As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 21, 2007

Registration No. 333-147061

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

Amendment No. 1

to

Form S-1

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Under

The Securities Act of 1933

 

 

 

 

COMSCORE, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

11465 Sunset Hills Road

Suite 200

Reston, Virginia 20190

(703) 438-2000

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

 

 

Magid M. Abraham, Ph.D.

President and Chief Executive Officer

comScore, Inc.

11465 Sunset Hills Road

Suite 200

Reston, Virginia 20190

(703) 438-2000

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

 

 

Copies to:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:  As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

 

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box.  o

 

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  o

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  o

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  o

 

 

 

 

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a) may determine.

 

 

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED NOVEMBER 21, 2007

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

 

6,052,453 Shares

 

 

Common Stock

 

 

 

 

Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “SCOR.” The last reported sale price of our common stock on November 20, 2007 was $28.74.

 

We are selling 1,344,809 shares of common stock and selling stockholders are selling 4,707,644 shares of common stock. The underwriters have an option to purchase a maximum of 201,721 additional shares from us and 706,148 additional shares from the selling stockholders to cover over-allotments of shares. The underwriters can exercise this right at any time within 30 days from the date of this prospectus. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the shares of common stock sold by the selling stockholders.

 

Investing in our common stock involves risks. See “Risk Factors” on page 7.

 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

Delivery of the shares of common stock will be made on or about          , 2007.

 

 

Jefferies & Company

 

 

The date of this prospectus is          , 2007.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

You should rely only on the information contained in this document or to which we have referred you. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information that is different. This document may only be used where it is legal to sell these securities. The information in this document may only be accurate on the date of this document.

 

 

“comScore”, “Media Metrix” and “MyMetrix” are registered trademarks in the U.S. and several other countries. Our unregistered trademarks and service marks include: “Ad Metrix”, “Campaign R/F”, “Campaign Metrix”, “comScore Marketing Solutions”, “comScore Marketer”, “Marketing Solutions”, “Plan Metrix”, “qSearch”, “qSearch 2.0”, “Segment Metrix”, “Video Metrix” and “World Metrix”.

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	•	deepen relationships with current customers;
	•	grow our customer base;
	•	expand our digital marketing intelligence platform;

	•	address emerging digital media;
	•	extend technology leadership;
	•	build brand awareness through media exposure; and
	•	grow internationally.

Common Stock Offered by us		1,344,809 shares

Common stock offered by the selling stockholders		4,707,644 shares

Total common stock offered		6,052,453 shares

Common stock outstanding after this offering		29,245,383 shares

Use of proceeds		We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital, for capital expenditures and for other general corporate purposes. We also intend to use a portion of our net proceeds to fund potential acquisitions. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock by the selling stockholders, including for sales of their shares in the event that the underwriters exercise their option to purchase an additional 706,148 shares of our common stock from the selling stockholders. See “Use of Proceeds.”

NASDAQ Global Market symbol		SCOR
Risk factors		See “Risk Factors” and other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of factors you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in shares of our common stock.

	•	2,169,785 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of options outstanding at a weighted-average exercise price of $2.04 per share;

	•	71,711 shares of our common stock issuable upon the settlement of outstanding restricted stock unit awards;

	•	1,719,078 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2007 Equity Incentive Plan; and

	•	92,031 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants at a weighted-average exercise price of $4.37 per share.

