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Archive for the 'Software Distribution' Category

Smart Software Distribution with InstallIQ

Friday, May 28th, 2010

Often times, marketers focus solely on getting their product installed by as many users as possible. Although high numbers of product installs are important, retaining users may be more valuable in the long run. W3i understands the importance of user retention and has a few different ways of finding the right user for your product using InstallIQ℠, the installation manager for smart software distribution.

One way W3i assists their clients with finding valuable users is through the Affiliate Feedback System (AFS). AFS is an optimization tool that gathers information on users’ computers compatibility that would show preponderance for an advertiser’s application. To implement AFS, W3i provides the advertiser with a unique ID for each install. The advertiser then relays performance data back to W3i for each ID. W3i uses this data to find common characteristics (similar traffic sources, browser versions, operating systems, etc.) among users and then recommends users for the advertiser’s application based on where the application performs the best.  Now that’s smart software distribution.

Another source that W3i uses to gain insight on users is the InstallIQ Updater (IQU). IQU is a resident application that provides users with an enhanced download and software usage experience. The benefit of IQU is that it tracks statistics for both installs and uninstalls, which can then be used to understand attrition, create a better user experience, and add insight into issues with installs/uninstalls.

W3i also allows full customization with the thank you page. The thank you page is the first experience users have with your product and W3i sees the value in giving clients the ability to customize it so as to see the most impact. A few ways a thank you page can be used is for remarketing, additional product information, or confirmation that the product has been installed.

How great would it be to make more money from each install? W3i has spent considerable time finding solutions to help clients make the most out of each install using InstallIQ.  When are you going to start capitalizing on smart software distribution by becoming part of the W3i Application Network?

Jessie Golombiecki, Marketing Specialist, W3i, LLC
Jessie uses her experience in internet marketing, graphic design, and testing to lead the charge in marketing management optimizing all touch points with consumers.

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Yahoo Case Study

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

W3i Improves Ad Revenues with the Yahoo! Toolbar 

W3i searched for a way to offer consumers more value and to increase revenues through its free and trial computer applications.  The Yahoo! Publisher Network helped it do both by adding the Yahoo! Toolbar to W3i’s application network to monetize search ads and by partnering with the company to optimize user experience. 

Yahoo’s Full Case Study

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Creative Tactics for Software Distribution

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Marketers are challenged with how to grab people’s attention and how to keep it.   Software marketers are no exception.  Of course, given the nature of software applications, software distribution campaigns can become more creative than your typical “durable” product. 

With the recency of the Super Bowl, I remember the one-time-only showing of the Orwellian Macintosh ad, which generated considerable interest in Apple’s Macintosh; but there are more light-hearted examples than 1984.

  • Thanks to LimeWire for some search power and a new recipe combination

When LimeWire launched their application, the LimeWire team dressed up in bright green clothes and gave out jars of Nutella, with a Limewire.com sticker on the top, to students at NYU.  They only gave out a few hundred jars, and things grew virally from there (100 million downloads and counting).   I have one question, what would Nutella with a squeeze of lime taste like? (find out here)

  • I learned the word “ubiquitous” and got my first taste of the internet at home from AOL

As the price of copying a CD went down, (and I am sure a volume discount was involved), the world saw the AOL free-trial CD as the new software distribution model.  Not to mention some great artwork.

  • The perfect tag from Apple

If my sources are correct, the reason Apple is Apple is because no one was coming up with a name, and since apples were Steve Jobs favorite fruit, and, for lack of a better option – ta da.  Putting aside the tribulations with Apple Corps and anything musical from Apple Inc., how great is that name now? There’s an app for that, from Apple.   It is almost like they planned to write software and mobile applications from the very beginning.

  • Jerry Seinfeld for Microsoft (and the memorable butt wiggle)

Ummmmm…. yeah, moving on….

  • CNN’s exposure of the gullibility of the of the United States

I personally don’t believe this was an advertising campaign to increase software distribution, rather a hard-hitting undercover story revealing that people BELIEVE everything on the internet is true.   The comments really drive it home.  Either way, it caught my attention.  The concept is a silly low budget commercial featuring two guys who created the ZapNewsApp  being foiled by the much better CNN News App.  If you believed there really were two guys being wronged, I am sorry to be the one to break the news to you.

  • Digsby Gains Awareness by Advertising on New York Garbage Cans

Digsby created a great following by building an avid community and an interesting ad campaign with eye-catching artwork on garbage cans lining New York’s busy streets.

