New Comscore Segment Metrix Allows Powerful Segmentation of Online Audiences

LONDON, UK, SEPTEMBER 25, 2007 – Comscore (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today announced the U.K. launch of its ground-breaking Comscore Segment Metrix analytical tool.

Comscore Segment Metrix enables clients to conduct insightful segmentation analyses of the extensive Comscore MMX online behaviour database using a wide variety of consumer segmentation schemes. The product provides the flexibility to integrate three different types of segmentation schemes with the MMX data—segments based on the observed online behaviour, proprietary segmentation schemes clients currently use, and segmentation approaches from third party analytical consultants.

The key benefits of Comscore Segment Metrix include:

• Media owners are able to determine if they are getting their fair share of heavy users compared to other properties in their sector
• Agencies and advertisers can attain better insight into how to reach important target customers
• Advertisers can now integrate their offline marketing segmentation schemes with Comscore’s online panel allowing them to track, analyze and report online behaviour by these important (offline) consumer segments

“Consumer segmentation is not new - it is an important part of marketing, and over the years Comscore has conducted a great deal of custom segmentation work,” said Bob Ivins, EVP of International Markets at Comscore. “With Comscore Segment Metrix, marketers can define consumer segments behaviourally and then identify where to find them across the web—making media and promotion plans more targeted, efficient and effective.”

Heavy Internet Users Visit More Sites and Consume a Disproportionate Share of Pages

The first segmentation to be offered is one defined by online behaviour. This approach, called Comscore Segment Metrix H/M/L, allows marketers to analyze online activity by heavy, medium and light users of the Internet and of any specific categories of sites reported by Comscore. The Heavy segment group will be defined as the top 20 percent of consumers, based on time spent online at specific site categories; the Medium group will be defined as the middle 30 percent; and the Light users are the lightest 50 percent. H/M/L user segments will be available in all 32 countries where Comscore syndicated data are available and across all 110 Comscore defined categories and sub-categories of sites.

* Persons age 15+. Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs

The average U.K. Internet user spent 36.2 hours online in July and made 73.2 visits. However, when we break this population down to reveal the online behaviour of heavy, medium and light users, we can see that there are significant differences between the segments. Heavy Internet users spent almost three times more time online in July – 99.4 hours – and made more than twice as many visits as the national average.

“By definition, heavy Internet users consume a disproportionately high share of content. The H/M/L segmentation gives our clients the ability to understand the behaviour of one segment versus the others and to determine if they are getting their fair share of heavy, medium or even light Internet or category-specific users,” commented Mr. Ivins. “There are also stark and important differences across these groups, which represent critical knowledge for advertisers with specific reach and frequency objectives.”

Whilst these segments are differentiated by the volume of content that they consume online, there is also immense polarization in the nature of the sites that Heavy and Light Internet users visit. By applying Comscore Segment Metrix to the Comscore MMX online behavioural database, advertisers and marketers can determine exactly which categories of sites are being visited by which segments. Light users spend a disproportionately high percentage of their time online on banking, finance and travel sites, whilst heavy users spend an above average proportion of their time on communication, gaming, and entertainment categories.

*Among categories where >1% of total online minutes were spent
** Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs

*Among categories where >1% of total online minutes were spent
** Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs

Light users index at 228 points for time spent on sites in the online banking category, against the total Internet index of 100. For Heavy Internet users, time spent on online banking sites is relatively low, at 54 index points. Conversely, when we examine the Instant Messengers category this trend is reversed, with Heavy Internet users indexing at 128 points, and Light users at 43.

Comscore Segment Metrix offers H/M/L segmentation data for 113 categories and sub-categories including Business/Finance (with 7 sub-categories), Career Development (4), Community (7), Directories/Resources (7), Education (2), Entertainment (9), Gambling (3), Games (3), Government, Health (3), Hobbies (4), ISP, News/Information (4), Portals, Real Estate, Regional/Local, Retail (21), Search/Navigation, Services (11), Sports, Technology (2), Telecommunications, and Travel (8).

Additional segmentation approaches, including customer defined segmentation and third-party geo-demographic segmentation schemes will be announced in the near future.

About Comscore
Comscore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world. This capability is based on a massive, global cross-section of more than 2 million consumers who have given Comscore permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behaviour, including online and offline purchasing. Comscore panelists also participate in survey research that captures and integrates their attitudes and intentions. Through its proprietary technology, Comscore measures what matters across a broad spectrum of behaviour and attitudes. Comscore analysts apply this deep knowledge of customers and competitors to help clients design powerful marketing strategies and tactics that deliver superior ROI. Comscore services are used by more than 700 clients, including global leaders such as AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo!, BBC, Carat, Cyworld, Deutsche Bank, France Telecom, Best Buy, The Newspaper Association of America, Financial Times, ESPN, Fox Sports, Nestlé, Starcom, Universal McCann, the United States Postal Service, Verizon, ViaMichelin, Merck and Expedia. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com

Ayaan Mohamud
Comscore, Inc.
+ 44 (0) 207-099-1775
worldpress@comscore.com