Press Releases

Press  >  June 4, 2007 Release

Ace Hardware Becomes Exclusive Launch Sponsor of WeatherBug Hurricane Command Center

Germantown, MD – WeatherBug®, the leading provider of live, local weather information, announced today that Ace Hardware, the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the industry, has become the exclusive sponsor for the launch of WeatherBug's Hurricane Command Center.

Launched on June 1 (the official start of Hurricane Season) and lasting until the September 30 season end, the launch sponsorship includes placement in the Hurricane Command Center, premium network impressions in related areas such as Hurricane News & History, Hurricane Maps, Hurricane Safety & Preparation Tips, plus severe weather targeting and pre-roll video and product mentions within WeatherBug's National Weather Outlook.

This is the first time that WeatherBug has offered a package around its hurricane content, unique to consumers as the only live, local weather available on the Web with content generated from WeatherBug's 24x7 Meteorology team and live weather information from 8,000 WeatherBug Tracking Stations and live camera's around the U.S. This weather information is also relied upon by the National Weather Service in times of severe weather.

The sponsorship includes WeatherBug BrandWrap™, WeatherBug's flagship advertising unit, one of the largest and most creative ad sizes on the Web. The BrandWrap is a custom unit which incorporates a Leaderboard of weather information surrounded by the look and feel of the Ace brand. Ace's agency for the sponsorship was Horizon Interactive, the digital arm of Horizon Media.

"WeatherBug's own forecasters are calling for a very active hurricane season. This will drive an extraordinary amount of traffic to this part of our site, giving Ace Hardware a compelling platform to delivery their brand message," says Michael Rosen, senior vice president and general manager of WeatherBug Consumer Division. "There are a variety of attention-getting ad units in the package that will keep Ace Hardware top of mind with WeatherBug visitors. We are pleased to have Ace as the founding sponsor of our Hurricane content package."

"Every day, the knowledgeable staff at Ace Hardware stores across the country provide customers with convenient and helpful service," said Anne-Marie Cronin, advertising brand manager for Ace Hardware Corp. "Our partnership with WeatherBug is simply an extension of this helpfulness to our customers and visitors to this site, especially during hurricane season when they need products and tips on preparation or renovations."

According to comScore Media Metrix - April 2007, WeatherBug had 16.4 million users, generating over 300 million visits at an average of 18.4 visits per month per user. Historically, WeatherBug's traffic more than doubles when severe weather threatens due to hurricanes.

"The importance our users put on having access to up-to-date weather information helps to make WeatherBug one of the top 10 most visited news and information sites on the Web," added Rosen.

About Ace Hardware
Throughout its 80-year history, Ace Hardware (www.acehardware.com) has been known as the helpful hardware store by both customers and communities. With 4,600 hardware, home center and building materials stores that generate annual retail sales of more than $12 billion, Ace Hardware is the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the industry. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Ace currently operates 14 distribution centers in the U.S. and one distribution center in Shanghai. Its retailers' stores are located in all 50 states and nearly 60 countries.

About WeatherBug®
WeatherBug (http://www.weatherbug.com) ensures that individuals, schools, businesses and government agencies receive the most precise live weather information, the most relevant weather reports, and the earliest weather warnings to safeguard property, lives and to plan with confidence. With 8,000 WeatherBug Tracking Stations and over 1,000 cameras primarily based at neighborhood schools and public safety facilities across the U.S., WeatherBug maintains the largest exclusive weather network in the world. The live, local weather conditions are delivered to millions of consumers via the Internet and mobile devices, more than 100 state and local government agencies including the National Weather Service, and to broadcast television stations, schools, and businesses. WeatherBug data is unique as it is the only live, neighborhood weather available anywhere. WeatherBug is a brand of AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc.

Media Contact:

Mara Radis
Director of PR
WeatherBug
301-250-4017
mradis@weatherbug.com