VNU eMedia Deal Increases B2BWorks' Market Lead

Strategic Partnership Expands Leading B2B Online Media and Marketing Services Company By 20%, Provides B2B Advertisers with New E-Marketing Options

CHICAGO, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Business-to-Business marketers plying the Internet now have even more avenues to reach larger, more sharply defined vertical audiences, with the announcement today that B2BWorks, the online B2B marketing and media services leader, and VNU eMedia, Inc., the new media arm of international publishing giant VNU Business Media, have agreed to an exclusive strategic partnership. The deal increases the B2BWorks inventory by 20%, further extending the company's market-leading position.

The new sites that VNU eMedia will bring to the B2BWorks Network increases B2BWorks depth in leading vertical publishing segments, including Advertising and Marketing, Architecture, Food and Beverage, and Retail.

"VNU's sites exemplify the brand name, industry-specific sites that comprise the B2BWorks Network," states Bill Furlong, B2BWorks' founder, president and CEO. "This agreement solidifies our ability to provide business marketers with premium B2B sites, offering relevance and -- most importantly -- greater receptivity to marketing messages by the marketer's target audiences."

"This partnership is testament to the fact that B2BWorks has developed the premier online marketplace for B2B advertisers," states Jeremy Grayzel, president of VNU eMedia, Inc. "VNU eMedia will be adding solid B2B inventory to B2BWorks from Bill Communications and BPI Communications."

By adding popular content-rich sites from VNU such as Adweek, Hollywood Reporter, and Supermarket Business, B2BWorks now offers advertisers over 500 premium B2B Web sites spanning more than 60 vertical industry segments. With this latest agreement, B2BWorks has increased its lead in offering the most diverse and robust brand name B2B portfolio available to Internet marketers.

"VNU is an ideal strategic partner for B2BWorks because it is an acknowledged powerhouse in the vertical trade publishing industry," says Cheryl Benton, partner and managing director Internet services at Mezzina Brown & Partners. "This substantially enhances the premium inventory opportunities that B2BWorks now offers all of us in the online B2B marketing world."

As part of the deal, B2BWorks has granted equity to VNU. Both organizations will share in revenue generated as a result of the ads placed on the VNU sites.

"We look forward to the benefits that this alliance will bring VNU, including higher revenues through banner advertising, e-mail newsletter sponsorships and other online marketing programs," continues Grayzel.

B2BWorks already has several strategic partnerships with other leading B2B publishers, including Advanstar Communications, IndustryClick/Intertec, and pennNet, a subsidiary of PennWell Corporation. In addition, the B2BWorks Network contains sites from Business News Publishing Company, Hanley-Wood, McGraw Hill, Penton Media and Phillips Business Information.

Some notable VNU sites now available through B2BWorks include: Adweek ( http://www.adweek.com ) Apparel Industry ( http://www.aimmagazine.com ) Business Travel News ( http://www.btnmag.com ) Commercial Property News ( http://www.cpnonline.com ) Convenience Store News ( http://www.csnews.com ) Foodservice Director ( http://www.foodservicetoday.com ) Giftware Business ( http://www.giftline.com ) Hollywood Reporter ( http://www.hollywoodreporter.com ) MC ( http://www.marketingcomputers.com ) Mediaweek ( http://www.mediaweek.com ) National Jeweler ( http://www.national-jewler.com ) Outdoor Retailer ( http://www.outdoorbiz.com ) Photo District News ( http://www.pdonline.com ) Progressive Grocer ( http://www.grocerynetwork.com ) Sales & Marketing Management ( http://www.salesandmarketingmanagement.com ) Successful Meetings ( http://www.successmtgs.com ) Supermarket Business ( http://www.grocerynetwork.com ).

For a complete list of new VNU sites in the B2BWorks Network, please visit http://www.b2bworks.net/vnu.html .

About B2BWorks B2BWorks ( http://www.b2bworks.net ) is the premier full-service online B2B media and marketing services company that gives marketers one-stop access to a wide range of the most popular business-content sites owned by leading trade publishers and associations. B2BWorks helps business marketers meet their targeted advertising and branding needs through focused banner campaigns, microsites, newsletter and custom content sponsorships, permission e-mail lists, rich media and other innovative marketing avenues. B2BWorks currently delivers more than 75 million page views and reaches over 17 million unique business executive visitors monthly through its network of 500+ site affiliates serving more than 60 vertical industry segments. B2BWorks is headquartered in Chicago with offices in New York, Boston and San Francisco.

Marketers seeking more information should contact Dick Ryan, VP of sales, at 312-423-7900, or dickr@b2bworks.net.

About VNU eMedia, Inc. VNU e-Media, Inc. manages the web sites, electronic products and digital assets of VNU Business Media. VNU Business Media also includes: Bill Communications (BCI), a prominent and rapidly growing publisher of leading business magazines including Sales & Marketing Management, Training, Progressive Grocer, Display & Design Ideas, Convenience Store News, and Beverage World, among 37 others); BPI Communications, an international media company that publishes Billboard, Adweek, The Hollywood Reporter, Editor & Publisher, and Backstage among 19 other titles; and VNU Expositions, inc. which produces more than 100 trade shows, conferences, and special events each year including GlobalShop, Medtrade, the Training Conference & Expo, Online Learning, Outdoor Retailer, and ASD/AMD Merchandise shows.

VNU Business Media is a subsidiary of VNU, Inc., which also includes Nielsen Media Research, VNU Marketing Information, Inc. and SRDS. VNU, Inc. is a subsidiary of VNU, b.v., a world leading publishing and information company with front-running market positions in business information, consumer magazines, directories, information services, and educational publishing.