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Viewpoint Launches KeySearch Search Engine Marketing and Optimization Service

Posted on: Monday, 13 March 2006, 09:00 CST

Viewpoint Corporation (NASDAQ: VWPT), a leading internet marketing technology company, today announced the introduction of KeySearch, Viewpoint's search engine marketing and optimization service offering. KeySearch is designed to help clients optimize their position in search engines to drive brand awareness and attract site visitors. KeySearch will offer a new and unique way of integrating search engine marketing with other elements of Viewpoint's multi-channel internet marketing and advertising offerings. KeySearch will also offer business intelligence reports and an analysis of search marketing campaign effectiveness, leveraging Viewpoint's technology. These reports will enable customers to make data-driven business decisions, ultimately increasing ROI.

The company also announced the appointment of Jason McKay, who joins Viewpoint from Sony Electronics and Hewlett Packard, as vice president and general manager. Drawing on his expertise in managing interactive advertising campaigns, including search engine marketing, display advertising, affiliate marketing, and media planning for multi-billion dollar companies, Mr. McKay will lead Viewpoint's KeySearch initiative. In this role, he will work with clients to develop effective, measurable internet marketing campaigns. Mr. McKay will also be responsible for the management of the Unicast ad solutions business. Under Mr. McKay's leadership, Viewpoint will expand its Unicast business to offer full creative, design, media planning and ad serving solutions.

"The introduction of KeySearch, combined with the expansion of our Unicast offering, enables us to offer our clients a full complement of multi-channel internet marketing services that combine our core technology with our creative expertise in order to develop measurable internet marketing campaigns," said Patrick Vogt, chief executive officer of Viewpoint. "We are thrilled to have Jason McKay join our executive team, rounding out the group of talented individuals who have recognized Viewpoint's enormous potential in this fast-growing, dynamic marketplace."

Prior to joining Viewpoint, Jason McKay managed the interactive advertising group at Sony Electronics, a division of Sony Corporation, recognized by the Harris Poll as the number one brand in the United States. At Sony, Mr. McKay was responsible for managing the company's entire online advertising strategy for both brand awareness and direct sales. In this capacity, he managed the company's significant online advertising budget and was responsible for the revenue that was directly generated from his interactive advertising campaigns. He also managed Sony's alliance relationships with Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, CNET, and Google. Before joining Sony, Mr. McKay managed online demand generation at Hewlett-Packard Corporation where he played an active role in building and managing the company's B2B interactive marketing campaigns. He has also held business development and online marketing positions at Compaq Computer Corporation and Department of the Interior.

"Online advertising revenue is predicted to reach $18.9 billion by 2010, according to Jupiter Research, with strong growth in rich and streaming media," said Jason McKay. "It is increasingly clear that as consumers spend more time on the web, marketers are shifting their focus from traditional forms of advertising to online advertising programs and a strategic approach to web marketing is no longer a 'nice to have,' it is an imperative."

"Viewpoint has all the tools to capitalize on this changing advertising paradigm and I look forward to combining my experience with Viewpoint's leading technology to better serve clients as the market experiences unprecedented growth," said Mr. McKay.

Viewpoint granted 100,000 options to purchase its common stock to Mr. McKay at an exercise price equal to the fair market value of Viewpoint's common stock on the date of grant. These grants were approved by Viewpoint's Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors and met the "employee inducement" exception to NASDAQ's rules adopted in 2003 requiring shareholder approval of equity-based incentive plans. The options have been classified as non-qualified stock options, have an exercise price equal to the fair market value on the grant date, have a seven-year term, and vest over 36 months, subject to continued employment and other conditions.

About Viewpoint

Viewpoint is a leading Internet marketing technology company. Viewpoint offers Internet marketing and online advertising solutions through the powerful combination of its proprietary visualization technology and a full range of campaign management services, including creative development, production, rich media, ad serving, search marketing, and performance measurement. Viewpoint's technology and services are behind the online presence of some of the world's most esteemed brands, including Sony, America Online, GE, and Toyota. More information on Viewpoint can be found at www.viewpoint.com.

The company has approximately 130 employees principally at its headquarters in New York City and in Los Angeles.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains "forward-looking" statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and similar expressions that reflect Viewpoint's current expectations about its future performance. These statements and expressions are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause Viewpoint's actual performance to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these statements and expressions. Such risks, uncertainties and factors include those described in Viewpoint's filings and reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Source: Business Wire

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