Brand Connections Acquires SkiView, Creating the Largest Outdoor Media Company in the U.S. Reaching the Active Consumer.

Brand Connections Snow Sports Offers Reach of More Than 50 Million Active, Affluent Consumers Throughout the Winter

Mike Imhof to Lead New Business Development, Joining Brand Connections from Vail Resorts 

MONTCLAIR, N.J. -- Brand Connections announced today that it has formed the country's largest outdoor media company reaching the active consumer, through the acquisition of SkiView. The media assets of SkiView will be combined with those of Brand Connections' own Keeplan Winter Sports to create a new media network, Brand Connections Snow Sports, the largest outdoor media company in the U.S. reaching the active consumer.

Brand Connections Snow Sports will own and operate a network of 10,000 media placements and 20 million product sample and literature placements at more than 500 of the nation's top ski and snowboard resorts, generating a reach of more than 50 million during the winter months. The company's exclusive contracts with mountain resorts includes such premier venues as Vail, Breckenridge Ski Resort, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Steamboat, Stowe, Heavenly Lake Tahoe, Park City Mountain Resort, Sunday River, Mount Snow, Jackson Hole, Killington, Copper Mountain, Sun Valley, Winter Park and Taos, as well as local market resorts such as Boyne Highlands, Camelback, Waschusett and Windham.

Brand Connections Snow Sports will reach active consumers with a holistic branding experience utilizing a fully integrated, turnkey network of the highest quality on-mountain, in-resort and in-lodge media products, as well as product placement and the industry's largest experiential marketing tour.

Marketers can utilize the new Snow Sports network in tandem with Brand Connections' 15 other networks, including Outdoor Adventure, Pinpoint Golf and Sky Media, to create multi-seasonal campaigns.

Brian F. Martin, founder and chief executive officer of Brand Connections, said, "Brand Connections Snow Sports will be the go-to network for any advertiser looking to connect with the affluent, active consumer, as we can reach more than 90 percent of the market with a single program. Our expertise in reaching consumers when they are most receptive - when they have the time to effortlessly engage with a brand -- combined with the tremendous reach of this network, creates a new option for brand marketers and advertising agency executives."

Martin Abrams, senior marketing manager for General Mills/Nature Valley Granola Bars, added, "We have utilized both Keeplan Outdoor and SkiView independently for several years, with great success. I believe the combination of these two industry leaders into the largest snow sports media company in North America will offer us even greater reach, efficiency and impact, all through a one stop resource."

In conjunction with the formation of Brand Connections Snow Sports, Michael Imhof has joined the company as vice president, new business development. Imhof joins Brand Connections from Vail Resorts, Inc, the premier mountain resort operator of Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge and Heavenly, where he spent the last six years as the industry's leading expert in corporate partner marketing, strategic alliances, and licensing and sales.

Richard Thompson, executive vice president of Brand Connections, said: "Bringing Mike Imhof on board is a real coup for us and speaks to the leadership position we have staked out in the industry. Mike and I have worked together for many years and I have great respect for his accomplishments at Vail Resorts. Having him on our team will be a major plus for our clients."

Imhof said: "Brand Connections Snow Sports will be the gold standard media network for reaching active consumers. We are offering a broad array of integrated media options that cannot be matched, creating a powerful, one-stop opportunity for advertisers to put together highly effective marketing programs."

About Brand Connections

Brand Connections (www.brandconnections.com) is one of the largest marketing and media companies in North America. The company's targeted media, product placement and experiential marketing connect national advertisers with more than 200 million consumers in vacation, travel, recreation and entertainment environments including cruise lines, thousands of hotels, ski and golf resorts, and numerous other leisure venues. Brand Connections' clients include American Express, BIC, Glaxo Smith Kline, Gillette, Unilever, Novartis, Colgate Palmolive, General Mills, Kraft, Wrigley, M&M Mars, Nestle, Dial, Pfizer and Wyeth, among others.