Passenger will be hosting a FREE webinar featuring Analyst Cindy Commander and Researcher Chris Townsend, both of Forrester Research, Inc., in a session planned for Tuesday, Dec. 9th entitled:

“Customer Collaboration: Learn from Your Customers Before You Learn the Hard Way.”

Moderated by Passenger’s Co-founder and Chief Innovation + Marketing Officer Justin Cooper, this interactive panel will discuss ways companies can turn this valuable customer insight into meaningful company change.

Who:
Cindy Commander, Analyst, Forrester Research
Chris Townsend, Researcher, Forrester Research
Moderated by Justin Cooper, Passenger

What:
FREE webinar: “Customer Collaboration: Learn from Your Customers Before You Learn the Hard Way”

When: Tuesday, Dec. 9th at 10:00 a.m. PST/1:00 p.m. EST

Where: Click Here to REGISTER

All companies know that their customers are already talking to one another about their business, its products and services ― both online and offline. By deciding not to participate in and learn from these conversations, key business decisions will be made based on general assumptions of what customers want, which are frequently off base. This interactive session will review different approaches to Customer Collaboration and provide answers to the following questions:

1. How to integrate customer communities into my business?
2. How can I get my customers more involved and engaged in the innovation process?
3. How can customer communities help me grow my brand?
4. What’s the difference between this and an open community?
5. What are best practices for engaging a customer community?
6. How can I measure the ROI of customer collaboration?
7. How does this replace/differ from the traditional research I’m conducting?
8. How do I position this is a “need to have,” not just a “nice to have” to my bosses?

About the Participants:

Analyst Cindy Commander helps senior marketers develop strategies around issues of marketing organization, culture, team development, and relationship building. Her research in the innovation space covers two key areas: (1) how marketing leaders should get consumers more involved in innovation; and (2) how marketing leaders can drive innovation more broadly within their own organizations with a focus on building innovation teams, culture, processes, and insights.

Researcher Chris Townsend’s primary coverage is innovation management, including the software and IT services to support corporate innovation, as well as the internal management best practices for creating a corporate culture of innovation. Previously at Forrester, Chris has worked extensively with innovation and global management expert Navi Radjou, researching technology trends in developing countries.

Justin Cooper is the co-founder and chief innovation + marketing at Passenger. An expert in customer experience design, brand strategy and customer collaboration, Justin’s work bridges the traditional rift between brand objectives and consumer expectations through a creative, but business-pragmatic approach to innovation.

Top Fortune 500 Brands Embrace Passenger’s On-Demand Platform to Collaborate and Co-Innovate with their Customers

Passenger today announced record-breaking sales results for its fiscal third quarter ending on Tuesday, Sept. 30. Passenger achieved bookings growth of 217 percent over its second fiscal quarter, and year over year growth of 692 percent, surpassing company forecasts. Many of the most iconic brands in the world use Passenger’s intuitive software-as-a-service platform and professional services to infuse the voice of the customer into their businesses.

New Passenger customers are global leaders in their respective categories, including:

• One of the top two online broadcast networks in the world
• A multi-billion dollar shipping and logistics services company
• A top automotive manufacturer
• A global leader in the beverage industry
• An American cable TV network
• A luxury lifestyle brand

In addition, Passenger renewed accounts with several large brands in the automotive, retail, media and entertainment industries. Customer retention for the quarter and all previous quarters since the Company was founded in 2005 remains 100%. Passenger attributes its high customer retention and revenue growth during the softening economy to the fact that brands value direct access and dialog with customers to shape products, marketing programs and advertising campaigns. This insight enables Passenger’s clients to spend less on the planning and execution of costly marketing initiatives and in designing new products.

"We saw strong customer traction in Q3, winning new accounts and expanding existing ones with some of the world’s top consumer, media and fashion brands," said Justin Cooper, co-founder and chief innovation + marketing officer, Passenger. "We attribute Passenger’s continued success to the real business value these brands are realizing from our unique blend of collaboration technology and community management services. ‘Community’ is a broadly interpreted term in the industry, but Passenger’s proven approach is explicitly geared towards helping our clients co-innovate with their customers in the areas of marketing, branding and product development."

In addition to record-breaking customer momentum, Passenger expanded its management team with the appointment of Samantha Skey to senior vice president of business development and general manager of the eastern region. Samantha joined Passenger from Alloy Media + Marketing, one of the country's largest providers of nontraditional media programs, where she served as executive vice president, strategic marketing. To carry on this momentum, Passenger will be announcing other senior level appointments in the near future, aimed at capitalizing on growth opportunities within the channel and internationally.