Ultimately, every one of these companies achieved great distribution for their software, whether we thought their marketing campaigns were silly, lucky, or something else.  If you are looking for a unique distribution model for consumer software, check out W3i.  

Kristin Oberhaus, Product Manager, W3i Holdings, LLC
Kristin has over 13 years of product management experience and is a certified usability analyst. She is an avid believer in pragmatic marketing.

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Software Distribution Beyond App Stores–A Must Have for App Marketers

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Software distribution is always a problem that publishers face.  Unless you have a loyal audience that you can market to within your app to gain further distribution, it’s becoming exceedingly difficult to get noticed across all platforms–desktop, browser, social and mobile.  Consider these numbers: currently, there are roughly 12,000 add-on’s in the Firefox add-on gallery (AMO).  In the Android Marketplace, at the end of December 2009, there were 20,000+ apps.  At the end of January, Apple’s App Store had a staggering 140,000+ third party apps available!  The number of desktop apps is in the millions.  Just imagine how these numbers will swell this year alone.  How does a publisher get distribution in a pool so massive? 

Here’s the problem: app stores are not built for software distribution for all publishers.  Only a select few are able to rocket to the tops of the charts and capture users’ attention.  These sites suit the aggregators well as they capture both the short and long tail, but what if you’re at the end of the long tail?  There are many ways to combat this; publishers need to seek more proactive ways to improve discoverability.  At the same time, publishers need to take advantage of solutions, such as W3i’s InstallIQ, that are built around distribution for all.  InstallIQ recommends relevant apps to users when they install comparable applications.  If you’re a publisher and have an app, it’s important to get face time with users.  W3i has nearly 10 years of experience connecting people to applications; that’s what makes us unique – that is our job and mission.  App stores are great for scale, great for the aggregator; but W3i can do what the app stores can’t: provide a software distribution solution that puts your application directly in front of users, out of all the clutter.

Eric Montag, Product Manager, W3i, LLC
Eric is a Pragmatic Marketing Certified Product Manager and uses his experience in internet marketing to lead the charge in product research, planning, and execution from both a consumer and business standpoint.  

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Jackpot Rewards® Joins the W3i Application Network

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

JackpotW3iCombo 

Jackpot Rewards Selects W3i for Consumer App Distribution

St. Cloud, Minnesota, February 9, 2010 – W3i, provider of marketing solutions that increase distribution, revenue, and engagement for consumer applications, announced today that Jackpot Rewards is now part of the W3i Application Network.  Jackpot Rewards, a sweepstakes and shopping rewards program, is using the W3i Application Network as a new application distribution channel for its free Jackpot Rewards application.

“The W3i Application Network provides a mass distribution channel for companies with consumer applications that are seeking customer acquisition beyond paid search and social media,” said Rob Weber, VP of Business Development at W3i.  “Jackpot Rewards recognizes the opportunity the W3i Application Network offers to grow its membership by expediting the discovery of its free shopping and sweepstakes application to millions of new users.”

Jackpot Rewards has a new and unique shopping and sweepstakes product for consumers, called “Shop to Win”.  “Shop to Win” is free to consumers and gives them the chance to win $500 a day and a $100,000 Jackpot for every $5 they spend at over 2,000 leading online retailers. 

“W3i’s distribution capabilities give us the opportunity to dramatically increase our memberships with a trusted partner,” said Jim Miller, the CEO and Founder of Jackpot Rewards. “We are excited about the results to date and look forward to a long-term relationship with W3i.” 

 About W3i: 

W3i increases revenue, distribution and engagement for consumer applications and plug-ins. W3i uses a network approach combining the demand for free applications monetized by the distribution of relevant applications when the consumer is in the installation mindset.  The W3i Application Network uses Install IQ, W3i’s proprietary Windows installation manager, the first installer to be certified in the TRUSTe Trusted Download Program.  Tested and optimized on over 350 million installs–currently 9.6 million installs monthly, W3i will prove to be a valued distribution partner in growing your consumer application business. To learn more, visit the W3i Application Network.

Press Contact:

Deborah Manthei

Director of Marketing Communications

320-257-7571

deborah.manthei@W3i.com

The names of companies and products mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

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How the Evolution of Software Bundling has Affected Software Distribution, and How to Apply to Your Application Business

Friday, January 8th, 2010

The blogosphere is covered with posts that would have us believe that desktop applications and software are already dead (cloud, mobile, SaaS); however, retail sales for desktop applications and software are a multi-billion dollar industry. In April 2009, the NPD Group reported that PC software retail sales were around $3.4B per year and holding steady. The major change, however, is the impact the web is having on how desktop applications and software are distributed.  According to NPD, web application and software distribution has increased from 11.5% to 17% in the last 4 years.

