Conduit®, enabling web publishers to distribute their offerings directly and through its global network of publishers, today announced the opening of its European headquarters in London to support the company’s rapid growth in the region. To mark the occasion, the company also commissioned independent research on marketing and branding online.

Founded in 2005, Conduit already has thousands of publishers and millions of users in Europe, and the company is now expanding operations in order to manage the growth it is experiencing in the region. “European web publishers have unique characteristics and special needs, for example, they must market across cultures and require multi-language options -- and our new office has been created to meet those needs,” said Adam Boyden, president of Conduit.

Conduit offers a patented, award-winning SaaS solution that helps web publishers of any size to extend their content and brand onto the browser and desktop. Currently, more than 200,000 web publishers from all over the world are offering customized conduits as an integral part of their online marketing. Branded conduits have been created and deployed in more than 80 languages and are used by more than 60 million users.

Among the UK web publishers that have recently launched custom conduits are the Football League Interactive (FLi), which manages and develops the internet and mobile rights of The Football League and 79 participating clubs, Trinity Mirror, one of the UK's largest newspaper publishers, and MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, the UK’s largest website for online discounts, special offers and deals. The initial results for the organizations indicate that they are seeing increases in website traffic, brand awareness, and customer retention.

“We noticed Conduit because so many major sports brands are using the technology, including Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League,” said Ian Ritchie, Chairman, FLi. “We are looking forward to seeing a measurable impact on fan engagement and ticket and merchandise sales across the FLi network of official club websites.”

Paul Hood, Head of Digital at Trinity Mirror says: "We are always looking for ways to extend our relationship with our online readers. Conduit is helping us to increase the level of engagement with readers. Their technology helps our users personalize their experience of MirrorFootball content, letting them choose what, when and how they'd like to consume and interact. The more tailored the content experience, the greater the relevance and meaning.”

Trends in Marketing Online

To mark the occasion of its European launch, Conduit commissioned independent research about marketing and branding with both consumers and marketers. The purpose of the research was to provide European web publishers with guidance on how best to market themselves in the browser and on the desktop. The research documented for marketers the increase in consumer interaction with brands online and the desire of consumers to have more in-depth and interactive access to their favorite products and services.

The research provides clear guidance to UK companies like FLi and MyVoucherCodes that are seeking more effective ways to reach their customers and users online. Among the hottest topics with marketers was social media. The research confirmed that social media is rapidly becoming a mainstream tool for marketing programs. More than a third (37%) of marketers indicated that social media now forms the principal thrust of their online marketing strategy and for 15% it takes the lion’s share of their budget.

Despite these investments however, marketers are still unsure of the best way to harness the power of social media, with 60% feeling that they are not yet using it to its full potential. More than a quarter (27%) of marketers said that they do not fully understand social media campaigns. This situation looks likely to improve, with almost half (45%) of marketers believing that social media will become more valuable as a means of engaging consumers.

“Clearly marketers are still unravelling the best way to engage with consumers through social media, but this research provides guidance from the consumers who are saying they want more direct and in-depth methods to interact with brands online. Conduit offers solutions to meet this need with marketing tools for the browser and desktop,” said Boyden.

“This research reaffirms that we are heading in the right direction with marketing tools that help us reach our consumers more effectively,” said Mark Pearson, founder and CEO of MyVoucherCodes.co.uk. “And now we have a conduit that connects all of our marketing efforts – contests, social media outreach, search and more.”

London is the third office for fast-growing Conduit, which already has operations in Silicon Valley USA and Israel. This office will be directed by Ze’ev Rozov who will serve as Managing Director of Europe and be responsible for the expansion of Conduit’s business in the region. Prior to joining Conduit, Ze’ev was CEO of Sportingo, a leading digital publisher of sport content that operated Sportingo.com, the largest social media site in Europe, Caughtoffside.com, the largest football blog in the UK, and Getsport.tv, a comprehensive listing service for watching sports online.

Notes to Editors

Research conducted by Vanson Bourne in November 2009, surveying 100 marketing directors; consumer research conducted by YouGov in November 2009, surveying 2100 consumers online.