignette Media reduces the need for multiple software solutions.

The rapid evolution of technology is creating new opportunities for TME organizations. As these companies develop new business models, they require software and services that meet specialized needs and requirements for managing and selling digital assets such as online games, ringtones and music, where the content is the product. Vignette Media’s digital publishing platform was designed specifically to meet the needs of organizations that require a digital storefront, a video-on-demand solution or a rich multichannel Web experience.

“Vignette Media enables us to deliver the comprehensive platforms TME organizations require to retain and grow market share,” said John Griffin, chief sales and marketing officer at ioko, a Vignette partner and global IT provider for media and entertainment companies. “Vignette Media’s specialized user interface and workflows allows ioko to reduce implementation times for rich media solutions and achieve rapid commercial returns for our clients.”