Hitwise.co.nz Goes Live

After two months in beta testing, comparative web measurement service Hitwise is officially launched in New Zealand
10 October 2000 - After two months in beta testing, Hitwise (www.hitwise.co.nz), New Zealand’s first comparative web monitoring service, was officially launched today, providing website owners and marketing managers with real-time intelligence about the surfing habits of more than 350,000 New Zealand Internet users.

International Business Director, Mr Brendan McKeegan, said that in the past accessing any sort of comparative audience metrics information had been beyond the financial resources of most businesses, costing upwards of $10,000. ‘Hitwise is designed to provide all website owners, large and small, with a measure of how their website performs against similar offerings,’ Mr McKeegan said today.

How it works
Hitwise works by analysing proxy logs directly from ISPs to provide an indication of website popularity. Measuring by the number of page impressions, hitwise.co.nz produces rankings of websites across more than 130 interest and industry categories.

‘Hitwise captures data from more than 35% of New Zealand’s Internet population,’ Mr McKeegan added. ‘Because we see more data than anyone else, we measure way beyond the top web properties, providing the only true daily comparative indicator of website performance.’

Benefits
With increasingly more people accessing the Internet, accurate and reliable information about online performance has become essential. Hitwise complements site-centric information by providing a measure of traffic volumes relative to competitive offerings.

‘A complete analysis of online performance involves examining the level of traffic your website receives and then comparing how the site performs against its competitors,’
Mr McKeegan said. ‘Hitwise is positioned as an accurate and affordable measurement service, providing website rankings and an indication of online market share across more than 30,000 local and international websites.’

Hitwise publishes website rankings on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, assisting businesses to immediately track spikes and troughs in web activity, as well as longer term trends and growth patterns.

Mr McKeegan said the launch of Hitwise New Zealand was the first step in Hitwise’s global expansion plans, and would be closely followed by the launch of the product throughout Asia and Europe.

‘Hitwise will be building on our international presence in the coming months, having established international offices and local partnerships in key regional markets,’ Mr McKeegan said. ‘We have a highly scalable business model, with significant global applications which will establish Hitwise as the global leader in comparative website analysis.’

The entry of Hitwise in the New Zealand market will be enhanced through a partnership with local marketing services company, Brave New World (www.bravenewworld.co.nz).

‘As one of New Zealand’s leading online marketing businesses, Brave New World represents an ideal partner to promote Hitwise in New Zealand,’ Mr McKeegan said. ‘Their understanding of the local market, combined with their vast experience of the medium adds significant credibility to the product, and provides an immediate channel to market Hitwise.’

Mr Jason Paris, General Manager for Online Media of Brave New World, said Hitwise was a perfect complement to Brave New World’s existing strategic and creative capabilities, and would provide organisations with a real-time, cost-effective tool for analysing their online performance.

Subscription to Hitwise starts at just $59.95 and is available on a monthly or annual basis.

About Hitwise New Zealand (www.hitwise.co.nz)
Hitwise is a unique Internet traffic monitoring and measurement service, developed by Australian based Sinewave Interactive. Hitwise delivers daily information on the surfing habits of New Zealand's Internet population that in turn, is used as a strategic competitive analysis and planning tool by media buyers and advertisers, financial consultants and online analysts, web publishers and all marketers who are serious about preserving or building an online presence. Sinewave has partnered with Brave New World, one of New Zealand’s leading online marketing services businesses, to market Hitwise in New Zealand.

About Brave New World (www.bravenewworld.co.nz)
Brave New World offers a blend of traditional and new world communications for clients, leveraging the opportunities of integrated digital channels through next-generation communication tools. With a team of sixty, Brave New World provides a complete solution of strategic, creative, branding, data analysis and measurement services.
Brave New World recently merged the talents of New Zealand’s largest online advertising company, WebMasters Network Limited and the leading design house Dave Clark Design Associates to form the new communications services company

MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Ms Angela Friend
Public Relations Manager
Tel: + 61 3 9820 5443
Fax: + 61 3 9820 0407
angela@hitwise.com
http://www.hitwise.co.nz

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