														Nine Months Ended
		Year Ended December 31,												September 30,
		2004				2005				2006				2006				2007
														(Unaudited)
		(In thousands)
Consolidated Statement of Operations Data:
Revenues		$	34,894			$	50,267			$	66,293			$	48,056			$	61,879
Cost of revenues(1)			13,153				18,218				20,560				15,330				17,330
Selling and marketing(1)			13,890				18,953				21,473				15,839				20,524
Research and development(1)			5,493				7,416				9,009				6,668				8,387
General and administrative(1)			4,982				7,089				8,293				5,991				7,994
Amortization			356				2,437				1,371				1,037				797
Total expenses from operations			37,874				54,113				60,706				44,865				55,032
(Loss) income from operations			(2,980	)			(3,846	)			5,587				3,191				6,847
Interest (expense) income, net			(246	)			(208	)			231				118				1,421
(Loss) gain from foreign currency			—				(96	)			125				(24	)			(321	)
Revaluation of preferred stock warrant liabilities			—				(14	)			(224	)			(215	)			(1,195	)
(Loss) income before income taxes and cumulative effect of change in accounting principle			(3,226	)			(4,164	)			5,719				3,070				6,752
(Benefit) provision for income taxes			—				(182	)			50				—				(181	)
Net (loss) income before cumulative effect of change in accounting principle			(3,226	)			(3,982	)			5,669				3,070				6,571
Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle			—				(440	)			—				—				—
Net (loss) income			(3,226	)			(4,422	)			5,669				3,070				6,571
Accretion of redeemable preferred stock			(2,141	)			(2,638	)			(3,179	)			(2,331	)			(1,829	)
Net (loss) income attributable to common stockholders		$	(5,367	)		$	(7,060	)		$	2,490			$	739			$	4,742

(1)		Amortization of stock-based compensation is included in the preceding line items as follows:

														Nine Months Ended
		Year Ended December 31,												September 30,
		2004				2005				2006				2006				2007
														(Unaudited)
		(In thousands)
Cost of revenues		$	—			$	—			$	12			$	6			$	145
Selling and marketing			—				—				82				55				509
Research and development			—				—				13				6				128
General and administrative			14				3				91				51				501

	•	on an actual basis without any adjustments to reflect subsequent or anticipated events; and

	•	on an as adjusted basis reflecting the sale of common stock and the receipt by us of the net proceeds from the sale of 1,344,809 shares of common stock in this offering at the assumed public offering price of $28.74 per share, which was the last sale price of our common stock as reported by The NASDAQ Global Market on November 20, 2007, and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

		As of September 30, 2007
		Actual				As Adjusted
		(Unaudited)
		(In thousands)
Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:
Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments		$	100,202			$	135,919
Total current assets			121,716				157,433
Total assets			130,398				166,115
Total current liabilities			38,165				38,165
Capital lease obligations, long-term			1,209				1,209
Common stock subject to put			4,450				4,450
Stockholders’ equity			86,297				122,014

														Nine Months Ended
		Year Ended December 31,												September 30,
		2004				2005				2006				2006				2007
														(Unaudited)
		(In thousands)
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows Data:
Net cash provided by operating activities		$	1,907			$	4,253			$	10,905			$	8,540			$	14,648
Depreciation and amortization			2,745				5,123				4,259				3,142				3,567
Capital expenditures			1,208				1,071				2,314				1,385				2,702

 

RISK FACTORS

 

An investment in our common stock offered by this prospectus involves a substantial risk of loss. You should carefully consider these risk factors, together with all of the other information included in this prospectus, before you decide to purchase shares of our common stock. The occurrence of any of the following risks could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or operating results. In that case, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose part or all of your investment.

 

Risks Related to Our Business and Our Technologies

 

If we are not able to maintain a panel of sufficient size and scope, or if the costs of maintaining our panel materially increase, our business would be harmed.

 

