Official Press Release- LonelyPlanet.com Introduces Graphical Advertising on its Website

"We believe that selective relationships with advertisers will provide valuable information to our users,” said Cameron Holland, Vice President eCommerce at Lonely Planet. “The opportunity to advertise on lonelyplanet.com presents advertisers a unique opportunity to communicate with travelers who are intrepid, curious-minded and socially aware and who are actively engaged in researching and planning their next journey. We feel that ours is a unique opportunity and we look forward to working with Travel Ad Network to make it a success."

A Tongue-in-Cheek Debut

LonelyPlanet.com will prepare visitors to its site for the upcoming advertising with a rotation of witty house ads with taglines along the lines of: “Relax, this won’t hurt a bit,” and “No Pain No Gain.”  Starting January 23, 2006, the house ads can be viewed at http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/north-america/usa. The ironic, self-aware tone of the ads is in keeping with the Lonely Planet brand which is synonymous with curiosity, independence, adventure, and of course, travel.  Since the company does not accept advertising in its books, this will be the first opportunity for advertisers to associate with the brand and interact with Lonely Planet’s much coveted online audience.

“As veterans of many years of web media, we’ve sort of been there, done that when it comes to gimmicks and what’s ‘new,’” said Cree Lawson, Founder and CEO of TAN.  “Both in traditional media and online, trusted brands and their loyal audiences really matter.  We’re tremendously excited to be working with Lonely Planet, one of the truly distinctive, trusted names in the travel space and in media throughout.”

About Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet is the world’s leading independent global travel information provider and publisher headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, with regional offices in the US and UK. Founded in 1973 by husband and wife team Tony and Maureen Wheeler, the company publishes over 600 titles in English and sells more than 6.5 million books a year in 118 countries. Each year, more than 200 authors from over 20 countries research the world over and provide expert information about everything from mapping and visa regulations, to hotel prices and the hottest new bar. Established in 1994, Lonely Planet’s award-winning website, www.lonelyplanet.com has a loyal following, resulting in over three million unique visitors each month.  Visitors to the site can purchase Lonely Planet products, exchange travel advice and opinions, research over 400 international destinations and get updates on worldwide news events and travel issues. The Thorn Tree, a traveler’s online bulletin board, made its debut in 1995.  Today, it has nearly 300,000 registered users with close to 100,000 messages posted every month.

About Travel Ad Network

Led by industry veterans, Travel Ad Network (TAN) provides exclusive sales representation for more than 40 travel-related publishers worldwide.  TAN designs marketing products that create a direct path to the high-demographic visitors these quality travel booking and planning sites draw, providing the reach and scale of a network as well as the precision targeting and assured delivery of a single-site campaign.  Travel Ad Network is headquartered in Tribeca, New York City, with an office in Sacramento, California.  For more info, please visit: www.traveladnetwork.com.

#  #  #