We are excited to announce the official BETA launch of our next generation product feed technology called Pepperjam Store Builder™, which is available exclusively through Pepperjam Network for FREE to all advertisers and affiliates. Can’t wait any longer to see Pepperjam Store Builder™ log-in HERE.

Pepperjam Store Builder™ allows you to quickly and easily manipulate Pepperjam Network product feeds in real-time to build product storefronts on your Web site. You can use Pepperjam Store Builder™ to easily link to specific products, create dedicated product feed Web sites, supplement your existing content or blog, add additional value to your coupon or incentive site, or for just about anything else your imagination will allow.

With Pepperjam Store Builder™ you have access to millions of products from hundreds of Pepperjam Network advertisers. You can automatically create storefronts by selecting any combination of merchants, categories, or keywords. The more merchants and / or categories you select the more products that will be available to your Web site visitors. However, you may also choose to use the Pepperjam Store Builder™ search filter to refine your search to a specific kind or type of product. For instance, you may select CostumeKingdom.com as your merchant, but only want to display “pumpkin” costumes. No problem! Simply use the search filter and type in “pumpkin” to refine the feed to show only the products you want.

You want to know what’s even cooler? Creating a feed is so easy that you can build a storefront for virtually anything in less than 30 seconds and we’ll even show you a LIVE Demo as your building it! All you have to do is create your storefront, copy a small amount of code into your Web site, and voila - you have a fully functional product feed storefront.

Take a look at the screenshot below of Pepperjam Store Builder™. To get working with Pepperjam Store Builder™ immediately simply log-in to your account at www.pepperjamnetwork.com and start generating some feeds.

Want to see what an actual Pepperjam Store Builder™ Web site might look like? Check out www.Halloween-Headquarters.com

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank those of you that provided us with tips and suggestions for what a “next generation product feed technology” should look like - we are proud of Pepperjam Store Builder™ and we look to only improve the product moving forward with your constructive feedback.

Existing affiliates can check out the Pepperjam Store Builder™ HERE.

New affiliates must sign-up HERE.

Rand Fiskin recently announced that his venture capital backed internet marketing and technology company SEOmoz has not only successfully launched an index of the Web (30 billion pages+), but also a tool called Linkscape, which empowers internet marketers and search engine marketers to better understand and analyze the value of “links,” among other things.

I honestly believe this announcement by SEOmoz will go down as one of the most significant advances to the search-engine marketing industry in the last 8 years.

As internet marketers we now have access to the most robust and comprehensive tool available anywhere for understanding, prioritizing, and evaluating the value of links for purposes of search-engine optimization.

Learn more about this sigificant announcent HERE.

I was interviewed by PromotionWorld recently about Pepperjam Network and my view of the future of affiliate marketing.

You can check out the interview HERE.

The 2008 Inc. 500 list was officially released today and we are proud to announce that Pepperjam ranks as one of the top 100 fastest growing privately-held companies in the United States of America!

Pepperjam’s 2008 Inc. 500 ranking is #70 with three-year revenue growth of 2,447.5%.

An interesting note is that this is Pepperjam’s third consecutive year on Inc. Magazine’s list of fastest growing companies. Also noteworthy is that since these rankings only include revenue growth through 2007, the ranking does not include revenue from Pepperjam Network, which was launched in January 2008 and has been by far our most significant source of revenue growth to date.

If you take a closer look at the Inc. 500 rankings you’ll see that Pepperjam is….

- the #1 full-service internet marketing ageny on the list
- the #1 fastest growing interactive marketing agency on the list
- the #1 fastest growing affiliate marketing network on the list
- the #1 fastest growing search-engine marketing firm on the list
- the #1 fastest growing “advertising / marketing” company within the State of Pennsylvania (#5 in the United States)
- one of the top 100 fastest growing companies in the United States
- the #2 fastest growing company within the State of Pennsylvania

Here is what Inc. Magazine had to say about Pepperjam’s ranking:

What it does: Internet marketing agency that provides search-engine marketing and online-media-buying services.

