Equifax Gives Publishers Powerful Vehicle for Reaching Automotive Advertisers

January 30, 2007 | 11:00 am

ATLANTA, Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX) today announced the availability of its 2007 version of MatchMAKER(TM), a proprietary research tool that arms digital and print publishers with automotive market data. With records on more than 12 million new car and truck purchase transactions, MatchMAKER provides some of the latest purchase data available to publishers and agencies for research purposes.

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MatchMAKER data, based on vehicle registrations, delivers a comprehensive picture of vehicle purchases in the most recent model year. Publishers use MatchMAKER to gain valuable insight into subscriber automotive purchases as well as demographics, attitudes and lifestyle interests -- enabling them to customize programs for automotive advertisers. The latest version provides the first trending opportunity for specific hybrid models, a new category introduced in 2005.

"Shortly after Star Magazine became a glossy magazine, it ran its first- ever automotive advertisement. Using MatchMAKER, we proved our value by showing that the number one model purchased by subscribers was the very same car we advertised," said David Forier, vice president of corporate research, American Media, Inc., the nation's largest publisher of celebrity, health and fitness, and Spanish-language magazines. "MatchMAKER is the perfect way to measure the impact of automotive ads on magazine readership."

As an industry-leading automotive study, MatchMAKER generates customized reports by matching subscriber names from digital or print editions to millions of new state motor vehicle registrations. The resulting report shows the number of subscribers that purchased specific new makes and models of cars and trucks. By leveraging this information, online and print publishers can demonstrate the effectiveness of advertising and its ability to reach and engage readers.

Coupled with every MatchMAKER report is a complimentary subscriber study, called a FOCUS(TM) report, which provides a detailed demographic and lifestyle profile of subscribers and new vehicle buyers within a customer database. With this information, publishers gain a powerful tool for demonstrating how advertisers can reach target audiences and increase the effectiveness of media buys.

"In the competitive media world, publishers must be equipped with the right information at the right time to convince potential advertisers that their messages will reach their target audiences," said Dann Adams, president, US Information Solutions, Equifax. "MatchMAKER arms publishers with powerful information for showing automotive advertisers how they can maximize their investments."

While its primary application is in the publishing market, Equifax can develop a MatchMAKER study on any database that contains at least 50,000 names and addresses. In fact, MatchMAKER reports can be run on Web site visitors, tradeshow and event registrants and electronic newsletter subscribers to determine the appropriateness of an audience for automotive marketing.

Equifax MatchMAKER is part of Equifax's portfolio of marketing solutions designed to empower businesses to maximize their marketing efforts and manage and grow their customer bases. For more information on MatchMAKER and other Equifax marketing offerings, visit www.equifaxmarketingservices.com.

About Equifax (www.equifax.com)

Equifax Inc. is a global leader in information technology that enables and secures global commerce with consumers and businesses. We are one of the largest sources of consumer and commercial data. Utilizing our databases, advanced analytics and proprietary enabling technology, we provide real-time answers for our customers. This innovative ability to transform information into intelligence is valued by customers across a wide range of industries and markets. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Equifax employs approximately 4,900 people in 14 countries throughout North America, Latin America and Europe. Equifax was founded 107 years ago, and today is a member of Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500(R) Index. Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol EFX.

    Contact:
    Jennifer Costello                      Jim McNulty
    Equifax Inc.                           StandPoint Public Relations
    (404) 885.8907                         (508) 481-2024
    jennifer.costello@equifax.com          jmcnulty@standpoint-pr.com