W3i’s Download Network featuring Install IQ is a Finalist in Most Innovative Service/Business Model category.

St. Cloud, Minnesota – June 2, 2009 – W3i, LLC, provider of marketing solutions that increase revenue, distribution, and engagement for Windows applications and plug-ins, was named a Finalist today in the Most Innovative Service/Business Model category for the 2009 Comp TIA SoftwareCEO Software Innovation Awards.

The finalist designation was presented for W3i’s Download Network, a leading consumer software platform. Using a network approach, W3i’s Download Network pays partners to generate traffic, installs interactive consumer applications, and delivers active users to W3i’s clients.

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the leading trade association for the world’s information technology (IT) industry. The SoftwareCEO Software Innovation Awards recognize innovative software products and new business models in eight different categories. Award winners will be announced at the CompTIA special online award ceremony on June 18, 2009.

SoftwareCEO Software Innovation Awards finalists by category are judged for:

Scope – What business problem or opportunity does the software innovation address? What is the size of the problem/opportunity?

Impact – What practical results, such as sales, users or profits, has the innovation had on a software product or on the software industry? The innovation must be new and have both a current and future impact.

Novel – How does the innovation break with traditional ideas or processes?

“W3i is honored to become a Finalist especially in the area of innovation. We know W3i’s Download Network can be a key distribution and monetization strategy for publishers and advertisers of Windows and browser applications. To date, we have installed over 250 million applications, and we are just getting started,” comments Andy Johnson, CEO of W3i. “Congratulations to the W3i team for becoming a finalist in the 2009 SoftwareCEO Software Innovation Awards.”

Entries are judged by a select panel of industry experts, including analysts, consultants, writers and trade press, and subject-matter experts. A list of the esteemed panel can be found here: http://www.softwareceo.com/leadership/awards_judging.aspx.

Details about the 2009 SoftwareCEO Software Innovation Awards and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at http://www.softwareceo.com/leadership/2009/awards_finalists.aspx.

“Software innovation is more than just ideas; it’s the ability to develop those ideas and make them work in the market,” said Mark Fogle, publisher of SoftwareCEO. “The annual SoftwareCEO Innovation Awards recognize products, ideas and business models that break with conventional software ideas and processes to introduce product offerings and business models that are key to our industry’s future growth and vitality.

About W3i:
W3i increases revenue, distribution and engagement for Windows applications and plug-ins. W3i uses a network approach combining the demand for free and trial downloads monetized by the distribution of useful downloads when the consumer is in the download mindset. W3i’s Download Network uses Install IQ, W3i’s proprietary Windows installer, the first installer to be certified in the TRUSTe Trusted Download Program. Tested and optimized on over 250 million installs–currently 7.1 million installs monthly and growing, W3i will prove to be a valued distribution partner in growing your application business. To learn more, visit W3i’s Download Network.

W3i Contact:
Deborah Manthei
Director of Marketing Communications
W3i
320-257-7571
deborah.manthei@W3i.com
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About SoftwareCEO.com
SoftwareCEO is a resource-packed electronic newsletter and web portal built by software executives for software executives. It is Page One for software industry information and education on topics such as software marketing, sales, business, financing, and services. For more information, visit http://www.softwareceo.com/.

About CompTIA
CompTIA is the voice of the world’s information technology (IT) industry. Its members are the companies at the forefront of innovation; and the professionals responsible for maximizing the benefits organizations receive from their investments in technology. CompTIA is dedicated to advancing industry growth through its educational programs, market research, networking events, professional certifications, and public policy advocacy. For more information, please visit www.comptia.org.

CompTIA Contact:
Steven Ostrowski
Director, Corporate Communications
CompTIA
Phone: 630-678-8468
Email: sostrowski@comptia.org

Clearly Google’s recent entrance into the browser wars demonstrates the importance of the browser to the future of application development and the interactive media industry. But just who is going to be most impacted by Google’s recent Chrome browser launch?

If you look at the August 2008 market share data as reported by Net Applications (http://marketshare.hitslink.com/report.aspx?qprid=0), Microsoft enjoys 72% market share with Internet Explorer, followed by Mozilla’s Firefox open source browser with 20%, and finally Apple’s Safari browser at 6%. I believe that Microsoft will continue to maintain the majority of the browser market over the next couple years, and that Google threatens Mozilla more than any other browser player.

Why? Chrome was built for speed, especially with complex web pages loaded up with JavaScript and other advanced web technologies. Although speed is nice for the average web surfer, it is only a must- have for the more enterprise users that spend lots of time running complex web applications. Up until now, Firefox was the only viable browser solution for these enterprise users.

Chrome may change that, especially given’s Google’s brand. After the initial buzz wore off, Google market share reportedly dropped, presumably because early users quickly uninstalled after testing Chrome.  Time will tell, but if Google does start getting some traction, Microsoft will surely respond with a strong counter attack.