Why it’s growing: As companies shift marketing attention and dollars to the Internet, search-engine optimization, affiliate marketing, and online media buying become increasingly important.

What’s noteworthy: Kristopher Jones, Pepperjam’s very public CEO, attends 15 industry conferences each year and recently published a book, “Search Engine Optimization: Your Visual Blueprint for Effective Internet Marketing.”

********************************

Commentary from Pepperjam’s CEO:

It’s a funny thing about life. Sometimes you end up with a great idea, hire a bunch of smart people and get out of their way, and persist while others say you shouldn’t or can’t.

Pepperjam has been an incredible journey and I sincerely believe we have only gotten started.

The launch of Pepperjam Network makes us a very diversified company (marketing services / technology) with a ton of experience and fire power to assist businesses take full advantage of each of the major channels of online marketing.

It is always nice to be recognized for standing out and contributing to the overall growth of an industry.

The truth is that Pepperjam would have never made the Inc. Magazine list of fastest growing companies today or three years ago (2006) when we were first honored without the tireless hardwork and dedication of the Pepperjam Team.

The Pepperjam Team, from Katharine Dempsey over in online media buying to Matt Bradley and Krista Golanoski over in Publisher Services to the other 100+ Pepperjam executives and team members, represents the best this industry has to offer.

I am extremely proud of my company as a whole and even more proud of the individual accomplishments of each of our valued employees.

Finally, all of our growth wouldn’t have been possible without the continued support from our more than 500 clients.

Whether it was eBay shocking the world just a few months back after launching an affiliate program on Pepperjam Network to long-time Pepperjam clients such as Guthy Renker Corporation (thanks Dave!) and 1-800-PetMeds (thanks Alex!) that have been with Pepperjam for almost 4 years, the committment and support we continue to receive from our client base is outstanding!

Thank you to everyone for your continued support.

My wife Robyn and I are happy to announce the birth of our son, Kristopher Jones, Jr.

Kris Jr. was born on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 and weighed in at a healthy 7 lbs. 6 oz. He measured 19 inches in length.

Please help us in welcoming Kris Jr. into our family.

Here is a pic of Kris:

I’ve posted some additional pics on the Pepperjam Network Blog, as well as on Flickr.

As I mentioned in a post earlier in the week, Pepperjam’s COO & General Council Michael Jones was in San Francisco speaking at the RBC Capital Markets Technology Conference.

During the conference a reporter from CNET took interest in Mike’s perspective on a range of topics, including the pending pay per click ad delivery partnership between Yahoo and Google.

According to Mike, “”There’s not a de-acceleration of spending, but there’s an intensified focus on return on investment.”

Find out the context of Mike’s statement and read the entire CNET article entitled “Online marketers unhappy with Microhoo saga outcome” HERE.

News broke this afternoon that Publicis Groupe has agreed to acquire the search division of (Doubleclick) Performics.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. However, in my opinion this deal is likely priced between $250-500 million.

Despite Google’s recent announcement to keep the affiliate marketing division of Performics and rename it “Google Affiliate Network,” everyone in the search community knew that Google’s was going to sell Performics search because of the inherent conflict of interest it poses - think about it…Google, the King of pay per click ad delivery managing its own inventory. Aside from the fact that that could result in a complete monopoly over search (BTW - they already have the monopoly), there are other more obvious concerns such as Google being able to provide preferential treatment to their pay per click and search engine optimization managed clients. You couldn’t build a Chinese Wall large enough to prevent that from happening.

It also isn’t a surprise that Publicis Group was the winning bidder of Performics Search. Rumor had it for several weeks that it was down to WPP and Publicis, both traditional offline ad agencies in need of a serious facelift because they are getting their ass kicked by innovative online marketing companies such as Pepperjam, iCrossing, Did-It, and others. These offline agencies have one of three choices - (1) acquire an online digital company like Performics, (2) White Label the services of an online digital company like Performics, or (3) Build from within. Let’s take #3 off the table because it takes too long and there is a serious supply demand issue with hiring experienced online ad agency people. Many of the offline ad agencies have already attempted to White Label using companies like Pepperjam, as well as the others (and more) I mentioned.

