marketers / agencies / 3rd parties / investors

Testimonials

Bart Barden, CEO

Bart Barden is the Chief Executive Officer at Red Zone Digital, a company providing online advertising consultancy services for clients such as MSNBC and Popcap Games. He specializes in content development, social networking, mobile, optimizing online spend, and ad serving technology. Previously, he was a group product manager at MSN.com, the internet division of Microsoft, where he was responsible for the development, planning and performing strategic analysis of advertising technologies; and senior consultant at Ernst and Young. He is experienced in trends and landscape for ad and online marketing tools including: SEM and paid-search (Google and Yahoo) Ad Networks (Ad.com and Tribal Fusion) video ads, rich media, E-mail marketing and analytics infrastructure and platforms (Omniture) He is knowledgeable in advertising and platform solutions, evaluating ROI for online marketing, and advertising opportunities within video, mobile, gaming, and other publishing applications and services.

Welcome

Redzone Digital provides online monetization and revenue generating services, across the online value chain, with a focus on advertising products, subscription and revenue planning. We have unique experience and expertise in servicing a variety of clients including marketers, advertisers, publishers, and investment organizations, such as private equity firms. Our primary focus is providing strategic planning for clients who are looking to leverage online advertising and marketing for products or services.

Redzone draws on over 10 years of advertising technology, Internet startup, industry association and venture capital experience to provide leadership strategies for interactive, advertising and media businesses.

Redzone digital partners have serviced clients in a variety of ways, across the enitre internet and digital value chain. Below is a sampling of clients we have provided service for. Please click on your classification to view more detailed services and case studies.

marketers / agencies / 3rd parties / investors

Testimonial

Redzone digital is my go-to resource for business analysis, strategy and implementation on a number of internet advertising and marketing projects. I’ve worked with Bart over the last 2 years in areas ranging from basic technical consultancy, industry and monetization trends, and internet business planning. Most recently, he has done business direction and planning for a niche content platform.

Bart’s service has been great, and I find that it’s a strong collaborative effort that makes me smarter in the process. His firm brings a unique combination of knowledge and understanding of both technical product planning and internet monetization knowledge. This combination leads to great synergies and value of service, especially in the internet advertising world because of the rapidly changing technology landscape. Bart is able to quickly grasp concepts, discuss requirements and needs, and deliver on engagement milestones in an efficient manner. We don’t waste any time in discussing the project given his expertise, and I have always been more than satisfied with the service, timeliness and deliverables.

And in the end, I trust his advice and counsel, since I feel he is always looking after my best interests.

Rich LeFurgy: General Parnter Archer Advisors

Case Study: Doubleclick Streaming Video Products

Redzone partners worked closely with Klipmart (now Doubleclick) to create a viable product roadmap, version 2 features, technical integration outlines and operational processes for their streaming video products for online video content. Using our recommendations, Klipmart was able to take a leadership position in the space, which ultimately led to being seen as a valuable service to Doubleclick

Redzone has expertise and working experience with every major marketing or monetization service in the industry today both as clients and as technologies to help accomplish revenue goals and objectives:

• Email and Newsletters: Email Labs, Whatcounts
• Web Analytics: Omniture and Google Analytics
• Search: Google Adwords, Google CDN, Yahoo Search
• Ad Networks: Valueclick, Ad.com, Tribal Fusion
• Affiliate Networks: Commission Junction
• Research Tools: @Plan, Comscore/Media Metrix, Opinion Labs
• Ad Serving: Openads, Doubleclick Dart

Testimonials

Rich LeFurgy: General Parnter Archer Advisors

Redzone digital is my go-to resource for business analysis, strategy and implementation on a number of internet advertising and marketing projects. I’ve worked with Bart over the last 2 years in areas ranging from basic technical consultancy, industry and monetization trends, and internet business planning. Most recently, he has done business direction and planning for a niche content platform.

Bart’s service has been great, and I find that it’s a strong collaborative effort that makes me smarter in the process. His firm brings a unique combination of knowledge and understanding of both technical product planning and internet monetization knowledge. This combination leads to great synergies and value of service, especially in the internet advertising world because of the rapidly changing technology landscape. Bart is able to quickly grasp concepts, discuss requirements and needs, and deliver on engagement milestones in an efficient manner. We don’t waste any time in discussing the project given his expertise, and I have always been more than satisfied with the service, timeliness and deliverables.

And in the end, I trust his advice and counsel, since I feel he is always looking after my best interests.

