Spot Runner and Diamond Promotion Service Strike Alliance to Help Jewelry Retailers and Manufacturers Advertise Diamond Jewelry on Local TV.

Agreement Marks Spot Runner's Entry into the Jewelry Industry's $1 Billion Advertising Market

LOS ANGELES & NEW YORK -- Spot Runner, Inc., the first Internet-based ad agency, and Diamond Promotion Service (DPS), which helps drive growth of the $33.7 billion retail diamond market, today jointly announced that they have formed a strategic alliance to help diamond jewelry retailers and manufacturers across the U.S. promote their businesses through customized and cost-effective local TV advertising campaigns. The commercials in the program are designed to complement DPS' national "A Diamond Is Forever" marketing initiatives.

Under the alliance, DPS and Spot Runner work together to provide all diamond jewelry retailers and manufacturers in the U.S. with access to Spot Runner's TV commercial production, media planning and media buying services. Through Spot Runner's easy-to-use web interface, jewelers can customize a professionally produced television ad and launch a TV campaign on premier networks, such as Bravo, A&E, Travel Channel, Oxygen, HGTV and The Learning Channel, for as little as $1,500.

"There is really no better way to sell diamonds than to appeal to a customer's emotions, and TV advertising is the most powerful way to do that -- but until now, it has been difficult and cost-prohibitive for many local jewelers to produce their own television commercials," said Cristina Lilly, core program director at DPS. "Spot Runner breaks down those barriers by providing jewelry retailers with a simple and affordable turnkey tool to implement a highly effective local TV advertising campaign."

DPS and Spot Runner have established a co-branded online portal that contains a diverse library of diamond jewelry TV ads. Jewelry retailers go to the portal to select a commercial, customize it with their business information and plan a cost-effective and targeted TV advertising campaign. The ads currently available for purchase promote three DPS campaigns -- "Past, Present and Future," "Journey Diamond Jewelry " and "Christmas 2006" -- and are all based on "A Diamond Is Forever" theme. More ads will be added to the library in 2007.

"One of the key benefits of the program is the opportunity for jewelry retailers to align their messaging with our eIA Diamond Is Forever' messaging in their own ad campaigns. We spend a significant amount annually to publicize our core themes and our campaigns are extremely popular and well-known, so jewelry stores that take advantage of this program will clearly have an edge over their competition," added Lilly.

Retailers use Spot Runner's proprietary media planning engine to create an optimal media plan that directly reaches both their target markets and target demographics. Once the client approves the campaign, Spot Runner takes care of all the details associated with securing the air time and placing the ad on air within about two weeks. Shortly after the completion of the campaign, Spot Runner provides clients with a detailed report that shows exactly where and when the commercial ran.

Jewelry retailers, like Joe Purnell, president of Folsom Fine Jewelry, are already starting to have success with the program. "We face competition from all sides -- major jewelry chains, department stores, other independent jewelry stores -- and even TV with the Home Shopping Network and the Internet with eBay. So, our primary mission with TV advertising is to build our image, particularly with the customers in our local area," explained Purnell, who owns three stores near Sacramento, CA. "I like that Spot Runner takes care of all our needs -- from producing high-quality creative to media planning and buying. They also help us target specific geographic zones so that we go straight to the people whom we're trying to get into our stores."

Jewelry manufacturers can leverage the relationship as well by working with Spot Runner to create customized spots featuring their products. They can then make the spots available exclusively to their retail customers.

DPS is a division of JWT U.S.A., Inc. ("JWT"), one of the largest advertising agencies in the U.S. DPS provides marketing, merchandising and education support to the jewelry industry on behalf of the Diamond Trading Company. The Spot Runner-DPS relationship is the result of an agreement between Spot Runner and JWT to collaborate on national clients who want a scaleable, local TV advertising solution. (Editor's note: for more information on the Spot Runner and JWT agreement, visit http://www.spotrunner.com/pr/materials/PR_20060731.pdf.)

"This alliance represents another milestone in our strategy to partner with leading organizations in key vertical industries. Last year, jewelry stores in the U.S., including national chains, spent $245 million on TV advertising, according to TNS Media Intelligence," said Nick Grouf, CEO of Spot Runner. "From both a creative and production standpoint, this partnership with DPS is an example of how we work side-by-side with some of the country's best advertising minds and add value to their campaigns with a new and innovative local offering."

About Spot Runner

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Spot Runner, Inc. is a privately held, Internet-based advertising agency that makes it fast, easy and affordable for local businesses to advertise on TV. Its revolutionary approach to commercial production, media planning and media buying gives local businesses access to a powerful marketing tool that was previously out of their reach. The entire process is automated online, making it cost-effective for even the smallest of businesses to use. The company's co-founders, Nick Grouf and David Waxman, previously founded PeoplePC and Firefly Network, which were acquired by EarthLink and Microsoft, respectively. Visit Spot Runner online at www.spotrunner.com.

About JWT

JWT, which celebrates it's 143rd anniversary this year, ranks as the largest advertising agency brand in the United States and as the fourth largest full-service network in the world. Its parent company is WPP (NASDAQ:WPPGY).