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Local search has increased in value and importance over the last couple of years, and the online presence of small businesses has become crucial to their growth and success.

From building a website to creating profiles in Yelp and CitySearch and arranging discount deals with Groupon, small business owners are challenged to stay on top of the latest trends in local search.

Yodle is at the forefront of the local online advertising industry, and CEO Court Cunningham explains how the search market has changed and how small businesses can manage their exposure online.

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Bonus FLASHBACK: Watch The Business Insider Office Go Completely Nuts After The US Scores Against Algeria (The interview with Court was taped in June during the US-Algeria soccer match.)

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DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

PetMed Express Inc.’s (PETS) fiscal first-quarter results unexpectedly fell, with the pet pharmacy blaming an inability to buy television advertising at low-enough prices and reduced customer usage of products bought.

Shares dropped in premarket trading.

President …

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DALLAS, July 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — ATamp;T* announced today that it will be the 2010 sponsor of The Marcus Graham Projects iCR8 boot camp, a 10-week program that provides aspiring advertising and marketing leaders with the opportunity to gain the exposure and experience necessary to solidify careers within the industry.

As part of the program, boot camp participants created a full-service agency called MetaTHINQ, for which they will implement a full-scale market research study focusing on connectivity, and provide real-world marketing and advertising solutions for ATamp;T, Globe Aware, Passport and other clients.

The Marcus Graham Project (MGP) is a Dallas-based nonprofit organization and national network of diverse professionals focused on developing and mentoring the next generation of diverse thought leaders within the advertising, media and marketing industry. MGP and ATamp;T recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion at all levels. According to a 2008 Bureau of Labor Statistics report, only 16 percent of employees in advertising and marketing were people of color. ATamp;Ts support of MGP reaffirms its continued focus on diversity and inclusion in the workforce, which are essential components of a successful business strategy.

We are proud to support The Marcus Graham Project and its mission, said Jennifer Jones, vice president of diverse markets, ATamp;T Mobility and Consumer Markets. By supporting unique programs like the 2010 iCR8 boot camp, we are continuing ATamp;Ts commitment to the diverse communities we service and attempting to make a real difference in terms of diversity within these professional fields. Additionally, the research findings from the project will be used to help us better target and meet the connectivity needs of these segments.

As part of its sponsorship, ATamp;T will underwrite a research study to be rolled out by MetaTHINQ. The curriculum based campaign, will give the MetaTHINQ team the opportunity to better understand technology usage, the importance of connectivity and the existing barriers to leveraging technology within diverse communities across the country.

Six MetaTHINQ team members will begin their journey on a cross country tour from Dallas, Texas on July 12, and drive through a set of routes bound for Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; and Washington, DC respectively. Along the way the students will conduct market research interviews and forum discussions, as well as meet with industry and community leaders who will share their insight on technology usage as it relates to their specific communities. The culmination of their work is a final research study they will share with telecommunications industry professionals and communities across the US

We were excited to know that a company literally in our own backyard has taken an interest in what we are doing. It truly gives us encouragement to know that a global organization has taken notice of our efforts and we hope that other corporations follow their lead in advancing diversity, said Lincoln Stephens, founder, The Marcus Graham Project.

In addition to diversity and inclusion being essential parts to business success, ATamp;T understands that continued broadband adoption in the US is crucial to empower communities across the country and support the development of a competitive workforce. ATamp;Ts involvement with the iCR8 boot camp is another way it creates awareness about the importance of broadband access.

For more information on MetaTHINQ, the cross country tours and the research initiative, please visit http://www.metathinq.com/. For additional information on The Marcus Graham Project and its programs, please visit http://www.marcusgrahamproject.org.

For the complete array of ATamp;T offerings, visit www.att.com. For more information and detailed disclaimer information, please review this announcement in the ATamp;T newsroom at http://www.att.com/newsroom.

*ATamp;T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of ATamp;T Inc. under the ATamp;T brand and not by ATamp;T Inc.

About MetaTHINQ

MetaTHINQ is a full service advertising and marketing agency created for learning, designed to provide real world solutions for clients. Going beyond thinking, their mission is to evoke the thoughts of progressive, diverse, and viral consumers through their approach to research and intimate knowledge of social media.

About Marcus Graham Project

The Marcus Graham Project is a national network of diverse professionals that have purposed themselves in developing the next generation of thought leadership within the advertising, media and marketing industry. The vision of The Marcus Graham Project (MGP) is to provide long term access to information, technology, financial and people resources that will strategically develop a viable pool of talent and leadership within the industry. The Marcus Graham Project is a 501 (c) 3 organization.

