TechWeb and Cisco's 'The Data Center of the Future' Program Wins min's 'Wow' Integrated Marketing Award

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and information, and Cisco, the sole sponsor of the program, were recognized for marketing excellence by min, the media publisher covering the consumer and B2B media industry, at an event in New York City last week. The min's Integrated Marketing Awards honors the campaigns, programs, and innovative people who've raised the bar on magazine marketing programs. The "Wow" award recognizes the most innovative, out of the box integrated marketing campaign or paradigm-shifting marketing idea.

TechWeb Marketing Services partnered with Cisco to create an immersive and integrated thought leadership program to showcase Cisco's strengths as a technology leader. Entitled "Data Center for the Future Integrated Program," the global initiative was designed to help Cisco achieve considerable audience share among their target market of companies with 1,000 employees or greater.

The hub of the program is the "Data Center of the Future" Concierge site, www.thedcofthefuture.com, a Flash-based web environment featuring a concierge host to guide visitors to the rich content and resources found on the site. The site also features a vast array of digital content ranging from webcasts and virtual events, to message boards and online ad units. The Concierge site also offers 360 degree solutions for the Data Center via a dedicated Partner Pavilion that features tools, tips, and resources from Cisco partners APC, EMC, Emerson, NetApp, Oracle, Panduit, and VMware.

One notable feature of the Concierge site are webcasts, which deliver content relevant to Cisco and its tech partners--and their potential customers--in a Q&A format. Other highlights include virtual events and geo-targeted efforts for international audiences in the U.K., Italy, Sweden and Germany, and a full in-language, localized version developed for Cisco's Japanese audience.

"As the largest IT media brand in the world, we understand the content needs of our audience. Our marketing goal is to completely understand our clients' needs and objectives and then create programs that work with the audience in mind," said Martha Schwartz, VP of Group Sales, InformationWeek Business Technology Network. "We were able to meet Cisco's goals by leading with intelligence, and then backing it up with stellar execution and program development. This trifecta of concept, content and client services is what sets TechWeb apart."

The integrated program exceeded goals and achieved a high level of interaction with its target audience. The Data Center of the Future program achieved 125% of lead delivery goals for all elements combined, generating a total of 5,656 leads, 4,652 of which were unique. Also, 53% of Cisco's top 750 enterprise companies were reached with this program, and 39% of decision makers who have a planned Data Center project within the next year asked for follow-up by the client.

"We're delighted and gratified to receive this sort of recognition for our fast-growing marketing services business," said Tony L. Uphoff, CEO of TechWeb. "Working on these multi-faceted, high-impact programs has allowed us to serve our audience of business technology professionals in unique ways while helping clients - like Cisco - achieve their objectives."

TechWeb Marketing Services is a business unit of TechWeb focused on helping clients conceive, create and manage fully integrated performance programs, including services such as content development, research, lead generation, traffic drivers, design/development/production and turnkey program management.

TechWeb's Internet Evolution, www.internetevolution.com, was also named a winner for the category of Customized Web Site / Microsite at this year's min's Integrated Marketing Awards event. Internet Evolution also won three min Best of the Web Awards this year. "... we're well aware that the TechWeb team is on a roll," says mins online.

More information about all the top winners is available here: http://www.minonline.com/awards/ima/2009event

About TechWeb (http://www.techweb.com/aboutus)

TechWeb, the global leader in business technology media, is an innovative business focused on serving the needs of technology decision-makers and marketers worldwide. TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed media brands in the business technology market. Today, more than 13.3 million* business technology professionals actively engage in our communities created around our global face-to-face events Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat and VoiceCon; online resources such as the InformationWeek Business Technology Network, Light Reading, Network Computing, and Insurance & Technology; and the market leading, award-winning InformationWeek, Wall Street & Technology, and Advanced Trading magazines. TechWeb also provides end-to-end services ranging from next-generation performance marketing, integrated media, market research, and analyst services. TechWeb is a division of United Business Media, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.

*13.3 million business decision-makers: based on # of monthly connections across TechWeb brands.

    Contact:  Scott Vaughan
              Vice President of Marketing, TechWeb
              949.223.3662
              svaughan@techweb.com

SOURCE TechWeb

SOURCE: TechWeb

Web site: http://www.thedcofthefuture.com/