FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
09/19/2008

Branded asset management specialists such as Signmanager are now playing an increasing role in Corporate Branding Across a range of Applications

As the frequency of corporate rebranding increases so too does the need to properly manage all aspects of global promotional campaigns, particularly signage.

Consistency across branded assets is particularly relevant to national and multinational corporations that use signage and display ­ both indoor and outdoor ­ as a major element of their brand promotion. In order to maintain this consistency, increasingly companies are turning to specialist brand asset managers such as international operator Signmanager.

Worldwide outdoor advertising is growing. The US Outdoor Advertising Association (OAAA) revealed that advertisers spent more than $7.28 billion on outdoor advertising in that country in 2007, and that outdoor as an advertising medium had grown every year since 2000. This increasing preference for outdoor is also reflected in the Australian and New Zealand markets, where outdoor advertising campaigns that include a considerable number of sites in several states require meticulous planning and management ­ from concept to execution. This is where the services of Signmanager are essential to getting it right and providing real, measurable value to corporations' campaigns.

Signmanager was started in 2000 by Kris Vogt, Dan McHugh and Alan Hadley. They identified and created the "branded asset" category after researching a range of companies and their many and varied individual signage requirements.

Signmanager, which in 2007 won both the Smart Award, and the Australian Business Award for Innovation, has been an important player in building brand equity for a raft of national and international corporations. Headquartered in Brisbane, the company has offices in all states and the Northern Territory, the United States and New Zealand reflecting its international credentials.

Reduced product life cycle
According to co-founder Kris Vogt, there has been a significant reduction in the life cycle of brands in recent years. Not long ago, the typical life cycle of a brand was approximately 15 years, but now corporates are going through a re-branding exercise every five to seven years on average, explained Mr Vogt.

This brand confusion is due to companies using a range of local providers to supply signage, without any processes in place to maintain and replace the signage as new brands are rolled out. This has made branded asset management specialists such as Signmanager a viable ­ some would say inevitable ­ choice for corporations choosing to have their branded assets properly managed for their entire life cycle.

The company has a network of professional signage contractors, covering every aspect of the branding or re-branding of corporate signage. Brand consistency is ensured through its highly sophisticated yet simple to use proprietary online management system that completely controls all aspects of the project including: signage; merchandising units; pointof- sale units; brand promotional marketing materials; design; photographs: permits; and the like, with complete documentation for each step. Signmanager has four full time software architects continually working on improvements to the system.

Today the Signmanager organisation has a total staff of 32 plus four full time graphic artists that contract to the company. Add to this a network of more than 2000 specially selected contractors across Australia, New Zealand and the US and it's not hard to see why the company has an enviable client list that includes household names such as: McDonald's; Fosters Group; Ford; Pizza Hut; Elders; Suncorp; Australia Post and the TAB. Even the Australian Government has recognised the need for branded asset management, contracting Signmanager to upgrade its Information and Communications Technology system to pave the way for international expansion. Today Signmanager has more than 100 million dollars of assets under management.

For further information visit the Signmanager website:: www.signmanagers.com

Signmanager Inc
1704 D Ville Drive
Nashville, TN 37217
Phone: 615 746 5102
E-Mail: kris@signmanagers.com
Website URL: www.signmanagers.com