LeBlanc Global Acquires Embarksites.com, Furthers Expansion

Orlando, FL, October 08, 2008 --(PR.com)-- LeBlanc Global acquired Embarksites.com last week in an effort to provide operational oversight to its media network and help alleviate resources to allow LG to focus on further expansion in the retail and e-commerce sectors. After being absorbed, Embark Sites will begin managing all aspects of LeBlanc Global's media group from content to advertising and effectively function as a subsidiary to LeBlanc Global. "Aside from the purchase, the overall infrastructure will take time to align properly," said Gabe LeBlanc, President and CEO. "In the end," LeBlanc continued, "the payoffs will be well worth it. Embark Sites will help us create a deeper connection with a readership truly excited about furniture related information."

When asked about what inspired LeBlanc to make this acquisition, LeBlanc answered, "We asked ourselves, 'why should we pay Google and third party verticals for advertising in poorly targeted arenas?' These customers are nowhere near a 'buy-mode.' We feel, and I think we are correct, that by offering consumers meaningful, down-to-earth, tangible information that we can create a better vessel to offer consumers what they are really looking for in terms of home products." He continued by saying, "qualified buyers research and look for ways to consolidate their decision making process. We want to provide a sound bridge to the information they seek and offer advertising spots showcasing our products at the same time. We're welcoming inquiries from a variety of interested advertisers ranging from furniture companies, interior decorating firms, and manufacturers of home related products.

"In today's market, if you don't take an integrated approach to sales and customer service areas of your business, you'll never be able to achieve the level of business required to be a Tier 1 operation," LeBlanc continues. "We're just taking it one step further by providing relevant information as well."

Charles Kharrl, senior editor of Furniture Decorating, the first online magazine slated to launch under Embark Sites' stewardship, added, "[At Furniture Decorating,] our overall goal is to provide furniture decorators with unbiased information and advice from industry experts. While advertising is important to our overall revenue, there is a greater value to the trustworthiness of the information found on Furniture Decorating. With this in mind, we take great care to differentiate between paid endorsements and objectively written reviews and guest columns by industry experts."

"Embark Sites will be given a new customer-based focus and an aggressive marketing strategy to launch [LeBlanc Global's] large scale projects to readers worldwide," continues Kharrl. "I'm very excited to work with LeBlanc Global," he added. "At an eCommerce level, they have always been a high-touch, customer-oriented company. We intend to take these principles in a new direction by creating online publications that inform, immerse, and include the reader. We want to help inspire a new generation of well educated consumers that may, as a bonus, offer a higher conversion rate and higher brand loyalty that equate to big smiles at LeBlanc Global."

When asked about readership, LeBlanc responded by saying, "the target readership includes home decorating enthusiasts and interior decorators. While online magazines are admittedly a scenic route to creating revenue within the top layer of our business model, we firmly believe that when you're only focused in on making the sale you miss out on the larger success that can often come after providing a meaningful experience to qualified buyers. If you have a shopping mall filled with interesting things that expand upon the interest and excitement of your target audience, we believe you are more likely to see returns. For us, this user experience begins by building interactive and purposeful communities that can often create opportunities to offer relevant products. Though we're excited about making sales, we're even more enthusiastic about building great websites that shoppers and readers frequent and love."

Kharrl went on to explain a new two part initiative behind the Embark Sites acquisition:

For Consumers - Embark Sites will create immersive online publications that involve users in interactive features that allow them to "own" their experience. One of these experiences, subject to change, includes an immersive sharing feature that helps users connect with industry pros and service providers for advice on renovations of any size. The readers would be served a wealth of unbiased information and be directly connected with other readers and retailers, giving them the firsthand reviews they need to make an informed purchasing decision, as well as an online showcase for their design triumphs.

For eCommerce Retailers - Embark Sites will offer high quality traffic which should yield an optimum conversion rate for well-positioned advertisers. With the soaring cost of online advertising and minuscule returns associated with many Pay-Per-Click campaigns, Embark Sites will help direct consumers in a buy-mode to qualified advertising partners. The creation of consumer communities helps reinforce buying decisions and shorten the time between purchases. Kharrl believes these "organic groups" are the future of eCommerce, allowing each consumer to get more emotional value and satisfaction from each purchase.

The first of the LeBlanc Global/Embark Sites projects, an interactive magazine focused on interior decorating and design, is scheduled for initial publication in fourth quarter 2008. The online furniture magazine project promises to combine LeBlanc Global's customer focus with in-depth features to create a self-sustained community of homeowners, decorators, designers, and furniture manufacturers.

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