Therefore, the only true option for offline, traditional ad agencies is to acquire. Expect to see more of this in the coming weeks, months, and years.

So - there you are.

Google no longer owns a search-engine marketing management company. This is a slight breath of fresh air…..despite Google’s recent release of Google’s CPC optimizer, which in some respects attempts to compete with the likes of Performics Search. I think it’s going too far.

This is a very busy month for Pepperjam and Pepperjam Network executives as we have multiple conferences to attend, exhibit, and speak.

Today alone we have Ken Mohn Jr. in Washington D.C. talking about affiliate marketing at eTail and Pepperjam’s COO Michael Jones speaking to a few hundred investors and executives at the RBC Capital Markets’ Technology, Media and Communications Conference in San Francisco, CA.

In short, Michael was invited to speak on the impact that Pepperjam has made on the internet marketing industry. He will discuss the new role that Pepperjam Network plays in Pepperjam’s overall ability to outperform the competition, as well as some of our newest marketing services launches in the areas of affiliate mobile marketing and creative services.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE:

Pepperjam, the fastest growing full-service internet marketing agency and affiliate network in the United States, announced today that Pepperjam’s Chief Operating Office and General Counsel Michael C. Jones will speak on a panel of leading digital marketing agencies at the RBC Capital Markets’ Technology, Media and Communications Conference in San Francisco.

August 6, 2008 — Pepperjam, the fastest growing full-service internet marketing agency and affiliate network in the United States, announced today that Pepperjam’s Chief Operating Office and General Counsel Michael C. Jones will speak on a panel of leading digital marketing agencies at the RBC Capital Markets’ Technology, Media and Communications Conference in San Francisco.

“I am proud of the fact that Pepperjam is considered one of the leading interactive agencies in the United States. However, I think more than anything else the RBC Capital Markets conference will allow Pepperjam to differentiate ourselves from the other companies on the panel by showcasing Pepperjam Network, Pepperjam’s recently launched next generation affiliate marketing network. In this fast evolving internet marketing space it is imperative to manage brand and minimize channel conflict - I look forward to discussing how Pepperjam is best able to do that by integrating with advertisers and maximizing all of their online channels,” said Michael C. Jones, Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel of Pepperjam.

Jones’ panel will take place on Wednesday, August 6, 2008 and will include other top digital agencies, including iCrossing, the Search Agency, Innovation Interactive, GMI, and Covario.

In addition to Jones, other notable speakers include Scott Thompson, President of PayPal (EBAY), Jim Zarley, Chairman of ValueClick (VCLK), and Joel Ronning, CEO of Digital River (DRIV), among many others.

About Pepperjam:
Pepperjam offers a full range of professional marketing management services in the areas of pay-per-click, search-engine optimization, affiliate marketing, and online media planning and buying. Since 1999 Pepperjam has developed a reputation for being one of the most innovative, aggressive, and effective internet marketing agencies in the business. Learn more at www.pepperjam.com

About Pepperjam Network:

Pepperjam Network is a next generation affiliate marketing network that provides advertisers and publishers with industry leading pay-for-performance tracking, reporting, communication, and payment solutions. Pepperjam Network is a division of Pepperjam, a full-service internet marketing agency recognized by Inc. Magazine for the last two consecutive years as one of the fastest growing businesses in the United States. Learn more at www.pepperjamnetwork.com

I just posted over at Pepperjam Network Blog that we dropped a press release earlier today highlighting that Pepperjam’s VP of Internet Marketing (aka, agency services) is set to speak at eTail East 2008 in Washington, D.C.

For those of you that don’t know eTail is a leading trade show for leading e-commerce companies.

Fellow speakers along with Mohn include folks from eBay, Amazon, BestBuy, 1800Flowers.com, and more.

