OPA Partners with the Media Management Center at Northwestern University for Research that Defines and Measures Consumer Engagement with Web Sites To Be Unveiled During Annual Eight-City Tour

NEW YORK, NY -- April 12, 2005 -- The Online Publishers Association (OPA) announced today the schedule and program for its annual Eyes on the Internet Tour. The eight-city road show, now in its third year, is designed to update executives in the advertising, marketing and publishing communities on the most recent research and trends in online media and marketing. Beginning in San Francisco on June 2, this year's Eyes on the Internet tour will focus on consumer engagement with the Web, as the OPA unveils its ambitious new research project, "The Online User Experience Study," conducted by the Media Management Center at Northwestern University.

"Understanding how consumers experience Web sites is central to building a successful Web presence and effectively marketing products and services online," said Michael Zimbalist, president of the Online Publishers Association. "As online audience growth in the U.S. matures, it is imperative for both publishers and marketers to create engaging online experiences that build loyalty, usage and advertising effectiveness."

The research will define, describe and quantify the qualitative experiences consumers have with various Web sites and determine which of those experiences motivate a deeper level of engagement with those sites. The research will also help inform how publishers and marketers can relate and cater more effectively to differing audience segments online.

Importantly, the research methodology has been used by the Media Management Center in the past to study engagement with newspapers and magazines. As a result, the OPA initiative will enable the first-ever cross-media comparison of this type between print and digital media.

The research findings will be presented by Todd McCauley, research manager of the Media Management Center, and Michael Zimbalist, president of the OPA, followed by a panel discussion including three senior executives representing the publishing, ad agency and client communities.

Dates and cities for Eyes on the Internet 2005 tour breakfast events are as follows:

San Francisco - June 2 Chicago - June 8 Detroit (Birmingham, MI) - June 9 New York - June 14

Boston - June 15 Atlanta - June 21 Los Angeles - June 23 Dallas/Ft. Worth - June 29

To register for any of the Eyes on the Internet 2005 breakfast events, visit http://www.online-publishers.org/eyes2005. All events are free of charge.

Eyes on the Internet 2005 is sponsored nationally by About.com, Dow Jones Online, ESPN.com, MSNBC.com, NYTimes.com, Real Cities Network, Reuters.com and Tribune Interactive. In addition, Advertising Age will serve as the media sponsor.

About the Online Publishers Association

Founded in June 2001, the Online Publishers Association (OPA) is an industry trade organization whose mission is to advance the interests of high-quality online publishers before the advertising community, the press, the government and the public. Members of OPA represent the standards in Internet publishing with respect to editorial quality and integrity, credibility and accountability. OPA member sites have a combined, unduplicated reach of 113.4 million visitors, or 70.4 percent of the total U.S. Internet audience (Source: comScore Media Metrix, December 2004 combined home/work/university data). For more information about the Online Publishers Association, visit www.online-publishers.org.

CONTACT:
Lisa Carparelli
Online Publishers Association
(917) 743-4537
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