Exclusive Opportunity for Next Generation Luxury Vehicle Owners to Interact and Shape the Future of the Mercedes-Benz Brand

LOS ANGELES, November 17, 2008 ” Passenger, the technology leader in on-demand Customer Collaboration, today announced it has partnered with Mercedes-Benz USA to create Generation Benz, an exclusive online community for Generation Y customers to interact and collaborate with the teams at Mercedes-Benz. The Passenger-powered community provides an invite-only forum for members to converge around their shared enthusiasm for Mercedes-Benz and have a direct impact on shaping the future of the brand. Generation Benz will also serve as a valuable tool for the company to gather insight into the mindset and lifestyle of this demographic as it relates to current and future vehicles and the overall Mercedes-Benz brand.

“Mercedes-Benz has always been highly attuned to the voice of its loyal customer base, which has helped propel our brand to where it is today,” said Stephen Cannon, vice president of marketing, Mercedes-Benz USA. “When our customers join the brand, they tend to stay. Our Generation Benz community is a natural extension of our desire to broaden the Mercedes-Benz family, and establish a dialogue with future buyers to guide us with the design of our vehicles and direction of our brand.”

The name Mercedes-Benz is synonymous with luxury and is globally recognized as a high-end auto manufacturer that is dedicated to its customers. With the launch of Generation Benz, Mercedes-Benz aims to get to know the younger generation of current and future vehicle owners to broaden the company’s loyal following and shape the brand for the future. Using Passenger’s intuitive platform of social networking, customer collaboration and analytics tools, Mercedes-Benz is able to connect and engage with this community to elicit feedback and perspectives on vehicles, brand positioning and socio-cultural trends; preview upcoming advertising and marketing campaigns; and engage in live discussions to help continue the company’s rich history of innovation and luxury. With this community, Mercedes-Benz is recognizing the power of the voice of the customer, and changing the way luxury brands evolve to meet the needs of future generations.

“Generation Benz represents yet another innovative step in Mercedes-Benz’s brand evolution, and is the first of its kind in the luxury auto space,” said Justin Cooper, co-founder and chief innovation + marketing officer, Passenger. “It’s been an inspiration to work with the Mercedes-Benz team and witness first-hand how one of the most well-respected luxury brands engages a new audience and truly collaborates with its customers.”

About Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz USA, headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of all Mercedes-Benz and Maybach products in the United States. For over forty years, MBUSA has prided itself on its commitment to the customer by providing superior quality luxury vehicles coupled with outstanding customer support. More information on MBUSA and its products can be found on the Internet at www.mbusa.com and www.maybachusa.com.

Passenger announced today that customers JCPenney and ABC Studios were honored as finalists in the prestigious Forrester Groundswell Awards program, which recognizes excellence in effective business uses of social technologies. Winners and finalists were selected from over 150 submissions spanning seven categories that represent the main goals Forrester Research recommends companies consider as reasons to use social technologies to interact with customers. Passenger’s Ambrielle community for JCPenney was honored in the Embracing category, and its “Lost” Emmy nomination community for ABC Studios was recognized in the Listening category.

“It’s an honor to be recognized for the role our communities are playing in advancing the business and organizational goals of our clients,” said Justin Cooper, co-founder and chief innovation + marketing officer, Passenger. “JCPenney and ABC Studios’ commitment to listening to and engaging with their customers on an ongoing basis to drive innovation and meaningful change is inspiring; this is why we do what we do.”

JCPenney “Embraces” Its Customers
JCPenney worked with Passenger to launch the Ambrielle Team, a private online community for the JCPenney lingerie line, with the goal of learning more about the Ambrielle customer and her fit and design preferences. Passenger’s team helped JCPenney gain an understanding of their fit and quality issues through a series of engaging online discussions within the private community, and then conducted a “wear” test to gain more detailed feedback on specific products. Participating members were invited to voice their opinions via discussion boards, online activities and live chats with the product design team. Based on this customer collaboration and feedback, JCPenney made several significant product changes to the lingerie bands, straps and overall sizing to better meet customers’ needs. The changes were reported back to the community to show how they embraced their insights and feedback; the Ambrielle products hit stores in July, with much stronger sales.