Mohn will speak on a panel entitled “Ensuring A Successful Affiliate Program That Is Based On Site Analytics,” which will take place at 2:05pm on August 6, 2008.

Read more at the PJN Blog.

Today we are proud to announce the launch of Pepperjam Mobile - Powered by M3 Mobile.

You may ask - what is Pepperjam Mobile - Powered by M3 Mobile?

Well, I’ve included a press release at the bottom of this release and a bit of commentary below…

COMMENTARY:

I’m a strong believer that mobile marketing (especially text messaging) presents the greatest synergy between offline and online marketing.

Gone are the days of building your business through television, print, radio, and billboard advertising. The ABC’s, CBS’s, and NBC’s of yesterday are being replaced by the Google’s and the Yahoo’s of today.

However, mobile marketing presents a really nice complement to internet marketing and it represents the new frontier of opportunity for businesses looking to market on the cutting edge.

On the one hand, mobile marketing, thanks to companies like Apple and their iPhone, presents a large opportunity to connect with potential customers while they surf the Web on their handheld. While I think this is a really large opportunity (especially with Apple’s recent release of the 3G iPhone and because other mobile phone companies are releasing similar technologies) I still think we are about a year or two away from this form of mobile marketing hitting mainstream.

I believe the biggest opportunity today in mobile marketing is text messaging. In fact, over 220 million people (95% of the US population) are reachable through text messaging. In addition, mobile users open over 95% of the text messages they receive, which presents an enormous opportunity for savvy marketers.

About 6-months ago we (Pepperjam) launched an internal committee to research the mobile marketing landscape. That search led us to M3 Mobile.

M3 Mobile is the leader in mobile marketing technology and management - they provide a full-service mobile marketing solution that is unparalled in the mobile marketing space.

In addition, we really, really like the M3 Mobile management team, which is led by Gary Ackerman.

For the last 6-months we’ve been working with M3 Mobile to do two things.

First, we’ve officially partnered with M3 Mobile, which allows us to provide existing and prospective Pepperjam clients with a soup to nuts mobile marketing solution. Here’s a summary page of some of the services we provide through the partnership.

Second, we are in the final stages of building a piece of technology that integrates M3 Mobile and Pepperjam Network technology.

Pepperjam has already made a significant financial contribution to this project and we are in the testing phase of development and expect to release the finished product in the near future. Advertisers can contact either Pepperjam or M3 Mobile if interested in being part of the initial release.

This new technology will be run through a sister company - pepperjamMobile - Powered by M3 Mobile, which will allow advertisers to easily build mobile marketing lists on a pay for performance basis. In addition, we will provide a full-service offering of solutions to assist advertisers as they build their mobile marketing databases from creative services to full-on management.

The entire experience will be available to both advertisers and publishers (affiliates) through an easy-to-use online interface and management console.

So………that’s about all I can share right now.

Long story short, we expect to be first to market with a revolutionary pay for performance mobile marketing technology that will allow both advertisers and publishers to synergize mobile and internet marketing and ultimately make more money.

Stay tuned to see exactly what we have up our sleeves. This is only the beginning.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE:

NORRISTOWN, Pa., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ — Pepperjam (http://www.pepperjam.com), an internet and affiliate marketing agency and M3 Mobile (http://www.m3mobile.com), a full service mobile marketing agency, announced today the creation of a new joint venture that will give advertisers a one-stop-shop for internet and mobile marketing. The venture will be named pepperjamMobile Powered by M3 Mobile.

The venture will incorporate the services of both parent organizations, as well as develop new, integrated services. The Joint Venture is currently working on a proprietary technology which will combine the two sets of marketing tools into a single platform, helping advertisers simplify and integrate their marketing programs.

Pepperjam has made the initial investment toward the venture and M3 Mobile will build and manage the technology for the new service. The two companies have worked in partnership in the past to offer their respective products to advertisers and saw the need to give advertisers capabilities in both mobile and internet marketing.

