ARGI Partners with Alterian to Deliver Cost-Effective Database Marketing Solutions to Mid-Market.

CHICAGO -- Alterian's Marketing Suite and Newly-Released List Manager 2.0 to Power ARGI's Database Marketing and List Fulfillment Services

ARGI (Automated Resources Group International, LLC) announced today that it has signed a licensing agreement with Alterian (LSE:ALN), a global provider of database marketing and customer insight solutions. ARGI will use the Alterian Marketing Suite and the Alterian List Manager 2.0 product to power its database marketing and data sales solutions, which span list management, hygiene and brokerage services, as well as analytics, data append and marketing database design.

"We had a very specific need for a database marketing solution, and Alterian delivered on all fronts," said Alex Amoriello, COO of ARGI. "We serve the small to mid-tier market, comprised of companies who need an easy-to-understand database marketing tool that gives their marketing department's autonomy, speed and flexibility. Alterian's solution provides the performance, power and visual interface that make it easy for both our clients and us to quickly segment, query and search marketing databases, then rapidly use the results to make smarter marketing decisions."

As the U.S. population continues to diversify, ARGI sees a shift from the mass marketing of decades past to a more targeted "micro marketing" approach dependent upon a technology-driven environment that can enable relevant, timely and personalized communication with customers and prospects. "Alterian's products empower marketers and marketing service providers with a single view of customer transactional, behavioral and demographic data; the ability to manipulate the data to ask questions and test assumptions and finally the response analysis and reporting tools to measure our success - all delivered through a single integrated, intuitive user interface, easy-to-navigate software and on a flexible platform," added Amoriello.

The Alterian Marketing Suite was created specifically to address the increasingly sophisticated demands of marketers who know that improved access to and control of data analysis will not only deliver more targeted campaigns but also better results and significant competitive advantage. It enables marketers to work with detailed customer-level data throughout each phase of the marketing process - with unparalleled speed and flexibility - from segmentation and analysis to campaign planning, execution and measurement. This empowers marketers to exploit opportunities more effectively and increase campaign response rates, improve customer retention, and lifetime value, all at their own desktop.

With Alterian's recent release of List Manager 2.0, marketing service providers like ARGI now also have an extremely affordable list management, rental and order fulfillment solution that provides improved service in a highly competitive marketplace, while also reducing operating costs. A complete application developed on Microsoft's .NET platform to improve service levels and reduce operating costs for marketing list providers, Alterian's List Manager 2.0 offers list and data sales organizations a cost-effective and powerful alternative to building proprietary list management and fulfillment systems.

David Eldridge, Chief Executive of Alterian said, "The ARGI partnership is synergistic for both our companies as well as ARGI's customers. ARGI is focused on the mid-market segment, a rapidly growing yet underserved group when it comes to database marketing. As the trend toward greater audience segmentation and control over marketing decisions accelerates, marketers in the mid-market especially have lacked an appropriate solution that fits their ever-growing needs. Our partnerships with companies positioned like ARGI will finally deliver them a solution that is more affordable, intuitive and easy-to-use."

ARGI serves marketers in many vertical industries with a concentration in publishing. "We chose Alterian to power our database marketing solutions because of their rapid adoption by other U.S. marketing service providers, growing traction in the sector, and integrated suite of marketing tools. Publishers are typically not experimental with technology - rather, they wait for a proven solution to emerge before getting on board with a particular provider. We couldn't possibly approach this vertical without a time-tested solution from a credible organization like Alterian," said Amoriello.

ARGI expects to deploy their first customers on the Alterian-powered platform during the first quarter of 2005.

About Alterian

Alterian (www.alterian.com) is a global provider of database marketing and customer insight solutions which enable businesses to improve the effectiveness of marketing activity through sophisticated customer insight. Alterian products are based on the Alterian Engine, which provides unrivalled performance, speed and scalability for large volumes of detailed data. Delivered via its network of over 40 business partners, Alterian's technology currently helps blue-chip organizations including, Merrill Lynch, Daily Telegraph, Premier Farnell, Amnesty International and Orange, to benefit from unparalleled actionable analysis of data. Alterian also powers solutions for leading Marketing Service Providers such as Experian, Donnelley Marketing/infoUSA, The Allant Group, and Carlson Marketing. With international headquarters in the UK and four offices across North America, Alterian was founded in 1997 and is listed on the techMARK Index of the London Stock Exchange (ALN).

About ARGI

Automated Resources Group International, LLC is a database services company specializing in monetizing data assets for Publishers, Catalogers, and Member Service Programs by providing database marketing, marketing technology, and subscription services. For over 33 years, Automated Resources Group International, LLC has been providing industry recognized services and solutions to companies who demand superior products and unparalleled customer support.