Peanut Labs, Inc. Announces Acquisition by e-Rewards, Inc.
• Deal will create global leader in online surveys and social media monetization. • Company will pay 100% of CPA offer revenue to monetization partners. • Social media monetization business to retain Peanut Labs brand name.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, September 29, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Peanut Labs, Inc. today announced that it will be acquired by e-Rewards, Inc. of Dallas, Texas, owner of Research Now, the leading global online sampling and online data collection company. The deal is expected to close in October following the completion of customary closing conditions.

The deal establishes Peanut Labs' market research surveys as the definitive form of alternate monetization in social media. Today's acquisition increases by more than tenfold the inventory of market research surveys available to the publishers of social media applications and communities who earn money by allowing their users to earn virtual credits by participating in surveys.

"All of us at Peanut Labs are excited about joining forces with Research Now," said Ali Moiz, Peanut Labs' cofounder and Chief Executive Officer. "Combining Peanut Labs sampling capabilities in social media with Research Now's global online panels, our clients will now have access to the largest and most diverse global respondent universe available to support online research projects."

"Peanut Labs will accelerate our social media strategy while enhancing the global capabilities we offer to researchers," noted Chris Havemann, President and Chief Executive Officer of e-Rewards. "We look forward to working closely with our clients to utilize social media-sourced sample to best achieve their research objectives, maintaining our commitment to providing quality and transparency to our clients."


100% Revenue Share on CPA Offers to Change Monetization Landscape

In a decisive move reflecting the monetization industry's transition from CPA offers to market research surveys, following e-Rewards' acquisition, Peanut Labs will cease to charge publishers for CPA offer monetization programs for the remainder of 2010. Peanut Labs will pay its partners 100% of revenue earned from CPA offer transactions.

"We know that users prefer market research surveys to CPA offers, and with Research Now's global network of market research clients, Peanut Labs now has sufficient survey inventory to monetize all of our partners' titles," said Moiz. "If a company remains interested in providing its users with CPA offer opportunities, we will provide those, but we don't intend to make money on these transactions."

The announcement comes as social media users continue to express a preference for market research surveys over CPA offers. A November 2009 survey of over 11,000 online respondents found that social media users prefer market research surveys to CPA offers by a margin of 2:1.


Acquisition Details

As part of the terms of e-Rewards' acquisition, Peanut Labs will retain its distinct brand identity for its San Francisco-based publishers and offers business as Peanut Labs, an e-Rewards Company.

Peanut Labs' Seattle-based market research survey business will become part of e-Rewards' Research Now. It will cease to be a client-facing trading brand on January 1, 2011, at which time the Peanut Labs sales and operations teams will be fully integrated within Research Now.

ThinkEquity LLC served as exclusive financial adviser to Peanut Labs.

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