RESTON, Va., April 7, 2008, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- comScore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released results of a study into the role search plays in the online auto insurance market. The study, based on findings from the comScore Marketer service, analyzed the productivity of search-generated leads, the efficacy of different search marketing techniques, and the actions consumers take after seeing an advertisement. The results are summarized below and will be presented in greater depth during a free, public webinar on Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at 2:00 PM EDT/11:00 AM PDT (details below).

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The study found that the number of search-referred quotes grew to 8.9 million in 2007, a 36-percent increase versus the previous year. This is particularly impressive when compared to the 15-percent overall growth in the number of online auto insurance quotes requested in 2007.

    Growth in Online Auto Insurance Quotes
    Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations
    Source: comScore, Inc.

                            Number of Requested Quotes (000)
                      2006              2007           Percent Change

    Search-
     referred
     Quotes           6,555             8,892                36%
    Total Quotes      28,061            32,353               15%

"In 2007, more than a quarter of all online auto insurance quotes were referred by a search engine," said Kevin Levitt, comScore vice president. "With cost-per-clicks rising, especially for the most competitive generic terms, search marketers need tactical competitive intelligence to optimize their search spending."

Generic Paid Search Terms Yield Highest Rate of Quote Requests

The study also examined the impact of branded versus generic search terms as well as the impact of paid versus organic links on the number of auto insurance quote requests. It revealed that clicks on paid links from generic search terms were most likely to result in a completed quote request. In fact, 33 percent of search-referred visits from generic paid search resulted in a completed quote request compared to 22 percent of generic organic search and 19 percent of branded paid search.

    Percent of Search-Referred Visits Resulting in
     a Completed Quote Request by Search Type
    Full Year 2007
    Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations
    Source: comScore, Inc.

    Search Term Type            % Resulting in
                                Completed Quote
    Branded Organic                   11%
    Branded Paid                      19%
    Generic Organic                   22%
    Generic Paid                      33%

Consumers More Likely to Use Search after Seeing an Ad

In addition to analyzing their actual online behavior, comScore also asked consumers what action they would take if they wanted more information after seeing an auto insurance advertisement. The survey found that second only to visiting the Web site specified in the advertisement (26 percent), respondents reported they would most likely use search (22 percent) to find more information about a company. The percentage of respondents that said they would use search to find a Web site or company jumped 8 points versus last year to 22 percent, underscoring consumers' increasing reliance on search.

    Consumer Activity After Seeing an Auto Insurance
     Advertisement
    Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations
    Source: comScore, Inc.
                                         Percent of Respondents
    Consumer Activity                2007         2008           Point Change

    Visit a web site specified
     in the ad                        29%          26%               -3
    Use search engine to find a
     website for the company          14%          22%                8
    Visit the company website
     to find the name/phone
     number of a local agent          16%          20%                4
    Call a toll free number in
     the ad                           13%           9%               -4
    Not sure                          15%           9%               -6

    Look online at a site other
     than the company website
     for name/phone number of a
     local agent                       8%           8%                0
    Look offline for the
     name/phone number of the
     local agent                       6%           7%                1

Additional results from the comScore study will be presented during a live webinar on Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at 2:00 PM EDT/11:00 AM PDT. To register for the free webinar, please visit: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/577195370.

About comScore Auto Insurance Solutions

comScore Auto Insurance Solutions provides insight into online quoting, purchasing, and servicing activity. comScore's products include competitive benchmarking, source of traffic analyses, abandonment studies, site usage analyses, search marketing, audience profiling and segmentation, surveys and online focus groups, and the measurement of advertising effectiveness.

The 2008 comScore Online Automobile Insurance Report will be released April 28 in conjunction with the 2008 Auto Insurance Report National Conference. To receive a copy of the report once it is released, please visit http://www.comscore.com/request/auto_insurance_report_2008.asp.

For more information about comScore capabilities, please visit http://www.comscore.com/request/auto_insurance_solutions.asp.

About comScore

comScore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world. For more information, please visit http://www.comscore.com/boilerplate.

SOURCE comScore, Inc.

http://www.comscore.com

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