Commission Junction and Topica Join Forces to Promote Responsible Email Practices.

Business Editors

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 29, 2003

Commission Junction, a leader in pay-for-performance marketing, and Topica, a leader in email publishing solutions, today announced the launch of a partnership to provide education and resources promoting responsible email practices to the members of the Commission Junction network. These "Best Practices for Responsible Email" include:

-- Permission based opt-in procedures

-- Easy unsubscribe links in every email

-- Clear and truthful "From" address

In a recent study conducted by Forrester Research, 92 percent of marketers felt that email was "very effective" for customer retention, while 54 percent saw it as a very effective tool for customer acquisition. With the number of email messages increasing, responsible email marketers know that following best practices can result in better targeting and thus better effectiveness.

Through the Commission Junction/Topica partnership, publishers in the Commission Junction network will be able to participate in a Topica Webinar series focusing on responsible email practices, and will have access to Topica's email publisher tools for delivering email marketing campaigns. Publishers completing the online series will be so designated to Commission Junction advertisers.

"Responsible email marketers have provided a highly effective distribution method for advertiser offers," says Jeff Pullen, Commission Junction president and CEO. "These targeted opt-in campaigns consistently result in high conversion for advertisers and increased commissions for publishers. Through our partnership with Topica, we strengthen our support of responsible email marketing practices by offering additional education and resources to Commission Junction publishers."

Additionally, Topica publishers will have the opportunity to join the Commission Junction network, and partner with advertisers to promote key performance-based offers to their opt-in audience. As more publishers join the network, the overall audience will continue to grow and email practices will become more refined.

"Following responsible email practices such as working on a permission basis with everyone on our email mailing list has proven critical in maintaining good relations with our customers," says Norman Fong of techbargains.com and a user of both Topica Email Publisher and Commission Junction's pay-for-performance network. "This results in effective, successful campaigns for us and our advertisers. I commend Commission Junction and Topica's support of responsible email practices."

The usage of email marketing will continue to grow. According to Jupiter Research, legitimate, opt-in email marketing messages received by the average person will grow from 1,100 in 2003 to 2,200 in 2007.

"At a time when four out of ten emails most people receive are unwanted, it is imperative to educate all marketers on the best practices of email marketing," added Anna Zornosa, president and CEO of Topica. "We are happy that Commission Junction has taken the lead in showing publishers in their network the importance of responsible email marketing."

About Commission Junction

Commission Junction, a leader in pay-for-performance marketing, delivers advanced solutions that facilitate strategic online relationships between advertisers and publishers, driving accountable results for each client. By publishing performance metrics on advertisers, publishers, and ads within its network and leveraging its own expertise in online marketing through service, education and promotion, Commission Junction creates an open marketplace of low risk and high reward for its clients. The company serves billions of impressions monthly, ranking it among the largest ad networks in the world. Clients include leading online marketers eBay, MSN(R), and USA TODAY. Commission Junction is headquartered in Santa Barbara, Calif., with offices in San Francisco, New York and London. For additional information, visit www.cj.com or call 800/761-1072.

About Topica, Inc.

Topica, Inc., San Francisco, CA., is the leading provider of self-service email solutions, delivering 1 billion email newsletters and discussion group messages each month. By providing easy-to-use but powerful marketing tools, the company has extended the power of email marketing and communications to magazine publishers, small businesses, and non-profit organizations. Customers include The National Geographic Society, eHobbies, Inc., IBM, Corp. and Hachette Publications. The company partners with companies including Amazon, eBay and PayPal, to distribute its products to Web sites and small businesses. Firmly committed to permission-based email, Topica is a member of TrustE, CAUCE (The Coalition against Unsolicited Commercial Email), the Email Services Provider Coalition of the NAI (National Advertising Initiative), and a member of the Internet Alliance. The company was founded in 1998 and is backed by investors including Morgan Stanley, TLCom, Ltd., August Capital, and Highland Capital Partners.