Inflection Point Media Launches
First Vertical Ad Network
to Reach Small to Medium Businesses

Will Combine Search and Behavioral Targeting
to Reach Proven Buyers During Purchase Decision Cycle

South Norwalk, CT (January 26, 2009) Inflection Point Media (IPM) today launches the online industry’s first intent-driven ad network to identify and reach pre-qualified B2B audiences at scale. With nearly 32 million monthly users in its portfolio of sites, IPM uses search and behavioral data to identify business buyers and retargets ads related to their proven purchase intent while B2B audiences are still in the active consideration phase of the purchase cycle.

Premier web sites such as American City Business Journals’ network of more than 60 sites, SBTV.com, and StartUpNation.com are part of the IPM network for which they earn incremental revenue in a way that does not cannibalize their existing sales efforts. Small and medium sized business owners who visit the IPM network of sites identify themselves as potential buyers through search and navigation behavior. IPM collects this anonymous data and creates vast audience segments of buyers with common interests and enables marketers to retarget them anywhere across the Revenue Science’s Targeting Marketplace.

“Our name, Inflection Point Media, says it all. We help marketers reach business buyers just at the right time to influence their final purchase decision,” says Chris Hulse the company’s Founder and CEO and former Vice President, Strategic Sales and Business Development for Business.com. “In the current economic downturn, marketers are looking for the most efficient and effective ways to get their message in front of potential buyers at the right time. Every ad impression must count. It is important that you identify true in-market buyers and not just tire kickers.”

“There has not to date been an efficient way for B2B marketers to reach large segments of known buyers,” says Dave Morgan, founder of Real Media and TACODA. “Inflection Point Media has the right technology and data processing in place to quickly become a major player in marketing to business owners. The IPM team is impressive and experienced. They have founded a sizeable niche that no one else has yet reached.”

IPM is being launched by experts who understand the small and medium sized business marketplace and the unique flow of the B2B purchasing cycle. They include Mr. Hulse (CEO); Paul Bremer (who will serve as Vice President of Sales) coming from Internet Broadcasting where he was Executive Vice President, Sales ; and Tom Grotta (Vice President of Operations) who is a former Vice President of Sales for DoubleClick.

“InflectionPointMedia will be at the vortex of a significant part of the American economy. About 98% of all businesses in the U.S. are small businesses. There are 24 million small businesses in the US alone,” says John Warrillow, Managing Director of Warrillow & Co., a subsidiary of Corporate Executive Board, providing advisory services to enterprise companies targeting the Small Business segment. “Increasingly managers from small and medium sized businesses are going online to research and purchase everything from office equipment to insurance, from furniture to supplies,”   IPM’s method of using search and behavior to identify managers in the purchase cycle is unique to the small business industry and offers significant efficiency for advertisers who want to reach this growing market.”

“While traditional online advertising so far has relied on contextual adjacencies to fixed content, intent driven marketing provides a fluid opportunity to message to a desirable audience in and out of business environments,” says Mr. Bremer. “Our method of using search and directory based profiles blended with display advertising allows advertisers to reach SMB decision makers as they move from exposure to consideration to actual purchase. Knowing what our audiences want to purchase is more important than where they are online.”

“The B2B market is very different than the consumer market, and the typical ad network doesn’t have the expertise to target within the strata of the B2B buying process. B2B buyers often take longer to buy and need to be marketed to differently depending on the phase of the buying cycle they’re in.” says Mr. Grotta. “B2B buyers often compare multiple solutions and search for information to make certain they are making a prudent choice. The success metrics for a campaign are often leads that move prospects down the sales funnel versus a seemingly more straightforward and immediate conversation.

Inflection Point Media is backed by $2.5 million of seed funding provided by American City Business Journals. “Chris and the team he has assembled have incredible domain expertise in this segment of the B2B industry.  ACBJ is confident in their ability to build a viable and sustainable business,” says Ray Shaw, Chairman of American City Business Journals.   

An estimated $5.3 billion will be spent on online B2B advertising in the US during 2009 according to eMarketer.

Inflection Point Mediais the online industry’s first intent-driven ad network to identify and reach pre-qualified B2B audiences at scale. With nearly 32 million monthly users in its portfolio of sites, IPM uses search data to identify business buyers and retargets ads related to their proven purchase intent while B2B audiences are still in the active consideration phase of the purchase cycle. The privately held company is based in South Norwalk, CT

George Simpson
203.521.0352
george@georgesimpson.com