Vertis Selects Bigfoot Interactive as Strategic Email Marketing Provider.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

NEW YORK & BALTIMORE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 8, 2001

Advertising and Marketing Solutions Leader Extends Services by

Joining Bigfoot Interactive Partner Program

Vertis, a leading provider of integrated advertising and marketing solutions, and Bigfoot Interactive, the leading provider of strategic, ROI-focused email marketing technology and services, today announced a strategic alliance to provide comprehensive email marketing services to Vertis' clients.

Through the agreement, Vertis joins Bigfoot Interactive's Partner Program and will offer Bigfoot Interactive's renowned, permission-based email marketing technology and professional services to its roster of Fortune 1000 clients. In addition to significantly reducing a marketer's time to market, the Bigfoot Interactive turnkey Partner Program empowers its members and their clients to create, execute and analyze highly targeted, cost efficient and effective email marketing programs that foster profitable relationships and maximize return-on-investment.

"Delivering a highly tailored message to the optimal audience through the right medium is critical to developing valuable, long-term customer relationships," said Janice Mayo, Senior Vice President of National Sales of Vertis. "By teaming with Bigfoot Interactive, we can instantly extend the power of email marketing and communications to our clients' integrated marketing efforts."

As a Partner Program member, Vertis will be able to integrate industry-leading email marketing services and technology into client programs by accessing Bigfoot Interactive's sophisticated email marketing technology platform. Vertis clients will benefit from advanced campaign and list management, segmentation, personalization, content assembly and delivery functions, as well as comprehensive reporting and data analysis to help track and understand a program's success. The Bigfoot Interactive Partner Program allows its members to offer industry-leading email marketing services and technology without the costs incurred with developing an in-house operation. The Program also features Bigfoot Interactive's professional email marketing and communication services, including strategic consulting, list acquisition, creative services, database integration, and analytics, among others.

"Our strategic alliance with Vertis supports the notion that email has become a critical component in the marketing mix -- allowing marketers to effectively retain and acquire customers while reinforcing branding efforts," said Al DiGuido, CEO of Bigfoot Interactive. "By joining the Bigfoot Interactive Partner Program, Vertis can now offer its clients continuously refined, leading-edge email services that are complementary to overall marketing strategies."

About Vertis

Vertis is a leading provider of integrated advertising and marketing solutions. Headquartered in Baltimore, MD, with production and sales offices throughout the U.S. and United Kingdom, Vertis generates approximately $1.9 billion in annual revenue by providing highly targeted promotional vehicles and complete advertising and software solutions. Products and services include: consumer and media research, media planning and placement, creative services, digital media production, targetable advertising insert programs, fully integrated direct marketing programs, circulation-building newspaper products and eMarketing.

About Bigfoot Interactive

Bigfoot Interactive (www.bigfootinteractive.com) is the leading provider of strategic, ROI-focused email marketing solutions. Through its combination of innovative technology, professional services and vertical market expertise, Bigfoot Interactive helps marketers acquire, grow and retain profitable customer relationships through highly relevant and personalized email communications. The company's end-to-end suite of products and services includes scalable email delivery technology, strategic consulting, database management and integration, and creative expertise to produce email programs that generate measurable results throughout the customer lifecycle. Since 1997, Bigfoot Interactive has developed successful permission-based email programs for more than 100 top companies, including MCI Worldcom, The Washington Post/Newsweek Interactive, World Wildlife Fund, Unilever Cosmetics International, BMC Software, Alitalia, and TIME Magazine. The company also works closely with key strategic and channel partners, including Acxiom(R) Corporation, Grey Direct and DIMAC Marketing Partners. Privately held and based in New York, the company's investors include J.P. Morgan Partners, Flatiron Partners, Grey Ventures, Acxiom(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: ACXM), Axalon Ventures and HPJ Media Ventures.