LIVONIA, Mich., June 5, 2013/PRNewswire/ -- Valassis(NYSE: VCI), a leader in intelligent media delivery, announced today that its Chief Digital Officer, Jim Parkinson, is part of a diverse group of panelists who will be leading the conversation around mobile at the American Advertising Federation's (AAF) ADMERICA June 5-8in Phoenix, Arizona.

As part of the Advertising Forum: Mobile, Parkinson will bring the unique perspective of coming from the tech space to the ad space. At Valassis, he directs all digital technology and R&D efforts. Prior to joining Valassis, he spent over 20 years at Sun Microsystem and was part of the team that built the world's first utility computing platform that led to the introduction of Cloud technology. The panel discussion - actually more of an organic conversation - will also include:

  • Heidi Browning, Senior Vice President, Strategic Solutions, Pandora;
  • Derrik Dennis, Vice President, Arbitron Mobile; and
  • Gregory Nichols, Vice President of Digital Advertising, RED Interactive.

Today, there are more than 1 billion smartphones, 150 million tablets and more than 1 million mobile apps, driving what Forrester Research calls "the second Internet revolution." By 2017, Forrester estimates there will be 3 billion smartphones and 900 million tablets, as the mobile momentum accelerates.

"Mobile is accelerating the activation of digital media," Parkinson said. "Technology is moving incredibly fast and the ecosystem is in a constant state of change.  The successes and opportunities are moving beyond retail and QSR into all verticals as the time spent on mobile screens is up to almost one and half hours a day for the average consumer."

Precise targeting is essential to engage and activate the right consumer with the right message in the right media, Parkinson points out. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau's (IAB) Mobile Local Buyers Guide, research and results confirm that people want local ads, offers, information and content and that they act on local ads fast.  With its Purchase Precision Technology, Valassis and Brand.net, a Valassis Digital Company, use extensive online and offline data to deliver maximum targeted reach at scale, driving consumers into stores.

To learn more about the ADMERICA conference, go to: http://www.admericaaaf.org. The Advertising Forum: Mobile will be presented from 2:30-3:45 p.m. MTon Friday, June 7.

About Valassis
Valassis (NYSE: VCI) is a leader in intelligent media delivery, providing over 15,000 advertisers proven and innovative media solutions to influence consumers wherever they plan, shop, buy and share.  By integrating online and offline data combined with powerful insights, Valassis precisely targets its clients' most valuable shoppers, offering unparalleled reach and scale.  Valassis subsidiaries include Brand.net, a Valassis Digital Company, and NCH Marketing Services, Inc.Valassis consumer brands include RedPlum® and save.com. Its signature Have You Seen Me?® program delivers hope to missing children and their families. To learn more, visit Valassis.com.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-looking Statements
This document contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the following: price competition from our existing competitors; new competitors in any of our businesses; possible consolidation in our client base, a significant decrease in the number of stores in our in-store retailer network or a shift in client preferences for different promotional materials, strategies or coupon delivery methods, including, without limitation, as a result of declines in newspaper circulation and/or increased competition from new media formats including digital; an unforeseen increase in paper or postal costs; changes which affect the businesses of our clients and lead to reduced sales promotion spending, including, without limitation, a decrease of marketing budgets which are generally discretionary in nature and easier to reduce in the short-term than other expenses; our substantial indebtedness, and ability to refinance such indebtedness, if necessary, and our ability to incur additional indebtedness, may affect our financial health; the financial condition, including bankruptcies, of our clients, suppliers, senior secured credit facility lenders or other counterparties; certain covenants in our debt documents could adversely restrict our financial and operating flexibility; fluctuations in the amount, timing, pages, weight and kinds of advertising pieces from period to period, due to a change in our clients' promotional needs, inventories and other factors; our failure to attract and retain qualified personnel may affect our business and results of operations; a rise in interest rates could increase our borrowing costs; governmental regulation or litigation affecting aspects of our business, including laws and regulations related to the internet, internet-related technologies and activities, privacy and data security; potential security measure breaches or attacks; clients experiencing financial difficulties, or otherwise being unable to meet their obligations as they become due, could affect our results of operations and financial condition; uncertainty in the application and interpretation of applicable state sales tax laws may expose us to additional sales tax liability; a reduction in, or discontinuance of, dividend payments or stock repurchases; and general economic conditions, whether nationally, internationally, or in the market areas in which we conduct our business, including the adverse impact of the ongoing economic downturn on the marketing expenditures and activities of our clients and prospective clients as well as our vendors, with whom we rely on to provide us with quality materials at the right prices and in a timely manner. These and other risks and uncertainties related to our business are described in greater detail in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including our reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q and the foregoing information should be read in conjunction with these filings. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Valassis

Caitlin Leddy, SHIFT Communications, Cleddy@shiftcomm.com, 617-779-1830, or Mary Broaddus, Valassis, broaddusm@valassis.com, 734-591-7375

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