Engage In-Game Advertising and Greystripe Announce Strategic Partnership
5/9/06

Launch mobile in-game advertising campaign for SpeeDee Oil Change & Tune-Up
 

SAN FRANCISCO— May 9, 2006— Engage In-Game Advertising, an in-game media company providing strategic planning and placement services targeted specifically for video game advertising, and Greystripe, the world’s first mobile advertising network for games and applications, today announced a strategic partnership. Through the agreement, Engage In-Game Advertising will be incorporating the use of Greystripe’s AdWRAP, the first mobile in-game advertising network in North America, to help with the implementation and management of mobile in-game advertising campaigns for its clients.

The partnership comes at a time when key market segments are increasingly turning from traditional media to new forms of electronic entertainment, such as mobile games. According to Nielson Entertainment, there are approximately 144 million mobile cell phone users ages 13-54 in the United States — 22 percent of whom pay to download games to their phone. According to IDC, mobile game sales are expected to reach $1.5 billion by 2008.

“As an exclusive in-game media company, we are thrilled that our relationship with Greystripe will allow us to add mobile in-game advertising solutions to our range of offerings,” said David Smith, vice president of business development for Engage. “Our objective is to help brands connect with consumers who are spending time with new forms of digital entertainment. Mobile gaming is growing exponentially and as video game marketers, we see mobile in-game ads as a powerful channel to connect with consumers on the run.”

The first initiative resulting from the partnership is the launch of a mobile in-game advertising campaign for SpeeDee Oil Change & Tune-Up, the latest company to join Engage In-Game Advertising’s growing client roster. SpeeDee Oil Change & Tune-Up — which operates more than 150 full-service automobile service centers in the United States and Mexico — will today begin offering a free branded mobile game on its corporate Web site (www.speedeeoil.com). The company will also run in-game ads across a network of mobile games aimed at adults 25-54.

SpeeDee Oil Change & Tune-Up will serve pre-game full screen ads offering consumers five dollars off their next oil change. The ads offer an instant response mechanism allowing consumers to click for a coupon that will be sent to the e-mail address of their choice. Other direct response options include instant text messaging or a click-to-call, toll-free number.

“SpeeDee Oil Change & Tune-Up offers a convenient one-stop-shop for consumers seeking oil changes, tune-ups and other preventative maintenance services at reasonable prices,” said Jan Windhorst, marketing director of SpeeDee Oil Change & Tune-Up. “Our key customer is busy and frequently on-the-go and mobile in-game advertising offers us the perfect opportunity to connect with our targeted audience.”

“Greystripe is happy to partner with Engage because they understand the real power of our AdWRAP Mobile In-Game Advertising Network,” said Michael Chang, Vice President of Marketing for Greystripe. “We look forward to enabling Speedee Oil Change & Tune-Up and the other brands Engage represents to reach the widest and most receptive mobile audience possible.”

About Engage
Engage In-Game Advertising is an independent in-game media company that provides market-by-market or nationwide strategic planning and placement services for video game advertising. The company offers client brands and advertising agencies objective analysis of media and promotional opportunities within and around console, PC and mobile game properties. For more information, visit www.engageadvertising.com.

About Greystripe, Inc.
Greystripe is the world’s first mobile advertising network for games and applications. Its mission is to provide platforms for advertisers and publishers to excite target audiences anywhere, anytime, while lowering the cost of mobile content to the consumer by delivering free ad-supported downloads. Greystripe’s AdWrap mobile advertising network monetizes applications and games, provides quick loading, targeted ads for consumers, turnkey profits for publishers, and cost-effective trackable ROI for advertisers. Its BrandWrap product offers a full-service advergaming solution to customers looking for multiple marketing messages and complete in-application integration. The San Francisco-based firm won the grand prize of the 2005 BlackBerry 7520 Location Based Services Challenge.