Gaithersburg, MD
Gaithersburg, MD, August 13, 2003 - WeatherBug®, a free weather software application downloaded by over 23 million people nationwide, posted significant gains in advertisers, users and traffic during the first two quarters of this year driving revenues up sharply.
WeatherBug (www.weatherbug.com) streams live neighborhood weather conditions, severe weather warnings, emergency alerts, forecasts and more direct to PC users' desktops. WeatherBug is owned and operated by AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc.
During the first two quarters of 2003:
- WeatherBug posted revenue gains of 113 percent when compared to the same two quarters last year.
- Its roster of advertisers grew by 39 percent, from 120 in January to 167 in June.
- User registrations increased by over 37 percent, from 16.9 million in January 2003 to 23.2 million in June.
- Monthly page views grew to 397 million, according to comScore Media Metrix.
"These numbers show us two things," said Andy Jedynak, Senior Vice President and General Manager. "First, major marketers have embraced the product as they recognize that our unique advertising platforms and capabilities deliver quantifiable results. Second, it shows that consumers view WeatherBug as a truly indispensable product that saves lives, and they are creating a vibrant community that expands by a baseball stadium of people every day."
"WeatherBug offers a combination of granular targeting, registration based loyalty, vast user base, and unique platforms to create opportunities that maximize our online objectives. We continue to run programs that meet and exceed our metrics so WeatherBug is increasingly represented in our plans," says Maggie Boyer, VP of Media, Avenue A, an interactive marketing agency.
WeatherBug is highly unique when compared to any other source of online weather information. It provides users with extremely accurate, live conditions that stream directly from an AWS weather reporting station that is in many cases in their neighborhood. This highly granular weather information is not available from any other weather source. WeatherBug is promoted nationwide by local NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox television stations who partner with AWS to provide this service.
WeatherBug uses two unique advertising platforms to power the free version of WeatherBug. Sponsor SelectTM allows users to choose their own sponsor, and in turn the advertisement that they see on WeatherBug. This creates highly targeted leads for advertisers. The BrandWrapTM seamlessly integrates the advertiser's content with the live weather information presented on WeatherBug. A premium subscription version, WeatherBug Pro, is available for $19.95/year.
About AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc.
AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc. (www.aws.com) owns and operates the largest network of weather stations in the world. This real-time network gathers comprehensive, up-to-the-second weather information from more than 6,000 communities and powers the company's various products and services, including: WeatherBug®, an online weather service that provides live neighborhood conditions to more than 23 million registered PC users; WeatherNet for Broadcast, which delivers real-time weather information to more than 80 million U.S. households through partnerships with 106 local television stations; WeatherNet for Education, which provides engaging weather information and educational tools to schools and colleges, including an innovative set of online lesson plans and software called WeatherNet Classroom; and AWS Data Services which uses AWS' unique weather network and software to provide high-value solutions for vertical industries such as energy, retail, and transportation.