We believe that the quality, size and scope of our Internet user panel are critical to our business. There can be no assurance, however, that we will be able to maintain a panel of sufficient size and scope to provide the quality of marketing intelligence that our customers demand from our products. If we fail to maintain a panel of sufficient size and scope, customers might decline to purchase our products or renew their subscriptions, our reputation could be damaged and our business could be materially and adversely affected. We expect that our panel costs may increase and may comprise a greater portion of our cost of revenues in the future. The costs associated with maintaining and improving the quality, size and scope of our panel are dependent on many factors, many of which are beyond our control, including the participation rate of potential panel members, the turnover among existing panel members and requirements for active participation of panel members, such as completing survey questionnaires. Concerns over the potential unauthorized disclosure of personal information or the classification of our software as “spyware” or “adware” may cause existing panel members to uninstall our software or may discourage potential panel members from installing our software. To the extent we experience greater turnover, or churn, in our panel than we have historically experienced, these costs would increase more rapidly. We also have terminated and may in the future terminate relationships with service providers whose practices we believe may not comply with our privacy policies, and have removed and may in the future remove panel members obtained through such service providers. Such actions may result in increased costs for recruiting additional panel members. In addition, publishing content on the Internet and purchasing advertising space on Web sites may become more expensive or restrictive in the future, which could decrease the availability and increase the cost of advertising the incentives we offer to panel members. To the extent that such additional expenses are not accompanied by increased revenues, our operating margins would be reduced and our financial results would be adversely affected.

 

Our quarterly results of operations may fluctuate in the future. As a result, we may fail to meet or exceed the expectations of securities analysts or investors, which could cause our stock price to decline.

 

Our quarterly results of operations may fluctuate as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control. If our quarterly revenues or results of operations do not meet or exceed the expectations of securities analysts or investors, the price of our common stock could decline substantially. In addition to the other risk factors set forth in this “Risk Factors” section, factors that may cause fluctuations in our quarterly revenues or results of operations include:

 

 

 

We believe that our quarterly revenues and results of operations on a year-over-year and sequential quarter-over-quarter basis may vary significantly in the future and that period-to-period comparisons of our operating results may not be meaningful. You should not rely on the results of prior quarters as an indication of future performance.

 

The market for digital marketing intelligence is at an early stage of development, and if it does not develop, or develops more slowly than expected, our business will be harmed.

 

The market for digital marketing intelligence products is at a relatively early stage of development, and it is uncertain whether these products will achieve high levels of demand and increased market acceptance. Our success will depend to a substantial extent on the willingness of companies to increase their use of such products. Factors that may affect market acceptance include:

 

 

The market for our products may not develop further, or may develop more slowly than we expect, either of which could adversely affect our business and operating results.

 

We have a limited operating history and may not be able to achieve financial or operational success.

 

We were incorporated in 1999 and introduced our first syndicated Internet audience measurement product in 2000. Many of our other products were first introduced during the past few years. Accordingly, we are still in the early stages of development and have only a limited operating history upon which our business can be evaluated. You should evaluate our likelihood of financial and operational success in light of the risks,

uncertainties, expenses, delays and difficulties associated with an early-stage business in an evolving market, some of which may be beyond our control, including:

 

 

We have a history of significant net losses, may incur significant net losses in the future and may not maintain profitability.

 

We have incurred significant losses in recent periods, including net losses of $3.2 million and $4.4 million in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Although we achieved net income of $5.7 million in 2006 and $6.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2007, we cannot assure you that we will continue to sustain or increase profitability in the future. As of September 30, 2007, we had an accumulated deficit of $93.6 million. Because a large portion of our costs are fixed, we may not be able to reduce or maintain our expenses in response to any decrease in our revenues, which would adversely affect our operating results. In addition, we expect operating expenses to increase as we implement certain growth initiatives, which include, among other things, the development of new products, expansion of our infrastructure, plans for international expansion and general and administrative expenses associated with being a public company. If our revenues do not increase to offset these expected increases in costs and operating expenses, our operating results would be materially and adversely affected. You should not consider our revenue growth in recent periods as indicative of our future performance, as our operating results for future periods are subject to numerous uncertainties.

 

Material defects or errors in our data collection and analysis systems could damage our reputation, result in significant costs to us and impair our ability to sell our products.

 

Our data collection and analysis systems are complex and may contain material defects or errors. In addition, the large amount of data that we collect may cause errors in our data collection and analysis systems. Any defect in our panelist data collection software, network systems, statistical projections or other methodologies could result in:

 

 

Any material defect or error in our data collection systems could adversely affect our reputation and operating results.

