Trainer Communications' "Metrics Matter" Forecasting Model Named Bulldog Reporter's PR Innovation of the Year

PLEASANTON, CA--(Marketwire - May 8, 2008) - Trainer Communications, a leading provider of strategic communications and public relations services for high-growth technology companies and start-up initiatives, today announced that Bulldog Reporter, a leading public relations publishing company, has awarded Trainer Communications the PR Innovation of the Year Silver Award for its innovative results forecasting model, Metrics Matter. The judging panel, which included representatives of national media outlets, lauded Trainer for tackling the often-difficult issue of aligning media coverage expectations between clients and their PR firm.

Trainer Communications CEO Susan Trainer received the award last month at a luncheon in San Francisco honoring all of the winners of the prestigious 2008 Bulldog Awards.

"I felt the PR industry needed an accountability system that allows clients and agencies to collaborate and agree on expected results before executing projects. Using our Metrics Matter™ scorecard, all parties understand and agree to the expected outcome before entering into a launch or other communications initiative. Whatever we can measure, we will -- by assigning a forecast to a particular project and then executing and delivering on it," said Trainer. "It's very gratifying to have industry validation of our forecast model as evidenced by Bulldog Reporter's judges selecting Trainer Communications for this prestigious honor."

Metrics Matter -- a Revolutionary Approach for Delivering PR Results

The Metrics Matter model factors in a client's news "assets" (tangible corporate progress, products, customers, partnerships, etc.) to forecast the minimum results to be achieved. The results forecast is agreed to by both parties and mapped out in a scorecard detailing the number and type of stories to be achieved.

The scorecard uses a host of success criteria to measure results, including trade press versus business press coverage, feature articles versus news briefs, blog mentions, press release postings, tone of the coverage; and metrics associated with analyst quotes secured, contributed articles placed, and reviews and awards received. The beauty of the model is that clients must come to the table with assets and spokespeople, and if the assets don't come to fruition, the forecast is adjusted. The Metrics Matter model allows Trainer to offer a money-back guarantee: if the firm does not reach the forecast, it discounts its fees by the percentage by which the forecast was missed.

About the Bulldog Awards

The 2008 Bulldog Awards is the only PR awards program judged entirely by journalists. This year's judges included Chris Elliot, reporter and travel columnist, The New York Times; Jeff Crilley, general assignment reporter, Fox News; Bill Newcott, features editor, AARP The Magazine; Meghan Collins-Sullivan, deputy online editor, WashingtonPost.com; Keith Hammonds, contributing writer, Fast Company; Evan Cooper, senior managing editor/online editorial director, InvestmentNews; David Satterfield, managing editor, San Jose Mercury News; Maria Stainer, assistant managing editor, Washington Times; and Tom Hallman, Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, The Oregonian.

Case studies of the award winners will be featured in PR Hall of Fame, a widely distributed and downloadable magazine. In addition, select award-winning campaigns will be chronicled in Bulldog Reporter's Winning PR Campaigns e-newsletter and in Bulldog Reporter's Daily 'Dog trade journal, both of which are distributed to more than 45,000 PR professionals.

About Bulldog Reporter

Bulldog Reporter is a B2B publishing company that provides an inside view into the workings of journalists and top media organizations to enable PR professionals to increase their effectiveness in gaining positive coverage. In addition, Bulldog Reporter offers a repository of insight into media relations "best practices" -- techniques and technologies that increase PR professionals' success in developing long-term relationships with the press, building brands, measuring results, and cultivating upper management's respect for public relations functions.

The Bulldog Reporter product and service lines are owned by Infocom Group, which was founded in 1980. For more information, call 1-800-959-1059 or go to www.bulldogreporter.com.

About Trainer Communications

Trainer Communications is dedicated to delivering customized marketing communications and public relations to emerging and high-growth companies. Trainer's services enable companies to effectively communicate with their customers, partners, and investors, as well as the media and analyst communities; and Trainer is the only agency that guarantees quantifiable results directly related to its clients' business objectives, with its Metrics Matter™ promise. Established in 1995, Trainer Communications has aggressively grown by successfully working with more than 150 companies, supporting approximately one-third of the portfolio through a positive liquidity event. Some of Trainer's most notable successes include Brocade, Cloudscape, CrossWorlds, Data Domain, G-Log, Itronix, Oblix, Sygate, Trigo, WhereNet, and Versata. Based in Silicon Valley with nationwide coverage, Trainer Communications' senior-level team offers deep domain expertise across a range of technologies, including storage, information security, enterprise software, networking, life sciences, consumer technology, and communications/optical/wireless. Trainer Communications has been recognized as the number-one privately held PR firm in the East Bay, one of the top 10 agencies to work for in the United States, and one of the fastest growing companies in the Bay Area; and has won a 2008 Bulldog Award, the 2007 Gold Marcom Creative Award, and a 2007 Silver Anvil from the Public Relations Society of America. For more information, visit www.trainercomm.com.

Contact Information: Contact: Ross Perich Trainer Communications 925-556-5463 ross@trainercomm.com