SAN FRANCISCO, May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Alibaba.com, the world's leading B2B ecommerce company, is expanding its U.S. presence this year and has named Traction (www.tractionco.com), a leading San Francisco-based advertising agency, as its agency of record to develop advertising, brand and interactive communications. The agency will partner with Mediasmith (www.mediasmith.com), a leader in digital media strategy and execution. Alibaba.com enables small businesses and entrepreneurs to enter global markets with its easy-to-use website that connects buyers and sellers around the world.
"Finding the right agency partners that understand our target market and bring unique perspective is important to Alibaba.com's U.S. strategy this year," stated Kelly Sang, General Manager of Alibaba U.S. "We are growing rapidly and want to take this opportunity to make more businesses and entrepreneurs aware of our ability to help them succeed in global trade, and we want to do that in an innovative and effective way."
"The world has changed and everyone knows it. Businesses - even the smallest businesses - can no longer afford to not be part of the global economy. Alibaba.com makes it a snap to connect buyers and sellers anywhere," added Adam Kleinberg, CEO and Founder of Traction. "We feel there is a tremendous opportunity for Alibaba.com in the U.S. to tell its story and show how it hands the power of the import/export business to small businesses and entrepreneurs."
Mediasmith CEO David L. Smith noted, "This is perfect timing to expand Alibaba.com's presence in the U.S. and we are more than excited to develop the media strategy that will create the awareness and user interaction needed for its success. Entrepreneurs are fearful about the current state of the economy. We're confident that they will see the true value of Alibaba.com to assist in growing their companies and their profitability." Smith added, "Working with Alibaba.com is consistent with Mediasmith's strategy of servicing international companies."
Traction has worked with a long list and wide variety of high profile clients including Adobe, Clos du Bois, Walmart.com, Sun Microsystems and Virgin Mobile. Adding Alibaba.com to this list further extends the spectrum of clients Traction has worked with.
About Traction
Traction Corporation was recently named the #1 interactive agency in the U.S. by BtoB Magazine. The agency's leadership maintains that they are a creative agency with a digital core that designs integrated brand experiences, social experiences and strategically driven user experiences engineered to move audiences from awareness through conversion. Founded in 2001, Traction is a full-service agency that develops campaigns from strategy through every consumer touch point, yet views everything they do as interactive. You can learn more about Traction at www.tractionco.com or follow the agency on Twitter at www.twitter.com/traction.
About Mediasmith
Mediasmith is an independent, award-winning digital media agency, with expertise in media strategy, planning, execution and metrics. Servicing clients directly or partnering with creative agencies, Mediasmith architects campaigns integrating traditional advertising, digital media, search, and emerging technologies. With web expertise dating back to 1995 and the introduction of the M3 service suite encompassing emerging technologies, social media and search, Mediasmith continues to be at the forefront of the evolving media landscape. In 2005, Mediasmith was awarded an Effie for its work on Napster, and named to the San Francisco 2006 Business Times Top 100 Fastest-Growing Private Companies. For more information, visit www.mediasmith.com.
About Alibaba.com Limited
Alibaba.com Limited (HKSE: 1688) (HK.1688) is the global leader in business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce and the flagship company of Alibaba Group. Founded in 1999, Alibaba.com makes it easy for millions of buyers and suppliers around the world to do business online through three marketplaces: a global trade marketplace (www.alibaba.com) for importers and exporters, a Chinese marketplace (www.alibaba.com.cn) for domestic trade in China, and, through an associated company, a Japanese marketplace (www.alibaba.co.jp) facilitating trade to and from Japan. Together, its marketplaces form a community of 38 million registered users from over 240 countries and regions. Headquartered in Hangzhou, Alibaba.com has offices in more than 40 cities across Greater China as well as in Europe and the United States.