ABC Studios “Listens” to Viewer Feedback
ABC Studios and Passenger created the ABC Studios Advisory Panel community to give producers and executives an opportunity to directly connect with viewers, engaging them in ongoing dialogue and incorporating that voice into the development of their shows. In preparation for the upcoming Emmy submissions for the popular TV series “Lost,” ABC Studios sought reactions from those not familiar with the show to get an objective opinion on each episode's standalone appeal. Producers reached out to community members who were *not* “Lost” viewers to preview several episodes from season four and elicit feedback on which should be submitted for an Emmy nomination. The engaging discussions in the community and valuable insight from this collaboration directly influenced the producers' decision to submit the episode "The Constant" for Emmy consideration.

The Forrester Groundswell Awards program was developed to support and recognize the principles outlined in the Forrester book Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies (Harvard Business Press, 2008). More information about the awards is available here.

Former Alloy Executive to Lead NY Office; Steve Howe Promoted to President and COO

Passenger, today announced that Samantha Skey has joined the company as senior vice president of business development and general manager of Passenger’s eastern region. Samantha will apply her diverse media industry background to develop new strategic partnerships with global and East Coast-based brands and agencies, and help grow existing relationships with Passenger’s New York clients. She will report directly to Steve Howe, who has just been promoted to president and chief operating officer of Passenger.

“The conversational marketplace has evolved much more rapidly than traditional methods of brand management and product development were designed to tolerate. Consumers are certainly talking about a brand, its products and services, but most companies struggle to capture this insight and act on it,” said Steve Howe, President and COO, Passenger. “We are thrilled to have Sam on board; she will be a huge asset for current and prospective clients and partners having such a deep understanding of the real business value that comes from collaborating with customers.”

Samantha joins Passenger from Alloy Media + Marketing, one of the country's largest providers of nontraditional media programs, where she served as executive vice president, strategic marketing. At Alloy she was responsible for the company's strategic planning, including the creation and deployment of new products and services. Prior to joining Alloy, Samantha held roles as director, e- commerce development at the Walt Disney Company, advertising sales manager at CNET and director of sales and marketing for Interactive Imaginations. Samantha serves on the advisory boards for several organizations who are dedicated to providing guidance and support to the nation’s young people, including Youth Noise, a web-based organization for young community leaders; the Bronx Academy of Letters; Earth Adoption Agency; and MetricMesh, an emerging web analytics service.

“It’s an exciting time for both Passenger and the marketing, advertising and branding industries in general, as companies are making giant leaps in innovation by collaborating with their customers,” said Samantha Skey. “The challenge lies in quickly and efficiently capturing this perspective so it can be used to impact the business. Passenger is completely changing the industry dynamic by enabling those conversations to happen directly between the brand and literally thousands of its key customers. This is incredibly powerful.”

Innovator in On-Demand Customer Collaboration Cites Team’s Thoughtful, Creative Approach, Unmatched Responsiveness as Key Factors

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 5, 2008 ” The Bateman Group, an independent technology-focused public relations agency, today announced that Passenger, the leader in on-demand Customer Collaboration, has selected the firm to serve as PR agency of record, effectively immediately. The Bateman Group triumphed after a competitive review of several qualified PR agencies based in the San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Los Angeles markets.

The comprehensive service offering from the Bateman Group will map to Passenger’s corporate communications, product awareness and thought leadership objectives. Programs include: day-to-day strategic counsel; ongoing message refinement; writing services; analyst relations; speaker placement; awards pursuits; business, trade and vertical media outreach; blogger relations; and social networking. Tyler Perry and Bill Bourdon, both managing directors at the Bateman Group, will co-lead the Passenger account team from New York City and San Francisco, respectively.

“The Bateman Group not only won our business, they truly earned it,” said Justin Cooper, co-founder and chief innovation + marketing officer, Passenger. “They earned it by being more perceptive, thoughtful, responsive and detail-oriented than the competition throughout the entire review process. The Bateman team clearly has the right combination of experience, initiative and creativity we need to take Passenger to undisputed leadership in this market ” and, more importantly, keep us there.”

Based in Los Angeles, Passenger helps companies infuse the voice of the customer into their businesses to continuously inspire innovation and meaningful change. With its intuitive platform of social networking, collaboration and analytics, Passenger works with companies like ABC, Chrysler, Coca-Cola and Fox to build and manage private online communities to make more informed business decisions; innovate more rapidly; and design better products and services. The company recently closed a Series C financing round led by StarVest Partners with participation from existing investors Steamboat Ventures and Shelter Capital.

“Passenger is quite literally changing the way companies connect with their various stakeholders across social, geographic and organizational boundaries,” said Fred Bateman, CEO and founder, Bateman Group. “We feel this is one of those rare opportunities ” the right company with right technology at the right time in the market. Passenger is destined to become the definitive brand in their category and we’re looking forward to the ride.”