Driving Traffic through the Dot Com Jungle; Web Merchandiser 360merch.com Proves the Power of Guerrilla Marketing and Word-of-Mouth Buzz at Spring Internet World.

Business/Technology Editors

Spring Internet World 2000

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 5, 2000

For any dot com or e-business who hasn't yet emerged victorious in the information-cluttered marketplace, 360merch.com, a full service, online provider of high-impact marketing premiums and trend savvy promotional tools, takes a stand to prove the power of word-of-mouth buzz as the leading driver of site traffic.

360merch.com today converged upon Spring Internet World in Los Angeles (April 5-7) with a group of 20-something picketers aggressively protesting advertising conformity and conventional merchandising practices that yield only marginal results in driving site traffic. Using this street marketing scheme, 360merch.com demonstrated the power of guerrilla marketing as an effective alternative vehicle for generating word-of-mouth buzz.

According to Jupiter Communications Consumer Survey data, 57% of consumers reported that word-of-mouth is the most compelling means of driving them to visit a web site and the use of guerrilla marketing, when executed properly, is extremely effective for generating word-of-mouth buzz.

"The cluttered e-business marketplace is getting more and more difficult to penetrate with site-driving messages," says Dave Balter, president and CEO, 360merch.com. "It is the unexpected and unique marketing and merchandising tactics that will ultimately stand out and motivate a site visit."

Balter also announced that 360merch.com will be partnering with MetroConcepts, a leading provider of street marketing programs and product sampling campaigns, to round out their offering of promotional products and marketing tools.

"We want the e-business marketplace to recognize 360merch.com as the online resource for out of the ordinary premiums and promotional schemes that produce measurable results. MetroConcepts has a model for providing quantifiable results through photo documentation and a definitive tracking method," added Balter. "These guerrilla tactics and alternative marketing channels can be key components to web sites being recognized and remembered by consumers."

About 360merch.com

Specializing in trend-conscious marketing tools, 360merch.com is the resource to help e-businesses rise above the crowded market with hard to forget, original promotional products. 360merch.com features an easy to use site with targeted product searches, instant search with FAST FIND TM, logo management and account history access.