INTER/MEDIA ADVERTISING & STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP WIN DITECH.COM MEDIA PLANNING BUSINESS
ENCINO, CA, May 6, 2002 – ditech.com has selected Inter/Media Advertising and Starcom MediaVest Group to manage all media strategy and planning activity. GM MediaWorks will continue to handle media buying for ditech.com, which is one of the brands of GMAC Mortgage Corporation, a unit of GMAC Financial Services.
Over the last four years Inter/Media and Starcom MediaVest Group have worked under a joint venture agreement to handle the media buying for a variety of accounts, including the U.S. Army. The joint venture, operating as SMG Direct, teamed up to pitch and win the coveted ditech.com media planning account. The joint venture team will assume responsibilities on May 6.
ditech.com, headquartered in Costa Mesa, CA, is one of the leading online direct mortgage lenders in the world, having funded more than 150,000 loans in 2001via its website and call centers.
"We picked this team because they have a great breadth of experience, innovation and new ideas that ditech.com was looking for to take us into the next decade," said Philip Armstrong, Vice President of Marketing, ditech.com.
"We've grown very fast in the past couple of years, and we were looking for a partner that can grow right along with us. Inter/Media and SMG have clearly demonstrated that they have the tremendous knowledge, skilled people and highly effective tracking system. It gives us the ability to significantly impact the second half of the year, maximizing sales and minimizing costs."
In its role as the West Coast arm of SMG Direct, Inter/Media, a fully integrated media and advertising agency that uniquely blends direct response advertising with general market techniques to build brands and drive sales directly through media vehicles, will handle strategic planning, research, traffic, tracking and general media stewardship. The call-in response will be tracked daily by Inter/Media's proprietary and precedent-setting lead/sales tracking system AccuTrak®. AccuTrak® is able to identify and attribute the impetus for individual customer response calls -- which media venue spurred the call. Thus AccuTrak® will enable Inter/Media and ditech.com to fine-tune the advertising campaign on a day-to-day basis.
"This very big win for us is a testament to Inter/Media's and SMG Directs' knowledge of what really works in direct response, how effectively we can select and integrate the media mix, our efficient application of AccuTrack® and our day-to-day hands on management of the account," said Robert Yallen, President of Inter/Media. "The addition of the ditech.com account dramatically lifts our company to a new level."
Inter/Media will approach $200 million through the addition of ditech.com, along with organic growth from existing clients. On the company's client roster are The U.S Army, Hollywood 48-Hour Diet, Long Beach's Aquarium of the Pacific and Wellquest, Auto Insurance Specialists (AIS), Biotech and Pre-Paid Legal Services.
"Our combined success in winning the ditech.com business now enables us to work in the very competitive home-lending section with the industry's most progressive player," said Nick Brien, president-U.S., Starcom MediaVest Group New Ventures.
About ditech.com:
ditech.com is a direct mortgage lender that began business in 1995 and has grown into a 24 hour/7
days a week full-service corporation providing fast, efficient service and competitive rates to its valued
customers. With more than 1,400 employees, ditech.com provides excellent customer service via telephone
contact and its website. In 2001, the company originated 150,187 loans and funded $13.7 billion in sales volume.
ditech offers customers a variety of products, including first mortgages, fixed and variable equity lines of
credit, and no equity seconds. The company's centralized processing and high-tech computer systems
makes loans more affordable because of increased efficiency and minimum overhead. GMAC Mortgage Corporation
(dba ditech.com) is part of the GMAC Financial Services and General Motors family, offering the strength and
stability that comes from one of the world's largest corporations. Along with the headquarters in Costa Mesa,
CA, ditech.com's three East Coast locations-- Waterloo, IA, Mountainside and Mount Laurel,
NJ—work to provide service around the clock.
About Inter/Media Advertising:
Inter/Media Advertising is a fully integrated media and advertising agency that uniquely blends direct
response advertising with general market techniques. Founded in 1974 and recognized as a major force
in the direct response advertising industry, Inter/Media also specializes in retail brand building and
advertising support. Inter/Media's proprietary and precedent-setting lead/sales tracking system AccuTrack®
provides clients with statistical data on the specific origin of each customer call, enabling clients to
maximize the value of vanity phone numbers. The company has four divisions--Inter/Media Advertising
(strategy, planning and research), Inter/Media Time Buying, Inter/Image Productions, Inter/Post
Productions--which operate interactively to service client needs. For more information, go to
http://www.Intermedia-Advertising.com.
About Starcom MediaVest Group:
Ranked the second largest brand communications group in the world with billings of $18.5 billion in 2001,
SMG encompasses an integrated network of consumer contact companies. SMG's global organization includes
strategic marketing communication architects who are highly specialized in media management, response
media, internet and digital communications, as well as multicultural, entertainment, sports sponsorship
and event marketing and media. With offices in 89 markets, its global staff of more than 3,200 media
professionals delivers brand-building results for many of the world's leading companies.
