EAGAN, MN – January 20, 2004 – WAMNET, a division of SAVVIS Communications Corporation announced today that J. Walter Thompson (JWT), the largest advertising agency in the US and the fourth largest in the world, is globally launching Thompson Image Factory (TIF), a customized asset management system powered by WAM!NET’s WAM!BASE service. TIF provides asset management capabilities for several of JWT’s systems including: “Infusion,” its customized advertising management system, “PASSION,” its global creative portal, and “JWTNet,” its global intranet. TIF enables JWT to store, manage and globally distribute raw content and stills, work in progress and finished content, including completed print, radio and television advertisements. Users in more than 300 global offices can access current content immediately after it is uploaded. TIF is built upon WAM!NET’s WAM!BASE service. WAM!BASE, which provides fully redundant, scalable storage and distribution for any media type, features more than 40 standard metadata fields, full-text indexing and searching, package tracking and utilization reporting, and multiple permission levels to control user access. WAM!BASE generates thumbnails, storyboards, and audio and video previews, and supports audio and video transcoding. WAM!BASE has been integrated with JWT’s systems using WAM!NET’s SOAP-compliant, XML-based Application Programming Interface (API), providing customized user interfaces for access to content tailored to JWT’s needs. “TIF allows us to instantly share the latest creative with our teams, which is absolutely critical in the process of developing new ad concepts," said Paul Dalpiaz, IT director for JWT Detroit. “And most television spots are loaded into TIF even before they air, so our global offices and account reps can stay up-to-date with the very latest content. The system gives our agency and our clients a significant creative and competitive advantage, and we’re very pleased to be launching it globally.” Once an asset is created, it is uploaded into WAM!BASE, and based on its ID number, it is automatically routed to the appropriate person for metadata assignment. Once content has been loaded, the TIF interface allows users to search for and browse assets based on media type, ad type, region, office, client, brand, and date posted. TIF leverages core WAM!BASE functionality to automate and streamline several aspects of JWT’s workflow. For example, users can preview video clips and storyboards online directly from the centralized repository. Assets can be set aside in a “light box” for future reference and use during the creative process. The “drop box” feature allows a user to send a link to a portfolio of assets to anyone – including other JWT users and clients - via an email which includes links for secure access to each asset. Users can also choose to have assets electronically distributed from TIF to media manufacturers who can then produce the content on a CD or DVD, and physically ship it to another location. In addition to utilizing TIF to share assets internally, JWT enables clients to access their finished ad content online, a process that typically took up to 17 days when the agency relied upon shipping physical tapes and discs. Clients can also link to TIF directly from their own marketing systems, gaining immediate access to their branded content from a single source. “A key benefit for us is the extendibility and flexibility of WAM!BASE and the API. For example, we linked the global marketing web site for one of our major automotive clients directly into TIF, providing seamless, one-stop access to all of their brand content, including the more than 3,500 television ads our agency created for them last year. TIF serves as an extension of their own system, providing them with a superior user experience, and it shows we’re serious about efficiency,” said Dalpiaz. The original implementation of TIF took less than 30 days to complete for JWT’s Detroit office. It has since been further enhanced by the JWT team in Chicago, and is now being launched globally.