Photo Release -- Epson Expands Epsonality Ad Campaign With Greater Interactivity and Innovative 'Epsonality Widget'

Consumers to Explore, Reveal and Inspire Their "Epsonality" Through New Dynamic Animations, Increased Interactivity and Web-Aggregated Personalized Content


LONG BEACH, Calif., Sept. 22, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Since its inception last October, Epson America's interactive "Epsonality" ad campaign took a fun and whimsical approach to educating and attracting new consumers. Driven by personality, the campaign helped customers cut through the confusion of model names and specifications to determine the printer that best fit their individual creativity and printing needs by inviting them to discover their Epsonality through an interactive online test. Starting today, Epson is taking the successful campaign to a whole new level with increased interactivity and new on-demand Web content designed to engage, help and inspire consumers and small businesses to explore their Epsonality.

A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=5462

The interactive Web 2.0 site, www.epsonality.com, which drives the Epsonality campaign, has been enhanced with new creative elements to highlight product attributes in a more dynamic way as consumers explore their Epsonality. The new Epsonality test takes the form of a series of sliders that allow customers to rate the importance of printer attributes and functionality, including printer use, printer type, kind of printing, and price, resulting in product suggestions that best meet each individual's needs. In addition, instead of simply listing printer specs and features, new technologies and benefits such as Wi-Fi(r) printing capabilities or custom CD and DVD printing are illustrated to consumers through dynamic animations and visual story telling. The new Epsonality campaign also debuts the "Epsonality Widget," a powerful, free tool that scours the Web and provides users with relevant content based on Epsonality types for individual interests and professional needs.

"The next generation of the Epsonality campaign pushes our creative trajectory by introducing a new and exciting level of Web interactivity," said Jeffrey Marks, director, Marketing and Communications, Epson America. "As digital technology is increasingly woven into virtually every facet of how we work and play, our goal with Epsonality is both to help consumers and small businesses choose the best digital imaging products and, with the help of the Epsonality Widget, provide information and tools to help them express themselves personally and professionally."

Customers can interact with the new interactive test by visiting Epsonality.com, as well as other places where they are already shopping, reading and surfing the Web. Once a consumer's Epsonality is revealed, they are invited to inspire their Epsonality with the Epsonality Widget. The Epsonality Widget enables customers to "feed" their Epsonality based on personal and business interests in a range of categories, including entrepreneurship, design, small business, crafts, scrapbooking, and photography, and will be available through Epsonality.com, a downloadable Epsonality Widget, various news and e-mail feeds, as well as through customized banners.

The Epsonality campaign was developed by San Francisco-based Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners (www.bssp.com). The next generation of the campaign kicks off this month with a series of new interactive online ads and print ads in a wide range of media including, Forbes.com, Inc., MSNBC, The New Yorker, Pandora, Reuters, Slate, Vanity Fair, and Wired.

"Enhancing the consumer experience online is what has made the Epsonality campaign so successful," explained John Butler, creative director of BSSP. "We've created an entertaining portal that we think is not only emotionally engaging, but is also very informative, giving consumers solid information that will lead to printer sales."

For more information and to discover and explore your Epsonality, please visit www.epsonality.com.

About Epson America Inc.

Epson (www.epson.com) offers an extensive array of award-winning image capture and image output products for the consumer, business, photography, and graphic arts markets. The company is also a leading supplier of value-added point-of-sale (POS) printers and transaction terminals for the retail market. Founded in 1975, Epson America Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, a global manufacturer and supplier of high-quality technology products that meet customer demands for increased functionality, compactness, systems integration and energy efficiency. Epson America Inc. is headquartered in Long Beach, Calif.

The Epson America Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=5459

Note: Epson is a registered trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. All other product brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these trademarks.

Photo is also available at NewsCom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.


            
Epsonality Ad Campaign

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