Following I explain how the web has influenced software bundling.  I start with a brief background of OEM software bundling.  Next I discuss a new type of software distribution that we call recommendation based distribution, and conclude with answers to frequently asked questions regarding recommendation based distribution.

Software Bundling

Software providers (OEM – original equipment manufacturer) for decades leveraged value-added resellers (VARs) for driving sales of their software as part of a hardware/software package.  These marketing partnerships result in what is often referred to as a “bundle” due to the fact that complementary services are bundled together.

A common example is a new computer that includes Microsoft Windows®.  A few other applications routinely bundled include Office®, security, internet browser, and toolbar applications. 

This type of distribution is big business.  Here are a few examples:

  1. HP & WildTangent – WildTangent became an immediate force in the casual game world because of the huge bundle distribution agreements that they signed.
  2. Storage devices bundled with back-up software such as Carbonite with Seagate and Memeo with Western Digital Technologies.

User acceptance over the practice varies based on the type of users a VAR sells to as well as the quality and quantity of applications that they bundle. The two primary concerns raised by consumers are system performance and the nuisance of removing unwanted software.

Recommendation Based Distribution

Is software bundling fundamentally flawed?  Do users want to receive a more affordable package by having additional software marketed to them?

Now that many users are connected to the web, software can be merchandised effectively without preloading on the users’ systems in advance.  W3i research showed that software bundling is not fundamentally flawed.  Users are however, most receptive to receiving software offers if they are involved in the application selection process.  Users can see recommendations for other applications when they first run a new computer, attach a new external device, or download an application from the web.  The recommendations can call out to the web to retrieve the files required for presenting the recommendations, downloading, and installing.

W3i to facilitate this process created its own proprietary technology, InstallIQ, which supports a fully web-capable solution allowing us to create a software distribution experience that resembles an online shopping experience. 

Here is an example of a website, Wallpapers.com, that runs InstallIQ during installation:

Wallpapers.com using InstallIQ

Note the consistency between the initial website and continued branding through the installation process.  We call this feature installer skinning.  By leveraging the website’s brand equity and style in the installer we create a transparent and consistent experience that enhances usability and increases conversions (see our post Creating Consistency to Increase Conversions).

The same flexible technology is used to improve the presentation of software to users:

Presentation and Control InstallIQ

Notice above that the user has a clear and consistent navigation experience.  This navigation style was influenced by a case study, published by TRUSTe, as well as improvements such as a shopping cart feature that was added based on user feedback.  The cart shows specifically what applications were accepted followed by a check-out process where the user can review all of their selected applications and change their selections before the process is completed. 

Some providers struggle with clear and consistent navigation because it is challenging working with their existing installation packaging technologies.  Their user navigation requires very different buttoning when a recommendation is presented. This is something I like to call “opt-irritating”.

In summary, the web is enabling an evolution in software distribution and software bundling.  It is so different from how VARs bundled in the past that we feel a more appropriate category descriptor, for this methodology is recommendation based distribution.

Frequently asked questions

  • Is this business model right for my software?  How will my users respond?

Software with a low propensity for users to purchase have the most to gain. Frequently, developers are experimenting with multiple business models and a hybrid approach wins out. For example, a leading security application offers a free light version which gets heavy downloads, generates revenue from advertising using installer recommendations, and later pitches premium paid services to its users.

The response by users vary greatly from one implementation to another. A software or application provider’s reputation is highly influenced by the quality of software they provide. Distribute high quality software which is monetized through a high quality bundle experience and users can and will be very satisfied.

W3i has an experienced staff that works closely with software providers to define the solution which best suits their needs, including support on decisions such as the:  

    • Customizable look and feel
    • Select which, and how many, applications you want to recommend
    • Determine when you want to present the recommendations, whether it is with new installations or with special upgrades
    • Data-driven recommendations for optimization
  • Who should I form a marketing partnership with?

Most consumers and developers are in agreement that security and trustworthiness are key when choosing a marketing partner.  Users’ trust is earned by providers who define, educate, and simplify the process so users can effectively take control.

