Claritas to Hold 16th Annual Precision Marketing Conference

Keynote Speaker Is Best-Selling Author and Business Consultant Geoffrey A. Moore; Data Experts From New Orleans and Mississippi to Speak on Challenges of Compiling Population Estimates in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

Highlighted by keynote speaker Geoffrey A. Moore, best-selling author of the acclaimed high-tech marketing book "Crossing the Chasm," market research leader Claritas Inc. will hold its 16th annual Precision Marketing Conference April 30-May 3 at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort.

This year's event will also feature Denice Warren, Information Systems Designer at the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, and David A. Swanson, Ph.D., Director, Center for Population Research at the University of Mississippi, who will speak about important issues surrounding the compilation of population estimates in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and how Claritas works with them in that effort.

Moore, who is also a business consultant in the Silicon Valley, is noted for his insightful examination of innovation and how it relates to technology, which he further expounds on in his latest book -- "Dealing with Darwin: How Great Companies Innovate at Every Phase of Their Evolution." In his keynote address, Moore will draw on material from the book to explain how innovation strategies fall into a broad number of types, each of which are optimized for different market situations.

"To successfully differentiate from each other, companies in the same category often pursue different types of innovation and technology. This, in turn, puts pressure on marketing teams to generate different types of information, depending on the innovation chosen," said Moore.

"After hearing Mr. Moore's speech, participating marketing professionals from such major U.S. companies as Bank of America, Best Buy, OfficeMax, Ace Hardware and Shell Oil, will leave better armed to guide their company's quest for a competitive advantage," said Claritas Senior Vice President Steven Egge.

The heart of the conference, which annually attracts more than 300 marketers, are the breakout sessions conducted by both Claritas clients and executives. They cover a myriad of important target marketing-specific subjects designed to assist companies in making better marketing decisions. A sampling of the topics include:

--  Plumbing the Intricacies of a 21st Century Media Plan
--  Using Technology and Demographic Data to Enhance Communications
    Activity
--  Analyzing Customers Through Multiple Lenses: A Customer-level
    Application of PRIZM® NE (Claritas' signature lifestyle segmentation
    system)
    

About Claritas

Since 1971, San Diego-based Claritas has been the pre-eminent source of accurate, up-to-date marketing information about people, households and businesses within any geographic area in the United States. Its target marketing services are aimed at reducing the cost of customer acquisition and growing customer value. Claritas offers industry-leading consumer segmentation systems, consulting services and software applications for site analysis, advertising sales and customer targeting. Claritas is a division of VNU, a world-leading information and media company that includes ACNielsen, Nielsen Media Research, Spectra Marketing Systems and Scarborough Research, among others. To learn more about Claritas and VNU products and services visit their web sites at www.claritas.com and www.VNU.com.

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Distributed by Market Wire

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