Press Release – June 12, 2006
VOCEL ENHANCES BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Widespread Interest In The Company’s New Mobile Promotion Platform Increases Need For Rapid Global Expansion
New York, NY – VOCEL, creator of a revolutionary new mobile commerce and promotion platform, announces two high-profile changes to its Board of Directors as its trial with Midwest Wireless and Qualcomm’s new A-VB billing system shifts into full gear.
These changes reflect VOCEL’s broader strategic vision and rapid growth as operators, MVNO’s, software companies, handset manufacturers, and content owners express strong interest in VOCEL’s proprietary Interactive Commerce Accelerator (INCA), a technology platform that enables products such as ringtones, wallpapers and games to be sent directly to targeted, opted-in subscribers who can then complete a purchase with a simple, single touch. This new technology is designed to increase mobile revenues by encouraging the 90% of subscribers who never make a content purchase to conveniently sample hot new products and make an instant purchase.
Richard Sarnoff, President, Random House Ventures LLC, was elected as the non-executive Chairman of the Board of VOCEL. In 2005, Sarnoff led a financing round for VOCEL and has since served as a Board Director. For VOCEL, Sarnoff brings a wealth of leadership and experience in establishing media technology platforms, in navigating media and marketing partnerships, and in overseeing important media businesses and transactions.
William C. Weiss, Chairman & CEO, The Promar Group LLC, was elected as Vice Chairman of VOCEL’s Board of Directors. Weiss is a strategic thinker and experienced senior executive, who has been providing corporate leaders and investors with counsel and execution assistance for more than 30 years. His work has been in diverse geographies including Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. Among those he has worked with include Discovery Communications, Ericsson, GE, IBM, Qualcomm, Toshiba and others.
Carl Washburn, VOCEL’s CEO and Founder, said “This is a very exciting time for VOCEL and its growing business, and these enhancements to our Board of Directors position us for the even greater success ahead. Richard Sarnoff and William Weiss have both played instrumental roles in charting the company’s vision and direction, and we are honored to announce their new positions on the Board.”
Richard Sarnoff said, "VOCEL has pioneered and is delivering a fascinating set of capabilities in the mobile content and communications arena. For consumers, VOCEL provides seamless discovery and purchase of content on mobile phones. For the mobile
industry, VOCEL provides an unprecedented opportunity for revenue enhancement, customized promotion, and customer intimacy. I look forward to working with Carl Washburn and his team as they develop these capabilities into market standards."
William C. Weiss noted, "VOCEL has created a software solution which marries the best disciplines of intelligent, opt in, interactive target marketing with the significant scale and reach that mobile wireless technologies allow. VOCEL’s strategic approach allows for fluid and enhanced relationships among users, operators and brands, while also creating significant new revenue and application opportunities through simple user interfaces. This combination of simplicity, power, reach and results is truly impressive and timely. I look forward to serving as Vice Chairman to work with the Board, Carl and the team in further delivering on the true promise of mobility on a global basis.”
VOCEL’s board of directors also includes Lorenzo DeMarchi, Managing Director of Corporate Development for Torstar Corporation; John Ingalls, President of the Raptorfund; Keith Titan, Vice President of Random House Ventures; and Carl Washburn, CEO of VOCEL.
About VOCEL
VOCEL's patent-pending, active push promotion engine puts operators and content owners in the data driver’s seat to actively, versus passively, market content. VOCEL’s Interactive Commerce Accelerator (INCA) creates one-to-one marketing based on user preferences that converts existing non-buyers into buyers and builds an ongoing customer relationship that drives repeat purchases. VOCEL’s opt-in platform ensures users receive only the content they want, when they want it and simplifies the data purchase experience to a simple, single click.
VOCEL's partners include The Princeton Review, Living Language, Random House Children’s Books, Harlequin Fiction Romance, The Pill Book, Verizon, Prima Games, and the United States Postal Service. VOCEL technology integrates voice, data, and messaging to improve the quality of your life!
For additional information, please visit VOCEL at www.VOCEL.com.
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