FT.com Increases Click Through Rate by Over 350% With Autonomy Optimost

Tests on Single Web Page of Leading Business News Website Lead To 50%
Increase in Conversion Rates
CAMBRIDGE, England and SAN FRANCISCO, September 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
-- Autonomy Corporation plc (LSE: AU. or AU.L), a global leader in
infrastructure software for the enterprise, today announced that The
Financial Times, one of the world's leading business news organizations,
recognized internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy, has
selected Autonomy Optimost to increase subscription rates on its website,
FT.com, which boasts up to 10 million unique users and 50 million page views
per month.
Due to the recent economic downturn and its impact on the publishing
industry and in particular the advertising market, FT.com recognised the need
to shift its focus from cyclical ad revenues to stable content with an
increased focus on subscription revenues. FT.com employs a three-level
approach to increase traffic and subscriptions. Visitors are granted access
to up to two articles per month anonymously, up to ten pieces of content in
exchange for providing some details, and unlimited access to all content upon
paid subscription. FT.com identified that in order to increase the paid
subscriptions, they needed to optimise their subscription barrier page.
Through Autonomy Optimost's unique multivariable testing, carried out
solely on one web page, FT.com has seen an increase in CTR of over 350%,
combined with a 50% increase in conversion rates, delivering an immediate
increase to revenue. This has been the result of subtle changes to the page
layout, wording and presentation identified through a series of concurrent
tests with results based on actual user habits and reactions.
"In just a few months having Autonomy Optimost functionality on our site
has revolutionized marketing decision-making by introducing certainty to our
assumptions," commented Sandra White, Marketing Manager for FT.com. "Where we
previously had to fit marketing enhancements into the queue with other site
developments, Autonomy Optimost has given us the capacity to make changes and
deliver improvements in a shorter time-frame."
Autonomy Optimost allows the marketing team at FT.com to base their
decisions on solid figures, rather than subjective opinions whilst reducing
the need for long IT processes. FT.com previously invested heavily in driving
SEO, PPC and partnerships but owing to the lack of a vigorous multivariable
testing mechanism decisions had been primarily based on guesswork.
"Autonomy Optimost has delivered excellent tracking, a fantastic
reporting console where everything is calculated according to statistical
significance," continued Sandra White. "Having concrete figures means the
difference between running with creative and offers based on subjective views
and what actually works."
Due to the staggering results, FT.com plans to carry out further tests on
additional pages in order to optimise every step of the sign up process, even
looking to incorporate innovative segmentation and persona targeting by type
of visitor. In addition, plans are also underway to look at expanding the use
of Autonomy Optimost's technology into other areas of FT.com, outside of the
subscriptions team.
"Autonomy Optimost's unique approach to multivariable testing supplements
quantitative data with conceptual, meaning-based information, enabling
targeting and otpimisation at the individual level," said Greg Kelton,
Autonomy Optimost VP EMEA. "We are delighted that The Financial Times has
selected Autonomy Optimost to drive up conversion rates on FT.com and is
already seeing significant results."
Please visit http://www.optimost.com to find out more. About Autonomy
Interwoven
Autonomy Interwoven, the leader in web content management, leverages its
unique meaning-based technology to deliver the most comprehensive suite of
marketing optimization and customer interaction solutions. Our flagship
products, TeamSite and Optimost, enable marketers to increase results by
automatically delivering the right combination of content and offers by
understanding the intentions and profile of each customer. This Meaning Based
Marketing approach produces the most engaging, timely and profitable customer
experiences regardless of whether people interact with your organization by
phone, Web, email, chat, or social networks. Unlike legacy approaches that
analyze historical trends, Autonomy Interwoven does not require tagging,
enabling marketing and IT professionals to work on higher value activities.
Automated capabilities such as multivariable testing (MVT), segment
discovery, Adaptive Targeting, product recommendations, and advanced
analytics provide advanced functions that increase conversion rates, sales,
customer engagement and lifetime value while automating processes to lower
costs and increase marketing agility.
Autonomy Interwoven powers the world's leading corporate websites, media
and ecommerce sites with 9 of the top 10 global brands relying on Autonomy
Interwoven to maximize their marketing and customer interactions. Autonomy's
customer base is comprised of more than 20,000 organizations, including
Adidas, Allstate, the American Medical Association, AT&T, Avaya, Bank of
America, BT, Channel 4, Delta Air Lines, Discovery Communications, FedEx,
Ford, Konica Minolta, Lenovo, McAfee, Qantas Airways, Schneider Electric,
Shutterfly, Tesco and Virgin Mobile. Please visit
http://www.autonomy.com/interwoven to learn more.

Autonomy Editorial Contacts:

Assia Svinarova
Autonomy (UK)
+44-1223-448000
assias@autonomy.com

Edward Bridges
Financial Dynamics (UK)
+44-207-831-3113
edward.bridges@fd.com

David Vindel
The Red Consultancy
+44-207-025-6529
david.vindel@redconsultancy.com

Ian Bain
The Red Consultancy (US)
+1-415-618-8806
ian.bain@redconsultancy.com

SOURCE Autonomy Corporation plc

Autonomy Editorial Contacts: Assia Svinarova, Autonomy (UK), +44-1223-448000,
assias@autonomy.com. Edward Bridges, Financial Dynamics (UK),
+44-207-831-3113, edward.bridges@fd.com. David Vindel, The Red Consultancy,
+44-207-025-6529, david.vindel@redconsultancy.com. Ian Bain, The Red
Consultancy (US), +1-415-618-8806, ian.bain@redconsultancy.com