 

Our business may be harmed if we deliver, or are perceived to deliver, inaccurate information to our customers or to the media.

 

If the information that we provide to our customers or the media is inaccurate, or perceived to be inaccurate, our brand may be harmed. The information that we collect or that is included in our databases and the statistical projections that we provide to our customers may contain inaccuracies. Any dissatisfaction by our customers or the media with our digital marketing intelligence, measurement or data collection and statistical projection methodologies could have an adverse effect on our ability to retain existing customers

and attract new customers and could harm our brand. Additionally, we could be contractually required to pay damages, which could be substantial, to certain of our customers if the information we provide to them is found to be inaccurate. Any liability that we incur or any harm to our brand that we suffer because of actual or perceived irregularities or inaccuracies in the data we deliver to our customers could harm our business.

 

Our business may be harmed if we change our methodologies or the scope of information we collect.

 

We have in the past and may in the future change our methodologies or the scope of information we collect. Such changes may result from identified deficiencies in current methodologies, development of more advanced methodologies, changes in our business plans or expressed or perceived needs of our customers or potential customers. Any such changes or perceived changes, or our inability to accurately or adequately communicate to our customers and the media such changes and the potential implications of such changes on the data we have published or will publish in the future, may result in customer dissatisfaction, particularly if certain information is no longer collected or information collected in future periods is not comparable with information collected in prior periods. For example, in 2002, we integrated our existing methodologies with those of Jupiter Media Metrix, which we had recently acquired. As part of this process, we discontinued reporting certain metrics. Some customers were dissatisfied and either terminated their subscriptions or failed to renew their subscriptions because of these changes. Future changes to our methodologies or the information we collect may cause similar customer dissatisfaction and result in loss of customers.

 

We may lose customers or be liable to certain customers if we provide poor service or if our products do not comply with our customer agreements.

 

Errors in our systems resulting from the large amount of data that we collect, store and manage could cause the information that we collect to be incomplete or to contain inaccuracies that our customers regard as significant. The failure or inability of our systems, networks and processes to adequately handle the data in a high quality and consistent manner could result in the loss of customers. In addition, we may be liable to certain of our customers for damages they may incur resulting from these events, such as loss of business, loss of future revenues, breach of contract or loss of goodwill to their business.

 

Our insurance policies may not cover any claim against us for loss of data, inaccuracies in data or other indirect or consequential damages and defending a lawsuit, regardless of its merit, could be costly and divert management’s attention. Adequate insurance coverage may not be available in the future on acceptable terms, or at all. Any such developments could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

The market for digital marketing intelligence is highly competitive, and if we cannot compete effectively, our revenues will decline and our business will be harmed.

 

The market for digital marketing intelligence is highly competitive and is evolving rapidly. We compete primarily with providers of digital media intelligence and related analytical products and services. We also compete with providers of marketing services and solutions, with full-service survey providers and with internal solutions developed by customers and potential customers. Our principal competitors include:

 

 

 

Some of our current competitors have longer operating histories, access to larger customer bases and substantially greater resources than we do. As a result, these competitors may be able to devote greater resources to marketing and promotional campaigns, panel retention, panel development or development of systems and technologies than we can. In addition, some of our competitors may adopt more aggressive pricing policies. Furthermore, large software companies, Internet portals and database management companies may enter our market or enhance their current offerings, either by developing competing services or by acquiring our competitors, and could leverage their significant resources and pre-existing relationships with our current and potential customers.

 

If we are unable to compete successfully against our current and future competitors, we may not be able to retain and acquire customers, and we may consequently experience a decline in revenues, reduced operating margins, loss of market share and diminished value from our products.

 

Concern over spyware and privacy, including any violations of privacy laws or perceived misuse of personal information, could cause public relations problems and could impair our ability to recruit panelists or maintain a panel of sufficient size and scope, which in turn could adversely affect our ability to provide our products.