There are a few techniques you might consider when selecting marketing partners.  How recognized are their brands? How useful is their software to your users? What comments, reviews, or ratings have been written about them? Ask your users what they think about the partner or think about how your user persona would most likely respond.  What commitment do they make in educating users about their practices and policies?  Do they have any third party validation and monitoring in place such as certification in the TRUSTe Trusted Download program?

Brands continue to play a key role.  Partners should stand behind their practices with full disclosure and branding.  They should proudly make visible who their marketing partners are instead of burying themselves in a privacy policy or by engineering their technology so it cannot be distinguished on its own.  Be cautious of providers with little or no reputation or experience.  If very few people say something positive or negative about them and they have significant distribution volumes, it says something about their commitment to creating awareness with their users.

  • How many additional offers should I present in any single installation?

W3i conducted a test where 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 offers were tested.  The results showed that the quantity had a minimal impact and that the relevancy of the offers was more important.  Relevancy impacts whether the user will complete the installation of the software, keep and use the software, and whether they will accept offers.

Be sure to consider not only how many offers you distribute but whether or not you will allow the offers to include other offers in their updates or a subsequent run process.  W3i’s policy, which it enforces, prohibits advertisers from promoting additional offers.  Some companies say they only distribute one offer but they do not have policies against what their advertisers distribute and so in reality, users that accept a single offer actually end up getting pitched more than one offer, often within moments of downloading and installing.

As you can see online recommendation based distribution borrows from but also significantly enhances software bundling to make it more appealing to users. The solution continues to evolve but the basics laid out above are the foundation for successful online software distribution.

By mastering recommendation based distribution, your applications can leverage a proven model that enables you to be relevant through effective distribution and monetization.

Get more in-depth information about software or application distribution through W3i’s blog, newsletter, or reaching out to us directly.

Ryan Weber, Vice President of Corporate Strategy & Co-Founder, W3i, LLC
Entrepreneur and pioneer of Internet marketing focusing on increasing revenue and distribution for digital downloads.

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Consumer Application Thought Leaders – Interview with Kris Tufto, former CEO of Jasc Software, Developer of Paint Shop Pro

Friday, December 11th, 2009

Kris Tufto was the CEO of Minnesota-based, Jasc Software during their growth phase from from 1998 to 2005, a period that saw Jasc grow from what was rumored to be $5 million in revenue to over $30 million in revenue before their eventual sale to Corel in 2004. Jasc Software was most widely known for their Paint Shop Pro graphic editing program. Kris is presently working on his second ramp up at Minnesota-based Marketing Bridge, a SaaS-based channel automation software.

Rob Weber is a co-founder and VP of Business Development at W3i, provider of marketing solutions that increase distribution, revenue, and engagement for consumer applications.

Interview December 10, 2009

Rob Weber:   What Minnesota tech entrepreneurs do you most respect/idealize?

Kris Tufto:  Seymour Cray (Cray Research), Bill & Richard Lawson (Lawson Software), and Joel Ronning (Digital River).

Kris Tufto:  By the way, did you know that Jasc’s founder, Bob Voit was from St. Cloud? You didn’t know that so many great tech companies had their roots in St. Cloud, Minnesota, like W3i, did you?

 

Rob Weber:   Digital River is truly one of the great Minnesota start-up success stories. I understand that Joel Ronning was on your Board of Directors while at Jasc.  For those of us who do not know Joel as well as you do, can you tell us what you see as his greatest strength as a tech entrepreneur?

Kris Tufto:  Joel’s greatest strength was his understanding of the power of distribution and how to build an aggressive culture.

 

Rob Weber:   What were the core things you needed to do to grow Jasc Software during your tenure?

Kris Tufto:  From an internal perspective, develop a Product Management function, better organize our sales process, and reorganize various employees to different roles. From an external perspective, I had to formalize software distribution channels, change industry trends as it relates to the product cycle, and implement a global release strategy.

 

Rob Weber:   You mentioned software distribution a couple times now. What were your core software distribution strategies at Jasc?

Kris Tufto:  We broke them down into four channels, and those were direct, retail, VARS, and International. With our direct channel, we relied on Digital River as our commerce platform. Many consumers expected to purchase Paint Shop Pro direct because it was shareware. In my last years at Jasc, we utilized paid search marketing as well as affiliate marketing, but during my tenure they did not provide substantial growth opportunities. In retail, we relied on big box partners like Best Buy, CompUSA, and Walmart. Best Buy was our top partner. With VARS, we mostly focused on North America, with partners like Software Spectrum and Tiger Direct. International was a compilation of direct, retail and VARS, depending on the country.