Visit the W3i blog next week for Part Two: “Google Chrome to Support Browser Add-Ons.”

Rob Weber, Vice President of Business Development and Co-Founder, W3i Holdings, LLC
Rob is an Internet marketing pioneer with over eight, profitable years evolving W3i (owner of Freeze.com) in the Integrated Interactive Media industry. 

St. Cloud, Minnesota, September 5, 2008 Developers and authors are making their software and digital content available for free to satisfy the demanding online public, but they should get some reward for their work. 

You’ve heard of the Windows installers Wise and InstallShield, and possibly Nullsoft, but how about W3i’s Install IQ?  Install IQ is a unique, ad-supported Windows installer system; and it’s the first Windows installer to be certified in the TRUSTe Trusted Download Program ensuring compliance and user satisfaction.

Install IQ, can increase your revenue and/or traffic in three ways:  monetization, bundle, and carrot. 

As a monetization partner, you do the marketing and get paid for every installation.  Yes, you get paid to use Install IQ.   With Install IQ you can customize download images with your brand and text to increase conversions.  Our research shows that this Windows installer system is widely accepted by users. For example, Install IQ generated revenues of $86,280 during the first month for an audio and multimedia player distributed by an online marketing firm.  After achieving such phenomenal success, the firm asked W3i to distribute a dozen additional applications using Install IQ.

As a bundle partner, you pay us to distribute your software and content.  When a user installs a download that they are searching for–such as a game, screensaver, utility, or desktop widget–they are asked whether they would like to install your software or content too.  Through this partnership W3i has downloaded toolbars, weather widgets, games and other useful downloads providing a rapid growth in their user base.

As a carrot partner, W3i will market your software or content free of charge.   In addition to using our unique Windows installer system, Install IQ, we put our experienced team to work for you utilizing their expertise in online marketing.  We then direct users through Install IQ installing your software or content.  Thus, we can market your software and content with funding from approved partners.  

If you have software or digital content and are interested in getting additional revenue or traffic using W3i’s unique Windows installer system, contact W3i for a free consultation.  You can then determine whether monetization, bundle or carrot is the right solution for you. 

For more information, e-mail: info@w3i.com. 

The Web has caused the adoption of software plug-ins to proliferate like never before. Millions of users have installed plug-ins and are now getting an experience different than the one contemplated by the original authoring software company. The following are a few examples of popular plug-ins that are leading this change:  

Browser Toolbars: Since coming into the scene, toolbars have taken the Internet world by storm. It was recently reported that over 50% of the web surfing world now has a browser toolbar installed. And boy, are toolbars impactful! According to ComScore, 11% of US searches are generated via toolbar searches. Everyone in the search business understands the impact of the browser toolbar; with Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, AOL, and Ask all having meaningful entries into the market. The most popular toolbars are the general interest toolbars provided by these companies, which makes sense given the limited amount of real estate on the browser chrome itself.

Layer Applications: This is a newer phenomenon that your average interactive marketing professional hasn’t yet heard of, but this technology solves a real current user problem. Users are running out of space on their browser chrome due to the heavy marketing by the aforementioned browser toolbar players. A layer application is a browser add-on that creates virtual layers that can be edited to create the appearance of having made changes to the underlying website. The functionality is dependent on the website you visited and the layer application that you installed, and therefore doesn’t have to be present on each and every website a user visits. One good example of such an application comes from StumbleUpon, which modifies Google search results page with StumbleUpon’s discover shortcut, user ratings, etc. The key with StumbleUpon’s application is that it provides these additional features in addition to those available to all users who might be running web search with Google that didn’t have the plug-in installed. Another layer application, from a widely recognized communication player, was cited as generating over 5% of this company’s sales, from a credible source I recently spoke with. Based on the size of this communication company, the impact based on my estimate of the layer app, was in the multiple millions annually. These types of applications are no doubt going to have a very high impact for the software and internet media firms who take advantage of their capabilities.

Media Player Plug-ins: Lastly, I wanted to touch on some interesting other plug-ins, as plug-ins don’t simply have to be for the web browser. Several innovative firms have adapted plug-ins for the most common media players. Among my favorites are Soundcrank, which features hi-res album artwork, lyrics, and sharing features for its users. Another favorite is SoundSpectrum, which provides its users with advanced music visuals for iTunes and other popular music software. And the last media player plug-in I wanted to point out is iLike, which has more of a social networking flair. iLike provides concert information, music, and videos from your favorite artists.

If you haven’t considered how software plug-ins can support your software or interactive media strategy, please contact someone at W3i via info@W3i.com and we’d be happy to consult with you.

Rob Weber, Vice President of Business Development and Co-Founder, W3i, LLC
Rob is an Internet marketing pioneer with over eight, profitable years evolving W3i (owner of Freeze.com) in the Integrated Interactive Media industry. 