Jason Hable, Areae Inc

Prior to joining Areae, I was a Principal at Crescendo Ventures, where we worked with Redzone on a couple of projects over the past two years. The primary projects we engaged Redzone with relate to internet industry consolidation trends and emerging internet business concepts. Specifically, he has done analysis for me related to business modeling for new internet advertising revenue streams. We were put in touch with Bart initially through the Gerson Lerman Group who has almost 100,000 consultant experts in various industries. We enjoyed working with Bart and recently contacted him regarding his services for Areae. Bart can talk technical requirements that relate to business goals and help with the modeling to justify the features. This is a valuable combination of skills. You will be more than happy with Redzone’s services for any engagement related to advertising technology or planning.

Michael Tully, Principle, Sandler Capital

I have worked with Redzone throughout the last two years on various projects relating to the Internet advertising industry. As my firm evaluated potential investment opportunities in this industry, Redzone has proven to be a particularly great resource for us. Specifically, Redzone has helped my firm understand the key trends and dynamics within the industry, including but not limited to new products, consolidation and competition. He was particularly useful in helping us understand the trends in video ad serving, search engine monetization and digital marketing services.

I was initially introduced to Redzone through the Gerson Lehrman Group, a firm that recruits and connects industry experts with various types of firms with specific due diligence and research needs. My firm extensively uses Gerson Lehrman for supplemental due diligence, and Redzone has been one of the best Internet media experts with which I have interacted. Bart is a unique resource in my view because he combines hands-on product, operations and technology experiences with solid business evaluation skills. Too often, industry experts have a great understand of their product or technology, but lack a good understanding of basic business fundamentals. After my experiences with Bart, I would highly recommend him in any engagement involving the Internet advertising industry.

Zecki A. Dossal, VP, Technology, Media & Telecommunications, Gerson Lehrman Group

I co-manage Gerson Lehrman Group’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications research practice, and have had the privilege of working with Bart since the end of 2004.

By way of background, Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG) manages the world’s leading network of experts. Our services and Web-based software help the world’s leading financial services firms, professional service firms, corporations, and nonprofits find, engage, and manage experts. GLG carefully recruits experts and assembles them into global networks GLG Councils. We have the fortune of the largest expert recruiting team and most scalable expert contracting systems to support this constantly growing expert network, all to ensure that decision makers have fast access to expertise that is relevant, essential, and appropriate to their research needs.

Gerson Lehrman Group’s clients have benefited from Bart’s expertise for over 3 years, leveraging his unique experience and ability to provide strategic and tactical guidance to many of GLG’s clients including private equity and venture capital firms, in addition to public market investors. His work with clients in the private equity and venture capital community has been particularly useful to them due to his unique background and understanding of both business and technical issues core to the digital media industry, and ability to help organizations at every stage of the investment process from sourcing deals and due diligence, to portfolio management.

Within the first year of working with Bart we designated him to be a GLG Leader, our highest ranking of any expert, which places him in the top 5% of a global network of over 150,000 subject-matter experts. Council Members are ranked by CouncilRank, GLG’s proprietary rating system that ranks Council Members based on the quality of their interactions with GLG clients. Most members of the network are only engaged on an occasional basis, and that too only at a very basic level. Because of Bart’s deep marketing and new media industry understanding and experience, we have leveraged his insights and consulting services in over 200 engagements with clients ranging from phone consultations, surveys, in-person educational and roundtable events, as well as projects requiring in-depth customized analysis.

marketers / agencies / 3rd parties / investors

Testimonial

Prior to joining Areae, I was a Principal at Crescendo Ventures, where we worked with Redzone on a couple of projects over the past two years. The primary projects we engaged Redzone with relate to internet industry consolidation trends and emerging internet business concepts. Specifically, he has done analysis for me related to business modeling for new internet advertising revenue streams. We were put in touch with Bart initially through the Gerson Lerman Group who has almost 100,000 consultant experts in various industries. We enjoyed working with Bart and recently contacted him regarding his services for Areae. Bart can talk technical requirements that relate to business goals and help with the modeling to justify the features. This is a valuable combination of skills. You will be more than happy with Redzone’s services for any engagement related to advertising technology or planning.

–Jason Hable, Areae Inc

Case Study: PopCap Games

PopCap Games virtually defined the high growth industry of online casual games with their first blockbuster title, Bejeweled. After seven successful years of organic growth, they knew they arrived at a point where they wanted to extend their reach and brand and grow sales.

Redzone Digital was able to translate this need into a comprehensive online advertising strategy and program. Redzone defined KPIs, packaging and pricing. Redzone drove creative and messaging, partnered with strategic media outlets, negotiated media buys, and managed program optimization.

In six short months, Redzone delivered material revenues and learning across Display, Search, Affiliate, and Performance-based online marketing channels. By the end of the engagement, PopCap could quantify the relative value of media types, offers, and targets in the context of new and existing audiences.

marketers / agencies / 3rd parties / investors

Testimonial

I co-manage Gerson Lehrman Group’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications research practice, and have had the privilege of working with Bart since the end of 2004.

