WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., Aug. 1, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- United Online, Inc. (Nasdaq:UNTD), a leading provider of consumer Internet subscription services, today announced the appointment of marketing veteran Matt Wisk as executive vice president and chief marketing officer. Wisk will direct the marketing efforts for all of United Online's brands, including the company's leading value-priced Internet services NetZero and Juno Online, and Classmates.com, a leader in online community-based networking. Wisk will report directly to Mark R. Goldston, chairman, CEO and president of United Online, Inc.
Wisk was named one of the "Top 100 Marketers of 1999" by Advertising Age and "Grand Marketer of the Year, 2000" by Brandweek; was awarded the Gold Effie Award for Advertising Effectiveness in 2001; and was named a Henry Crown Fellow, Class of 2002, from the Aspen Institute's Henry Crown Fellowship Program. Wisk joins United Online after serving as senior vice president, chief marketing officer at TiVo where he directed TiVo's global marketing efforts.
Before joining TiVo, Wisk was chief marketing officer at Herbalife International, a $1 billion revenue nutrition products company. Prior to joining Herbalife, Wisk worked at Nokia for nine years, where he moved up through the marketing organization to become vice president, marketing, North and South America, providing leadership, strategic marketing vision, and broad executive management for the international marketing of its mobile phone division. At Nokia, Wisk was a key executive in the marketing team that helped establish Nokia as a global leader in wireless communications equipment. Under his leadership in both North America and Europe, Nokia grew from having single-digit brand awareness to being the most considered and preferred brand in the category. Prior to Nokia, Wisk held marketing positions for wireless companies, Metrocel Cellular Telephone (now part of AT&T Wireless), NEC, and GTE. He received both his MBA and BA from Michigan State University.
"I am very pleased that Matt Wisk, a highly talented, dynamic marketing executive, has joined United Online's executive team, bringing with him many years of experience in branding and building successful marketing campaigns," said Mark R. Goldston, chairman, CEO and president of United Online, Inc. "Matt's creativity, fresh approach, and his experience in marketing a variety of subscription services will be invaluable as United Online continues to build its brands, launch new products, and focus on maximizing cross-marketing opportunities throughout its businesses. Additionally, his experience in the telecommunications industry at Nokia for nearly a decade will be a great asset as we prepare for the proposed launch of the company's upcoming NetZero VoIP initiative. Matt will be responsible for overseeing all of the marketing activities throughout the United Online portfolio of companies."
"United Online's diverse set of service offerings was very attractive to me as a marketer," said Matt Wisk, newly appointed EVP and chief marketing officer of United Online, Inc. "When you think about brands with great reach and awareness, that are also known for driving change in their respective marketplace, United Online's NetZero brand, under the stewardship of Mark Goldston, is clearly one of the most recognized brand names in the United States. I am excited to work with the entire United Online team to not only build on the success of the NetZero brand, but to also raise the awareness of the company's other brands like Classmates.com and PhotoSite. I am also looking forward to the opportunity to be a part of the company's proposed NetZero VoIP initiative, which I believe gives United Online an opportunity to once again combine a compelling value proposition with innovative marketing."
About United Online
United Online, Inc. (Nasdaq:UNTD) is a leading provider of consumer Internet subscription services through a number of brands, including NetZero, Juno, Classmates and PhotoSite. The company's pay services include Internet access, accelerated dial-up services, premium email, personal web hosting and domain services and community-based networking. It also offers consumers free Internet access, email and Web hosting. The company's access services are available in more than 8,200 cities across the United States and in Canada. United Online is headquartered in Woodland Hills, CA, with offices in New York City, NY, Renton, WA, San Francisco, CA, Orem, UT, Munich, Germany, Jarfalla, Sweden, and Hyderabad, India. For more information about United Online and its Internet subscription services, please visit http://www.untd.com.
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements containing words such as "may," "believe," "will," "expect," or similar expressions constitute forward-looking statements. These statements include, without limitation, statements by management and expectations regarding new products. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among others: that the new product will not be launched successfully, or at all; unanticipated technological problems or developments; risks associated with litigation; and unanticipated governmental regulation. More information about potential factors that could affect the company's business and financial results is included in the company's annual and quarterly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (http://www.sec.gov), including without limitation information under the captions "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Risk Factors."