About ATamp;T Inc.

ATamp;T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates ATamp;T operating companies are the providers of ATamp;T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nations fastest 3G network, ATamp;T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. A leader in mobile broadband, ATamp;T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the ATamp;T U-verse and ATamp;T | DIRECTV brands. The companys suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, ATamp;T Advertising Solutions and ATamp;T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. In 2010, ATamp;T again ranked among the 50 Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE magazine.

Additional information about ATamp;T Inc. and the products and services provided by ATamp;T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This ATamp;T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATTNews. Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ATT to discover more about our consumer and wireless services or at www.Facebook.com/ATTSmallBiz to discover more about our small business services.

2010 ATamp;T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. 3G service not available in all areas. ATamp;T, the ATamp;T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of ATamp;T Intellectual Property and/or ATamp;T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE ATamp;T Inc.

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http://www.metathinq.com/
http://www.marcusgrahamproject.org/

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The fragile recovery in the UK advertising market appears to have stalled as marketers returned to cutting budgets in the second quarter of 2010, fuelling fears of a double dip downturn in the sector, according to the latest Bellwether survey.

Published by ad agency trade body the Instituted of Practitioners in Advertising and considered a key measure of the health of the industry, the Bellwether report found that one in five companies cut their annual advertising budget between April and the end of June. This compared with 15% that said they increased spending.

In terms of business confidence, the report found positive sentiment was the lowest for a year. A quarter of survey respondents were negative about the financial prospects for their companies.

The survey represent a U-turn on the Bellwether report for the first three months of 2010, which saw more UK companies raise their marketing budgets than cut for the first time in two-and-a-half years.

However, the figures showed that spend on traditional media such as TV, press and radio, which has been boosted by events including the World Cup, only suffered very modest downward budgetary revisions in the second quarter.

Spend on sales promotion took a hammering. The report recorded the third fastest downgrade to spending on the sales promotion sector in the Bellwether surveys history, which suggests that companies feel less need to offer price discounts.

Internet advertising budgets remained resilient, with companies reporting an increase in spend, but the rate of growth in budgets was the slowest for three quarters.

Andy Viner, the head of media at accountancy firm BDO, said that the report revealed a cautious and uncertain picture and that optimism and confidence appear to be waning.

It is clear that there are increasing signs that uncertainty over economic prospects continue and that corporates remain focused on cost control against a backdrop of the risk of a double dip, added Viner.

On a more positive note certain areas of marketing spend such as internet advertising continue to grow driven largely by technological factors such as the expansion in social media together with the desire of advertisers for increased measurability and accountability and a lower cost of investment.

Chris Williamson, the chief economist at Markit and author of the Bellwether report, said: The downward revision to marketing budgets in the second quarter is disappointing as it fails to build on he return to growth seen earlier in the year and highlights the fragility of the UK economic recovery.

Rory Sutherland, the IPA president, added: Although this indicates a less optimistic picture than previously thought for this year, marketing spend is still set to increase.

Just weeks ago Sir Martin Sorrell, the chief executive of WPP, said that there did not appear to be any signs of a global double dip in advertising but that he did hold fears of a Eurozone contagion in the market.

oTo contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000.

o If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly for publication.

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Regional press advertising expenditure is showing signs of stabilising with a slowing of the overall decline, according to first quarter figures from the Advertising Association.

The latest AA/Warc expenditure report also reveals a strong growth in both national display and online recruitment.

Here are some of the statistics for January to March 2010:

Total print advertising showed an annual drop of 5.2%, a marked slowing of the decline of 14.1% in the fourth quarter of 2009. Classified advertising was down 10.2%, half the fall in the final months of the previous year.

Total display advertising increased by 3.3%, with national display ads up by 10.6%, compared to the first quarter of 2009.

In the online recruitment category, regional press websites increased adspend by 19.7% and continued to increase market share against online specialists.

Regional papers held 29% of the online recruitment market share compared to a 25% share in the same period a year ago.

Source: Newspaper Society

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While shopping on websites like eBay.in, Indiatimes.com, and Rediff.com provide a platform to take your business online, you may want to do a little bit extra to make your product stand out from the crowd. Print ads are one-dimensional and fairly expensive, while TV ads, where you can showcase your product more effectively, can be completely out of reach. But can you showcase your product in a comprehensive manner and still avoid the high costs associated with advertising?