By way of background, Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG) manages the world’s leading network of experts. Our services and Web-based software help the world’s leading financial services firms, professional service firms, corporations, and nonprofits find, engage, and manage experts. GLG carefully recruits experts and assembles them into global networks GLG Councils. We have the fortune of the largest expert recruiting team and most scalable expert contracting systems to support this constantly growing expert network, all to ensure that decision makers have fast access to expertise that is relevant, essential, and appropriate to their research needs.

Gerson Lehrman Group’s clients have benefited from Bart’s expertise for over 3 years, leveraging his unique experience and ability to provide strategic and tactical guidance to many of GLG’s clients including private equity and venture capital firms, in addition to public market investors. His work with clients in the private equity and venture capital community has been particularly useful to them due to his unique background and understanding of both business and technical issues core to the digital media industry, and ability to help organizations at every stage of the investment process from sourcing deals and due diligence, to portfolio management.

Within the first year of working with Bart we designated him to be a GLG Leader, our highest ranking of any expert, which places him in the top 5% of a global network of over 150,000 subject-matter experts. Council Members are ranked by CouncilRank, GLG’s proprietary rating system that ranks Council Members based on the quality of their interactions with GLG clients. Most members of the network are only engaged on an occasional basis, and that too only at a very basic level. Because of Bart’s deep marketing and new media industry understanding and experience, we have leveraged his insights and consulting services in over 200 engagements with clients ranging from phone consultations, surveys, in-person educational and roundtable events, as well as projects requiring in-depth customized analysis.

Zecki A. Dossal
Vice President
Technology, Media & Telecommunications

Case Study: GLG

Redzone works closely with the Gerson Lehrman Group to provide regular internet industry and company consulting services, as well as providing specialized programs for their client base. Redzone is ranked in the top 95th percentile for their industry consultant resources. The Gerson Lehrman Group Councils are global networks of executives, physicians, scientists, engineers, attorneys, and other professionals who deliver expertise and decision-making assistance to business, government and investment leaders from around the world.

GLG Council Page

Investor Services:

Redzone’s general partners specialize in outlining sustaining trends and competitive positioning for display and search marketing, including SEM, as well as supporting technologies. Examples include ad networks, video, web analytics and targeting. Deliverables would include positioning and research for a specific industry, Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats analysis for various public or private companies, or custom analysis as needed by the client. These engagements typically last 5-10 days

Due Diligence:

Redzone’s partners perform detailed due diligence over 1-2 months that center around key financial or strategy transactions. Redzone can provide strategic planning, direction, and detailed technical evaluation for advertising monetization platforms, digital content models, and social networking.

We can provide any of the following analysis types as needed:

• Long-term feasibility for technologies and revenue streams
• Scalability of technology
• Serviceability of technology and overview
• Sustainability of technology and overview based on competition, integration and industry trending
• Integration planning to existing systems
• Operationalizing and scaling service offering as applicable

Advisory Boards:

Redzone’s partners have sat on board of directors for several early stage companies offering expertise, planning and networking.

marketers / agencies / 3rd parties / investors

Testimonial

I have worked with Redzone throughout the last two years on various projects relating to the Internet advertising industry. As my firm evaluated potential investment opportunities in this industry, Redzone has proven to be a particularly great resource for us. Specifically, Redzone has helped my firm understand the key trends and dynamics within the industry, including but not limited to new products, consolidation and competition. He was particularly useful in helping us understand the trends in video ad serving, search engine monetization and digital marketing services.

I was initially introduced to Redzone through the Gerson Lehrman Group, a firm that recruits and connects industry experts with various types of firms with specific due diligence and research needs. My firm extensively uses Gerson Lehrman for supplemental due diligence, and Redzone has been one of the best Internet media experts with which I have interacted. Bart is a unique resource in my view because he combines hands-on product, operations and technology experiences with solid business evaluation skills. Too often, industry experts have a great understand of their product or technology, but lack a good understanding of basic business fundamentals. After my experiences with Bart, I would highly recommend him in any engagement involving the Internet advertising industry.

–Michael Tully, Principle, Sandler Capital

Case Study: PBJS

When distinguished Agency PBJS needed to produce a multi-disciplinary interactive web destination for Pulitzer-Prize winning author Thomas Friedman, Redzone Digital was brought on to herd the talented pool of cats.

Based around his best-selling book, “The World is Flat”, the web destination brings to life unique interviews with visionaries from Bill Gates and Michael Dell to the Dali Lama in a rich cross-platform environment including interactive content, video, mapping and more.

Redzone Digital’s seasoned experience working across complex networks of technical and creative teams was uniquely poised to help make this ambitious project a success in the making