 

Rob Weber:   Fast forward four years to today, if you were still running a consumer software company like Jasc Software, what would you expect to change in terms of software distribution?

Kris Tufto:  Retail would be only a fraction of what we were seeing back then. We would rely much heavier on direct marketing, like paid search and affiliate marketing. I would also use W3i’s distribution channel.

 

Rob Weber:   In the consumer application world, there is a lot of buzz around social apps and mobile apps. What do you think about using these new platforms in a consumer application business today?

Kris Tufto:  At Jasc, we were very Windows centric. We would look to new platforms like Google Operating System. The problem in using alternative operating systems is the development resources they require. When you have a very big legacy code base, it is a tough decision to port to a new Operating System.

 

Rob Weber:   What were the unique challenges you faced in growing Jasc in Minnesota?

Kris Tufto:  The Midwestern culture is not a high tech culture. It is not fast moving, it is more engineering oriented and methodical– where you take the time to get everything right. In high tech, you need to create a culture where you expect to get only 80% right. At Jasc, I threw out “Minnesota nice”.

 

Rob Weber:   How did you compete while at Jasc with your Paint Shop Pro application while facing a David versus Goliath competitor in Adobe and their Photoshop application?

Kris Tufto:  We looked at Adobe Photoshop as the sun. In order to beat them we always focused on edge markets and motored around them.

 

Rob Weber:   Kris, I think the world’s consumers and designers who use photo and graphic editing software owe you and your team at Jasc a big thank you. Why? You guys came around and lowered the price point significantly in the product category of photo/graphic editing applications. Jasc was in many ways as good as Photoshop, and in some ways better at a much lower price point. Before Jasc, there was no substitute $100 product, there was only Photoshop at over $400.

Kris Tufto:  You are right, Rob. Adobe didn’t think Jasc was a real threat until they released Adobe Photoshop Elements as a competitive response in 2001 to 2002 timeframe. This validated our model, and caused us to work even harder.


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

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Don’t Overlook Software Libraries, like download.com, as a Consumer Software Distribution Tactic

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

When looking to distribute free consumer software, there are many different methods of distribution.  Some of the more successful distribution methods are:

  • Online marketing promotions
  • Affiliate programs
  • Physical distribution through retail
  • Word of mouth

If you can get all the software distribution you need from the latter, then this blog post probably isn’t for you. But for the rest of us who can’t ever get enough, here’s a tactic that tends to get overlooked -software aggregators. 

There are many benefits to hosting your free software or trial software on sites like Download.com, Tucows.com and Softonic.com.  One of the most important things to look for when researching software aggregators is reputation, look for companies like Softonic.com that are a trusted source of downloads. If it’s not a trusted site don’t use it!  Many software aggregators  offer multiple benefits such as:

  • Free listing programs
  • Pay per download (PPD) programs at very reasonable rates
  • Scalable bandwidth  

Listing your downloads with software aggregators can free up bandwidth.  If your product has a large file size or high traffic influxes, these sites have the ability to provide unlimited downloads to potential users without the worry of servers crashing and bandwidth overage charges.

Working with software aggregators does come with a couple of caveats.  The first is turnaround time.  This problem is mostly caused by us–marketers, developers, etc.  Due to the high volume of requests for listings on these popular aggregators, turnaround times can be days or weeks.  It can also take the same amount of time when you’re trying to remove a product from the site.  Be sure to plan ahead.

The second is the lack of reporting.  You don’t get much visibility into reporting, so before adding this method of distribution to your marketing strategy, be sure to know your Key Performance Indicators (KPI) so you have the ability to optimize.

And now the W3i plug! Apart from software aggregators there is another tool available to you to increase distribution; it’s advertising in the installer.  W3i has created a proprietary Application Network where the advertiser’s popular consumer applications are offered during the installation process.  This distribution method is performance-based and user generated.      

Just like when football coaches tell their players to keep their heads on a swivel, the same can be said for marketers of this generation.  There are many different vehicles of software distribution that you can use to get your software in front of consumers. Just make sure the vehicle you choose fits your marketing strategy and instead of telling you to think outside the box, because I hate that cliché, I will suggest that you work smarter, not harder, when trying to find new vehicles of distribution.

Mitch Bain, Marketing Manager; W3i, LLC
Mitch has 4 years experience focusing on Display Advertising, Search Engine Marketing, and Mobile Marketing, in the Integrated Interactive Media industry.