 

Any perception of our practices as an invasion of privacy, whether legal or illegal, may subject us to public criticism. Existing and future privacy laws and increasing sensitivity of consumers to unauthorized disclosures and use of personal information may create negative public reaction related to our business practices. Public concern has increased recently regarding certain kinds of downloadable software known as “spyware” and “adware.” These concerns might cause users to refrain from downloading software from the Internet, including our proprietary technology, which could make it difficult to recruit additional panelists or maintain a panel of sufficient size and scope to provide meaningful marketing intelligence. In response to spyware and adware concerns, numerous programs are available, many of which are available for free, that claim to identify and remove spyware and adware from users’ computers. Some of these anti-spyware programs have in the past identified, and may in the future identify, our software as spyware or as a potential spyware application. We actively seek to prevent the inclusion of our software on lists of spyware applications or potential spyware applications, to apply best industry practices for obtaining appropriate consent from panelists and protecting the privacy and confidentiality of our panelist data and to comply with existing privacy laws. However, to the extent that we are not successful, that new anti-spyware programs classify our software as spyware or as a potential spyware application, or that third party service providers fail to comply with our privacy or data security requirements, our brand may be harmed and users may refrain from downloading these programs or may uninstall our software. Any resulting reputational harm, potential claims asserted against us or decrease in the size or scope of our panel could reduce the demand for our products, increase the cost of recruiting panelists and adversely affect our ability to provide our products to our customers. Any of these effects could harm our business.

 

Any unauthorized disclosure or theft of private information we gather could harm our business.

 

Unauthorized disclosure of personally identifiable information regarding Web site visitors, whether through breach of our secure network by an unauthorized party, employee theft or misuse, or otherwise, could harm our business. If there were an inadvertent disclosure of personally identifiable information, or if a third party were to gain unauthorized access to the personally identifiable information we possess, our operations could be seriously disrupted and we could be subject to claims or litigation arising from damages suffered by panel members or pursuant to the agreements with our customers. In addition, we could incur significant costs in complying with the multitude of state, federal and foreign laws regarding the unauthorized disclosure of personal information. For example, California law requires companies that maintain data on California

residents to inform individuals of any security breaches that result in their personal information being stolen. Finally, any perceived or actual unauthorized disclosure of the information we collect could harm our reputation, substantially impair our ability to attract and retain panelists and have an adverse impact on our business.

 

We may encounter difficulties managing our growth, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

 

We have experienced significant growth in recent periods. We have substantially expanded our overall business, customer base, headcount, data collection and processing infrastructure and operating procedures as our business has grown. We increased our total number of full time employees from 176 employees as of December 31, 2003 to 439 employees as of September 30, 2007, and we expect to continue to expand our workforce to meet our strategic objectives. In addition, during this same period, we made substantial investments in our network infrastructure operations as a result of our growth. We believe that we will need to continue to effectively manage and expand our organization, operations and facilities in order to accommodate our expected future growth. If we continue to grow, our current systems and facilities may not be adequate. Our need to effectively manage our operations and growth requires that we continue to assess and improve our operational, financial and management controls, reporting systems and procedures. If we are not able to efficiently and effectively manage our growth, our business may be impaired.

 

If the Internet advertising and eCommerce markets develop slower than we expect, our business will suffer.

 

Our future success will depend on continued growth in the use of the Internet as an advertising medium, a continued increase in eCommerce spending and the proliferation of the Internet as a platform for a wide variety of consumer activities. These markets are evolving rapidly, and it is not certain that their current growth trends will continue.

 

The adoption of Internet advertising, particularly by advertisers that have historically relied on traditional offline media, requires the acceptance of new approaches to conducting business. Advertisers may perceive Internet advertising to be less effective than traditional advertising for marketing their products. They may also be unwilling to pay premium rates for online advertising that is targeted at specific segments of users based on their demographic profile or Internet behavior. The online advertising and eCommerce markets may also be adversely affected by privacy issues relating to such targeted advertising, including that which makes use of personalized information. Furthermore, online merchants may not be able to establish online commerce models that are cost effective and may not learn how to effectively compete with other Web sites or offline merchants. In addition, consumers may not continue to shift their spending on goods and services from offline outlets to the Internet. As a result, growth in the use of the Internet for eCommerce may not continue at a rapid rate, or the Internet may not be adopted as a medium of commerce by a broad base of customers or companies worldwide. Because of the foregoing factors, among others, the market for Internet advertising and eCommerce may not continue to grow at significant rates. If these markets do not continue to develop, or if they develop slower than expected, our business will suffer.