New phones are driving explosive (2x to 10x+) mobile internet usage growth.

What can you do to maximize your user engagement with this audience?  Take into considersation these factors when designing your website:

1)      Smaller and Different Proportioned Screen Resolutions

2)      Bandwidth Limitations

3)      Similar Multi-Channel User Interface

Screen resolutions are dramatically different on your phone.  Web designers have long designed their pages to fit the lowest, but still predominant, PC screen size which is usually some multiple of 4×3 (Ex: 800 x 600 pixels).  Several common mobile phone resolutions are:  128 × 160 pixels,  176 × 220 pixels, 240 × 320 pixels, and 320 × 480 pixels (iPhone).   These multiples vary from a 4×3 and are not consistent.  To adjust for this, you should consider a single column design.

In addition, you should consider scaling back your use of images. Mobile connection speeds are significantly lagging behind fixed broadband speeds, which are now the norm with PC users in the U.S. If you are going to offer a mobile-only website, design it with the above listed factors in mind; and you will allow for a more consistent user interface when your website is accessed from each of these channels.

For example, Facebook is coming out with a new iPhone application in September which looks very similar to the their website.   You can see from this article (http://venturebeat.com/2008/08/20/facebooks-forthcoming-iphone-app-to-be-more-like-its-web-site-that-site-redesign-was-no-coincidence/) how similar the application is to their website, leading to an easier adoption by users.

Ryan Weber, Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Co-Founder, W3i Holdings, LLC
Ryan is an internet marketing pioneer with over eight profitable years evolving W3i (owner of Freeze.com) in the Integrated Interactive Media industry.

W3i is proud to be a part of comScore’s Trees for Knowledge initiative which recently announced it had sponsored over one million trees being planted through their partnership with non-profit Trees for the Future.

W3i has supported comScore’s efforts by offering its users the choice to download comScore’s RelevantKnowledge desktop application while downloading W3i desktop applications, such as W3i’s Green Earth Wallpapers, which are processed by W3i’s Install IQ technology.

Others are also getting in the game by creating their own cool “green” desktop applications including GreenPrint, a desktop application which helps users save money by eliminating unwanted pages saving paper, ink, money, and millions of trees. Additionally, Snap.com has been marketing their CO2 Saver, which saves energy when its user’s computers are running idle.

For all of the negative publicity surrounding the interactive media industry and online privacy, it is good to see socially responsible companies pitching in to do their part.

Have you asked yourself why the iPhone deserves so much attention?  I’m not talking about whether or not the phone is fashionable. Plenty of phones are fashionable and are very successful, but the iPhone is more than just a fashion statement.

I will present a few reasons why the iPhone deserves your attention.  

1. Multiple Increase in Mobile Internet Usage – The iPhone breaks down the two largest barriers for mobile internet usage:  a great mobile internet user experience and the fact that all iPhone service plans have unlimited data usage.  It’s not an incremental improvement in mobile internet usage, the impact is much greater with frequent recognized gains by a factor of 2x to 10x+.  The improvement is documented whether you are considering advertising click through rates, accessing websites, searching the internet, etc.
   • In an interview with AdMob’s CEO, he mentioned that they are seeing a 300% improvement in CTR and eCPM with their mobile ad inventory served over the iPhone.
      
2. iPhone continues to Increase Market Share –  The iPhone is in a position to continue gaining market share as they have recently dropped the price of the phone to $99 and continue to innovate.
     
3. iPhone Represents Next Generation Devices – The iPhone doesn’t need a meaningful share of the market to have a much grander influence.  The leading device manufacturers are all looking to clone the iPhone’s capabilities and so these new devices will accelerate the adoption of devices that take advantage of the increase in mobile internet usage.

4. AOL Thinks It’s The Right Move – Kevin Conroy, Executive Vice President of Products and Marketing, recently announced that AOL would sunset their MyMobile product in favor of concentrating development on key devices such as the iPhone and Blackberry.   

I hope you have a new appreciate the next time you see an iPhone story; I certainly do. 

Ryan Weber, Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Co-Founder, W3i Holding, LLC

Ryan is an internet marketing pioneer with over eight profitable years evolving W3i (owner of Freeze.com) in the Integrated Interactive Media industry.

The allure of the web widget is simple and seductive – the power of technology connecting millions of users with a marketer’s brand.  Unfortunately, beneath the luster of massive scale widget marketing lies a costly truth some marketers aren’t prepared to face: depleted budgets with no intelligent ROI because of costly distribution fees.  