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Does the Number of Ads in Your Application Affect Conversions?

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

How are application installation rates impacted if multiple application ads are presented in the installer? This is a question that is frequently asked by application publishers when they consider the revenue- generating opportunity made possible by cross-selling additional applications during their installation process–the monetization model offered by the W3i Application Network. W3i conducted a test to attempt to answer this question.

First, some background information on W3i and the W3i Application Network. How does W3i add value? For advertisers W3i creates value by providing a new channel to purchase distribution. For publishers W3i creates value by sharing the revenue generated by the distribution of these advertisers’ applications. For users W3i creates value by helping them discover new applications from advertisers and providing revenue to fund more application development.

W3i conducted a test to understand the impact of cross-selling applications in the installer.

  • Cross Section of Applications Tested – two media players, two game applications, a utility, and a social networking application.
  • 175,000 applications were installed by users

The number of cross-sells (advertiser’s offers) tested included 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Our findings show that a drop in the applications’ installation rate from 1 to 5 offers was less than 1.5 percentage points, equating to an average decrease of 12% with a full 5 offers. At W3i, publishers can choose the number of cross-sells that are available with their applications.

W3i observed that the acceptance rate of each cross-sell varies greatly from advertiser to advertiser and publisher to publisher. Additionally, applications have varying installation rates from application to application. This leads to the conclusion that it is not the quantity of cross-sells that impact the installation rate as much as it is the relevancy. W3i enables clients to select which applications to advertise with their apps to increase the relevancy for their users.

How many and what cross-sells are included is ultimately decided through balancing user acceptance and revenue generated. As the number of cross-sells increase, the relevancy and revenue decreases per cross-sell and so the reality is that there is limited number of cross-sells that maximize the lifetime revenue for a publisher.

Kristin Oberhaus, Product Manager, W3i Holdings, LLC
Kristin has over 13 years of product management experience and is a certified usability analyst. She is an avid believer in pragmatic marketing.

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Cozi Joins W3i’s Application Network

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

W3i to Distribute Cozi’s Photo Collage Screen Saver Application

St. Cloud, Minnesota, July 14, 2009 – W3i, provider of marketing solutions that increase distribution, revenue, and engagement for Windows applications, announced today that Cozi is now part of W3i’s Application Network.  Cozi, a free web service that helps busy families organize and simplify their daily lives, is using W3i’s Application Network to introduce its Photo Collage Screen Saver to a broader audience and grow its user base.

“W3i’s Application Network can be a significant source of new users for growth companies with Windows applications and various types of plug-ins,” said Rob Weber, VP of Business Development at W3i.  “Cozi joins a network of application companies in their efforts to ramp up user acquisition at a known ROI.  During the installation process, W3i’s Application Network leverages the demand for popular free applications by matching users with companies seeking distribution, such as Cozi and their Photo Collage Screen Saver, giving the user a value-add.”

The Cozi Photo Collage Screen Saver automatically finds digital photos already stored on the PC from vacations, birthdays, kid’s sports events and other family activities and displays them in dynamically generated photo collages on the computer screen, organized by event.  Cozi also offers a shared family calendar and solutions to organize household lists, share information and stay in communication.

“W3i’s distribution capabilities are helping us reach new users with a focus on family,” said Robbie Cape, CEO and Co-Founder of Cozi. “W3i’s Application Network is an effective way for us to promote the Cozi Photo Collage Screen Saver and expose this audience to all of the benefits of Cozi.”      

About W3i:
W3i increases revenue, distribution, and engagement for Windows applications and plug-ins. W3i uses a network approach combining the demand for free applications monetized by the distribution of relevant applications when the consumer is in the installation mindset.  W3i’s Application Network uses Install IQ, W3i’s proprietary Windows installation manager, 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 Application Network.

About Cozi:
Cozi is a free web service that helps families organize and simplify their busy lives.  With Cozi, families have the tools to manage schedules, track shopping and to-do lists, organize household chores, and share family updates – all in one solution. Families can access Cozi from any computer at home or at work, and can get shopping lists, schedules and messages on any mobile phone. Located in Seattle, WA, Cozi was founded by veterans of Microsoft, Expedia, and Amazon with a vision for creating technology tuned to the family. Cozi has more than 1.5 million family members, and is available for free at www.cozi.com.

Press Contact:
Deborah Manthei
Director of Marketing Communications
320-257-7571
deborah.manthei@W3i.com

The names of companies and products mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

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