Teen Magazine First to use Ultigo to Send ReadersOnline Without Scanners or Cameras for...

Business Editors & Technology Writers

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 9, 2000

EMAP's Teen Magazine tomorrow will launch its exclusive print to web program with Ultigo.

Without having to use scanners or digital cameras, readers of Teen Magazine will be able to log

on to teenmag.com for the opportunity to learn more about or find out how to buy 16 products linked off four editorial pages from the November issue of Teen Magazine. The edit pages will appear online exactly as they appear in print. In November, advertising pages from Teen's December issue will be added to the Ultigo program.

Teen Magazine is the world's first publication to use Ultigo's UltiMedia, an enabling technology that allows print readers to interact online with products and services featured in advertising and editorial pages of magazines. In the process, readers can find out more information, including e-commerce purchase options and directions to the nearest bricks and mortar retail location offering items of interest. In fact, a number of the 16 products from Teen can ONLY be purchased at offline retailers. Unlike other print to web technologies that have experienced well-publicized problems with reproduction quality, installation difficulty and privacy violations, UltiMedia launches readers into a complete interactive experience that offers them the freedom of various commerce options. The Ultigo technology also allows magazines to enhance editorial coverage with additional online information and interactive features.

"Ultigo literally wipes out the limitations of print and allows us to provide a far more expansive experience for our readers both editorially and commercially. This is especially important for the teen reader who needs service more than any other demographic," says Teen Magazine Editorial Director Tommi Lewis. "For instance, with a celebrity cover, we can provide readers with more detail about the celebrities' clothes, hair and makeup, even link them to the celeb's fansite. For a feature story about the date rape drug, we can now lead readers to real time hotline sites or to medical sites offering up info on this drug.

"We get thousands of reader requests each month asking where to buy items readers have seen in edit layouts or ad pages in our magazine. Although we provide purchasing info on our pages plus run an extensive 'Where to Buy' in the back of Teen, the editors still spend hours researching and responding to reader product queries," says Ms. Lewis. "With Ultigo, we can extend this reader service to a new level by offering a customized 'where to buy' for each reader. Now we can tell them not just the store's name, but also where the nearest store is to them."

Ultigo's interactive symbol appears on the four pages of Teen to signal to readers that the pages have been reproduced and electronically enlivened on the teenmag.com website. By clicking on the Powered by Ultigo search box on Teen's homepage, the reader is directed to the interactive pages. As they move the cursor across the interactive pages on the screen, images of each item that can be purchased pops-up. Users may then: save favorite items into a personal file for later purchase; be directed to a local brick and mortar retailer; or sent to the product-specific page of a Web e-tailer to find out more (such as sizes, colors, availability) then buy the item.

"Teen's readers are heavy users of the Internet. By partnering with Ultigo, we become the only magazine in the teenage market to offer a fast and easy way for readers to learn more about - or actually buy - items they crave from edit layouts, or next month, from advertisements," says Lynn Lehmkuhl, President of Teen Magazine.

Once UltiMedia starts on Teen's home page, the entire process is one of complete commerce. For example, the product of interest to readers will be available for purchase whether on or offline. If the reader would like to try on or buy the item in the store, UltiMedia will offer maps to the nearest brick and mortar retailer which has that item for sale. Moreover, every individual image in a single edit photo or ad can be hotlinked to different e-commerce pages (in other words readers may be sent to different places to buy the belt that holds up the pants, to buy the shirt tucked in the belt, to buy the shoes on the model etc.).

"UltiMedia allows publishers to seamlessly integrate their print magazine with an additional online dimension while maintaining their unique cultural environment," says Todd Headrick, President, CEO and Founder of Ultigo. "Teen and Ultigo have forged a unique partnership that will enable Teen's readers to experience the Internet in a way that hasn't been possible until now." (A demo of the UltiMedia program is available at www.Ultigo.com)

With a rate base of 2 million and readership of nearly 10 million, Teen Magazine is a lifestyle magazine that addresses the interests and aspirations universal to all teenage girls.

Atlanta-based Ultigo was formed in 1999 by Todd Headrick, who recognized the need to create technology for publishers that offers their readers a deeper, more complete editorial experience and their advertisers added value by providing accountable demographic and readership interaction information driven by the printed page. This vision translated into UltiMedia, a commerce enabling technology for the publishing industry.