BrandWeek reports that installation or engagement fees can range from $1 to $5 per widget install. According to comScore, nearly 148 million U.S. Internet users viewed widgets in November 2007, representing 81 percent of the total Internet audience. MySpace.com widgets had the widest audience, reaching more than 57 million Internet users. Slide.com ranked second with 39.2 million viewers. Google.com had the sixth widest widget-viewing audience with more than 19 million viewers. Translation for interactive marketers: These numbers can add up to real cash quickly and drain most marketing budgets.

Internet marketing agency W3i, who has earned a reputation as a Silicon Valley-like company in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, is raising the IQ of widget marketing. Founded in 2000, the Minnesota company built its profitable legacy by giving away high-demand downloads for free through an ad-supported business model. Through Freeze.com and other websites, W3i distributes over 4 million downloads each month. With just 60 employees, 2007 gross sales were $27 million.

Recognizing the opportunity and fear in the marketplace among widget marketers, W3i created a clever way to offset user acquisition and maintenance costs by layering on an additional, ad-supported revenue stream during the download process through a proprietary installation system they developed, aptly called, “Install IQ.” 

The way the system works is simple and user-friendly. In short, Install IQ bundles the primary widget download with other high-demand software — like the Yahoo! Toolbar and the Weatherbug Desktop widget. If a user accepts one of these optional offers during the install, the widget marketer makes money – up to a $1 in most cases. To prevent inadvertent installs, Install IQ deploys a unique download manager that allows the user to pause or cancel at any time.

The intelligence inside W3i’s unique installation system continues to impress by allowing for customization, optimization, and suppression. Marketers can leverage their brand equity throughout the entire installation process with images and text. The bundled software offered during installation can be optimized for target marketing. And if the software is already installed on the user’s desktop, Install IQ suppresses the offer and suggests an alternative download. Finally, in an age when best practices in privacy on the Web are carefully monitored, Install IQ holds up under scrutiny by being the first installation system to receive certification in the TRUSTe Trusted Download program.

A number of desktop widget marketers are currently using Install IQ and taking advantage of the high-volume rates W3i has negotiated with top industry partners who are part of W3i’s Download Network.

Case Study #1

An audio and multimedia player deploying Install IQ generated $86,280 in revenue during the first month of use. After achieving such phenomenal success, the online marketing firm representing the software added a dozen more applications to W3i’s installation process.

Case Study #2

A social networking profile editor using Install IQ’s optimization feature increased EPC rates by 33%, install rates by 44%, and CTR rates by 16%, resulting in a 34% increase in revenue. 

Case Study #3

A utility software application that speeds up PC performance earned $263,089 over the course of ten months using Install IQ.

Conclusion

With Install IQ, clients of W3i are monetizing their desktop widget channel in an unprecedented fashion, generating meaningful revenue with minimal drain on their internal resources because nearly all of the set up and on-going maintenance is performed by W3i staff. Install IQ also works with any type of downloadable digital content like music, video, and games. With such a unique opportunity now available in so many flavors, you can take the fear out of widget marketing and embrace the future of software downloads.

For more information about increasing your revenue using Install IQ, click here.     

About W3i:
W3i, owner of Freeze.com, delivers proven, integrated desktop marketing and mobile marketing solutions. With offers and services tested and optimized on over 15 million unique users each month and over 4 million downloads, W3i can increase your revenue from digital content or provide a receptive consumer base for customized, targeted marketing programs. Solutions include: software marketing for shareware and freeware, software bundling and ad-supported installations. The three Weber brothers, owners of W3i, are recent winners of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2006 Award in the Minnesota and Dakotas region. To learn more about W3i, visit www.w3i.com.

General Electric’s NBC Universal unit should be congratulated for leading a group to bid $3.5 Billion for The Weather Channel. By recognizing the strategic value of adding The Weather Channel to its arsenal of media properties, NBC Universal should be able to close the gap with competitors who have been stronger in a variety of interactive media channels. The Weather Channel has long been ahead of the curve in recognizing the value of creating an integrated, interactive presence throughout the Internet, desktop, and mobile connected world. For example, The Weather Channel’s desktop application which W3i distributes has been one of the most successful desktop widgets ever created, and drives many users back to Weather.com. Other smart media companies like The Weather Channel understand the value of creating an integrated, interactive media presence. One of my favorite recent quotes is one from Jeff Yapp, a top MTV Networks’ digital executive who said “If you watch our shows, you’ll want to live them.” (in Newsweek’s April 14th 2008 article by Johnnie Roberts titled “I want My (Web) MTV”,). Hopefully NBC Universal will fully take advantage of the knowledge acquired via The Weather Channel acquisition, and put this knowledge to use to grow other NBC Universal interactive media properties. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080706/ap_on_bi_ge/nbc_weather_channel)

Rob Weber, Vice President of Business Development and Co-Founder, W3i Holdings, LLC – Rob is an Internet marketing pioneer with over eight, profitable years evolving W3i (owner of Freeze.com) in the Integrated Interactive Media industry.