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The acquisition will be integrated into comScores existing Telecom and Wireless Practice. Mr. Taleb will join the comScore senior management team and will be named EVP of comScore Wireless Solutions.

comScore anticipates that the transaction will fuel incremental growth for comScore in 2010 and anticipates that the acquisition will add approximately $4 million to the companys 2010 revenue, with similar profitability margins to the balance of comScores business. Additionally, comScore anticipates that the transaction will be accretive to 2010 GAAP and non-GAAP net income.

Nexius consulting division has been spun off into a separate entity called Nexius Solutions Inc., led by co-Founder Nadim (Ned) Taleb (http://eml.mailingsvcs.com/trk/r.emt?h=www.nexius.com/amp;t=39Rbcgamp;e=nQ2YI+GhAkE).

Mobile Industry Leaders Voice Enthusiasm for Nexius The network intelligence provided by Nexius has been a critical component of fulfilling our customer value proposition, said Bob Johnson, Chief Strategy Officer at Sprint. Nexius analytics have enabled us to improve our network optimization and better serve our customers.

Nexius has been a valuable partner in helping us understand the dynamics of our network, said Hassan Kabbani, CEO of Mobinil, a leading mobile operator in Egypt and a joint venture between Orange and Orascom Telecom. Nexius is an innovative and reliable company in the network analytics space and well positioned to grow in global markets.

comScore to Discuss Acquisition in Conference Call comScore management will discuss todays announcement in a conference call today, Thursday, July 1, 2010, at 5:30 PM ET. The conference call and replay can be accessed by telephone and webcast as follows: Call-in Number: 800-591-6944, Passcode 66935716 (International) 617-614-4910, Passcode 66935716

Replay Number: 888-286-8010, Passcode 16125719 (International) 617-801-6888, Passcode 16125719
Webcast (live and replay): http://eml.mailingsvcs.com/trk/r.emt?h=ir.comscore.com/events.cfmamp;t=39Rbcgamp;e=nQ2YI+GhAkE

About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. comScore helps its clients better understand, leverage and profit from the rapidly evolving digital marketing landscape by providing solutions in the measurement and evaluation of online audiences, advertising effectiveness, social media, search, video, mobile, e-commerce , and a broad variety of other emerging forms of digital behavior. comScores capabilities are based on a global panel of approximately 2 million Internet users who have given comScore explicit permission to confidentially capture their browsing and purchase behavior. These data can also be combined with census-level Web site or telecom carrier data to provide the most comprehensive and unified measurement of digital activity. comScores recent acquisition of ARSgroup adds one of the industrys most validated measurement of the persuasive power of advertising in TV and multi-media campaigns. comScore services are used by more than 1,300 clients around the world, including global leaders such as AOL, Baidu, BBC, Best Buy, Carat, Deutsche Bank, ESPN, Facebook, France Telecom, Financial Times, Fox, Microsoft, MediaCorp, Nestle, Starcom, Terra Networks, Universal McCann, Verizon Services Group, ViaMichelin and Yahoo!.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including, but not limited to, comScores expectations regarding the impact and benefits of the acquisition of Nexius, financial or otherwise; comScores expectations regarding the growth, opportunities and favorability of the market for mobile enterprise and marketing products; and comScores expectations as to the integration of Nexius products and customer base with its existing products. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including, but not limited to: the impact of integrating Nexius business and products into comScores business and products; the possibility that the mobile enterprise and marketing products markets do not grow and develop as expected; comScores ability to retain customers and employees of Nexius; the risk of integration difficulties from the Nexius; comScores ability to grow its existing customer base and develop new products; the expected strength of comScores business and client demand for comScores products; the future quality of client relationships and resulting renewal rates; expectations of customer growth; and expectations of sales growth.

For a detailed discussion of these and other risk factors, please refer to comScores Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2010, Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2009 and from time to time other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), which are available on the SECs Web site (http://eml.mailingsvcs.com/trk/r.emt?h=www.sec.gov/amp;t=39Rbcgamp;e=nQ2YI+GhAkE).

Stockholders of comScore are cautioned not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date such statements are made. comScore does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances or new information after the date of this press release, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

CONTACT: comScore, Inc.

WWW: http://www.comScore.com
((M2 Communications disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com.

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A big part of making money is letting people know that you have a business. You have to be willing to give some money up to make more.

If you do not like to spend money to make more money then you will not ever make no money.

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