“The creation of pepperjamMobile Powered by M3 Mobile brings together two of the most innovative technology and service leaders within their respective industries. The combined efforts of both companies will allow pepperjamMobile Powered by M3 Mobile to build new technology quicker and smarter, while also harnessing existing marketing management services to offer fully integrated internet and mobile marketing solutions,” said Kristopher B. Jones, President & CEO of Pepperjam.

“Advertisers today need both mobile and internet marketing tools and we are excited to be working with Pepperjam to deliver a comprehensive suite of
digital marketing products that will drive innovation in our respective industries,” said Gary Ackerman, CEO of M3 Mobile.

About Pepperjam

Pepperjam offers a full range of professional marketing management services in the areas of pay-per-click, search-engine optimization, affiliate marketing, and online media planning and buying. Since 1999 Pepperjam has developed a reputation for being one of the most innovative, aggressive, and effective internet marketing agencies in the business. Learn more at
www.pepperjam.com

About Pepperjam Network

Pepperjam Network is a next generation affiliate marketing network that provides advertisers and publishers with industry leading pay-for-performance tracking, reporting, communication, and payment solutions. Pepperjam Network is a division of Pepperjam, a full-service internet marketing agency recognized by Inc. Magazine for the last two consecutive years as one of the fastest growing businesses in the United States. Learn more at www.pepperjamnetwork.com

About M3 Mobile Marketing

M3 Mobile Marketing is the industry’s leading provider of mobile technology used to communicate with customers of large companies in order to raise brand awareness, drive revenue and stimulate greater return on advertising. M3 Mobile Marketing creates and integrates brand-specific mobile advertising campaigns and leverages its technology to execute and support them. For more info, go to www.m3mobile.com.

SOURCE M3 Mobile Marketing

Michaella Goldner of Frith PR, +1-415-830-4530, Mobile, +1-917-553-1686,
michaella.goldner@frithpr.com, for M3 Mobile Office

Here are links to some of the news coverage so far:

News Write-ups

Wireless Week
http://www.wirelessweek.com/article.aspx?id=161920

Mobile Marketer
http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/advertising-agencies/1457.html

MarketingVox
http://www.marketingvox.com/pepperjam-affiliate-network-m3-mobile-form-alliance-040221/

Press Release Coverage

FierceWireless
http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-releases/pepperjam-and-m3-mobile-join-forces-integrate-internet-and-mobile-marketing

Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS107166+04-Aug-2008+PRN20080804

Breitbart
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=prnw.20080804.AQM518&show_article=1

SmartBrief
http://www.smartbrief.com/news/aaaa/industryPR-detail.jsp?id=7D20DC7B-7944-4510-B590-8EAE73AF977F

TMCNet
www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/-pepperjam-pepperjam-m3-mobile-jo-forces-integrate-internet-/2008/08/04/3582825.htm

Social Media Portal
http://www.socialmediaportal.com/PressReleases/2008/08/Pepperjam-and-M3-Mobile-Join-Forces-to-Integrate-Internet-and-Mobile-Marketing.aspx

Bits of News
http://www.bitsofnews.com/content/view/8712/

Mobile Entertainment
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/31100/Pepperjam-and-M3-pool-resources-on-mobile-marketing

PR-USA.net
http://www.pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=125457&Itemid=31

IT News Online
http://www.itnewsonline.com/showprnstory.php?storyid=4596

Earth Times
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/pepperjam-and-m3-mobile-join,491307.shtml

Pressemeldungen.at
http://www.pressemeldungen.at/36571/pepperjam-and-m3-mobile-join-forces-to-integrate-internet-and-mobile-marketing/

eduBOURSE
http://www.edubourse.com/finance/actualites.php?actu=44162

Wireless Developer Network
http://www.wirelessdevnet.com/news/2008/aug/04/news3.html

Total Telecom (requires subscription)
http://www.totaltele.com/View.aspx?ID=10829&t=2