Aearo Technologies Selects Percussion’s Rhythmyx WCM For Building Enhanced Global Branding and Web Presence

WOBURN, MA – January 7, 2008 – Percussion Software, a worldwide leader in Web Content Management (WCM) software solutions for improving online customer interactions, today announced that Aearo Technologies, a global leader in the personal protection industry, has selected Percussion’s Rhythmyx as its WCM solution for developing a newly-enhanced global Web presence.  Aearo, which manufactures and markets personal protection and energy absorbing products in nearly every country worldwide, will replace its currently separate North American and European-based web sites with a single, unified global Web presence based on the state-of-the-art Rhythmyx WCM solution.

Aearo selected Rhythmyx as the foundation WCM solution for its new global Web presence following a competitive technical evaluation of content management systems led by a technical team at its online marketing partner, Ovation Marketing.  As a major part of the new global branding and Web site, Rhythmyx will manage the company’s extensive use of video and rich media content on the site to offer product demonstrations, safety and how-to information on the products, all of which must be available in 18 languages. 

Aearo has achieved the leading global market positions in hearing and eye protection through the strength of its brand names such as E-A-R, Peltor, AOSafety and SafeWaze, and its reputation for developing high-quality, innovative products and strong market competitiveness.  The company has demonstrated a strong track record of consistent market beating growth and profitability, with sales increasing over the past five years to $508 million.  The complete Aearo product line includes passive hearing, communication headsets, eye protection, head and face protection and fall protection.  

“We needed a WCM solution that could be deployed on a global basis and that was easy to use and easy to learn.  We’re going to have many, many images to manage and 18 different languages that need to be updated, so we had very robust requirements.  Percussion’s Rhythmyx was Ovation’s recommendation, and from their assessments and evaluations, we agreed," said Aearo’s Vice President of Marketing Services Jim Gray. 

The new global Web site will provide Aearo an opportunity to better penetrate some markets and make it easier for sales prospects in other markets to find Aearo products that fit their needs.  “For example, our current site is very product-centric,” added Gray.  “The new Web site will be industry segment-driven as well—by products and by brands.  It will be set up so that if you work for a railroad company, you can go into our transportation industry segment and find those products specifically for your segment.”  As part of the project, Wisconsin-based Ovation Marketing will be developing the new Web site’s design and architecture and much of its new content, and also training Aearo’s global teams of content contributors on the Rhythmyx system. 

“Aearo is a classic example of a traditional manufacturing company that sees the benefits of creating a single Web presence to reach their customers with high-impact, compelling and useful content on a global basis,” said Percussion CEO Barry Reynolds.  “Rhythmyx’s enterprise-strength Web Content Management capabilities will provide Aearo with the ideal platform for their global WCM needs, including pre-sales, instructional and information content assets in the form of video and rich Internet media.  With Rhythmyx, Aearo will better serve their customers’ online content needs regardless of geography, language or media type, while supporting and maintaining their unified global brand.”  

About Aearo Technologies Inc.

Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Aearo Technologies Inc. is a global leader in the personal protection equipment industry.   The company manufactures and sells technologically advanced hearing protection devices, communication headsets, non-prescription and prescription safety eyewear, face shields, reusable and disposable respirators, fall protection equipment and hard hats.   Through its Specialty Composites business, the company provides engineered system solutions using a wide array of proprietary materials to control excess noise, vibration, shock, and thermal energy.   Aearo’s products are sold in more than 70 countries.   3M and Aearo announced on November 15 that they have entered into a definitive agreement for 3M’s acquisition of Aearo for a total purchase price of $1.2 billion.

About Percussion Software

Percussion Software's Web Content Management (WCM) software solutions enable organizations to maximize both the value and quality of their customer content. The company's Rhythmyx 6.5 is an enterprise-level WCM platform for integrating and managing Web content solutions that deliver compelling content experiences for increasing customer engagement. Organizations that rely on Rhythmyx can better communicate, interact and engage with their customers or other target audiences through their strategic Web initiatives, including WebTrends analytics, blogs, RSS feeds and user-generated content. The Percussion 2.0 Solution Series, which includes the WebTrends Analytics Integration Solution and the Community Marketing Solution, enables marketing and business professionals to buy packaged capabilities targeting specific business objectives for their customer-focused Web content managed by Rhythmyx. Based on open standards, Rhythmyx enables organizations to achieve a higher return-on-content by providing a robust WCM foundation for integrating outbound customer-facing marketing applications and interoperating with other enterprise content, regardless of repository. With Rhythmyx, content can be easily managed across multiple sites, multiple channels, multiple languages and/or multiple lines of business in order to ensure consistency of brand and customer experience on a global basis.

Percussion’s portfolio of customers includes Fortune 1000 as well as other global, industry and public sector leaders, including Armstrong World Industries, Autotrader.com, BC Hydro, Cheapflights.com, Churchill Downs, Edmund Optics, Hotwire.com, ING Direct, Kohl’s, Tivo, Princess Cruises, Midway Games, Network World, Tate Museum, U.S. Departments of State, Health & Human Services and Justice, Vegas.com, The Washington Post, DLA Piper, Alliance & Leicester, British Library, NSPCC, University of London and the Naval Post Graduate School.

Founded in 1994, Percussion Software is self-funded and profitable. More information can be found on the Web at www.percussion.com.