 

Our growth depends upon our ability to retain existing large customers and add new large customers; however, to the extent we are successful in doing so, our ability to maintain profitability and positive cash flow may be impaired.

 

Our success depends in part on our ability to sell our products to large customers and on the renewal of the subscriptions of those customers in subsequent years. For the years ended December 31, 2004, 2005 and 2006 and the nine months ended September 30, 2007, we derived over 38%, 41%, 39% and 38%, respectively, of our total revenues from our top 10 customers. The loss of any one or more of those customers could decrease our revenues and harm our current and future operating results. The addition of new large customers or increases in sales to existing large customers may require particularly long implementation periods and other costs, which may adversely affect our profitability. To compete effectively, we have in the past been, and may in the future be, forced to offer significant discounts to maintain existing customers or acquire other large

customers. In addition, we may be forced to reduce or withdraw from our relationships with certain existing customers or refrain from acquiring certain new customers in order to acquire or maintain relationships with important large customers. As a result, new large customers or increased usage of our products by large customers may cause our profits to decline and our ability to sell our products to other customers could be adversely affected.

 

We derive a significant portion of our revenues from a single customer, Microsoft Corporation. For the years ended December 31, 2004, 2005 and 2006 and the nine months ended September 30, 2007, we derived approximately 5%, 14%, 12% and 13%, respectively, of our total revenues from Microsoft. If Microsoft were to cease or substantially reduce its use of our products, our revenues and earnings might decline.

 

If we fail to develop our brand, our business may suffer.

 

We believe that building and maintaining awareness of comScore and our portfolio of products in a cost-effective manner is critical to achieving widespread acceptance of our current and future products and is an important element in attracting new customers. We rely on our relationships with the media and the exposure we receive from numerous citations of our data by media outlets to build brand awareness and credibility among our customers and the marketplace. Furthermore, we believe that brand recognition will become more important for us as competition in our market increases. Our brand’s success will depend on the effectiveness of our marketing efforts and on our ability to provide reliable and valuable products to our customers at competitive prices. Our brand marketing activities may not yield increased revenues, and even if they do, any increased revenues may not offset the expenses we incur in attempting to build our brand. If we fail to successfully market our brand, we may fail to attract new customers, retain existing customers or attract media coverage to the extent necessary to realize a sufficient return on our brand-building efforts, and our business and results of operations could suffer.

 

Failure to effectively expand our sales and marketing capabilities could harm our ability to increase our customer base and achieve broader market acceptance of our products.

 

Increasing our customer base and achieving broader market acceptance of our products will depend to a significant extent on our ability to expand our sales and marketing operations. We expect to continue to rely on our direct sales force to obtain new customers. We plan to continue to expand our direct sales force both domestically and internationally. We believe that there is significant competition for direct sales personnel with the sales skills and technical knowledge that we require. Our ability to achieve significant growth in revenues in the future will depend, in large part, on our success in recruiting, training and retaining sufficient numbers of direct sales personnel. In general, new hires require significant training and substantial experience before becoming productive. Our recent hires and planned hires may not become as productive as we require, and we may be unable to hire or retain sufficient numbers of qualified individuals in the future in the markets where we currently operate or where we seek to conduct business. Our business will be seriously harmed if the efforts to expand our sales and marketing capabilities are not successful or if they do not generate a sufficient increase in revenues.

 

We have limited experience with respect to our pricing model, and if the prices we charge for our products are unacceptable to our customers, our revenues and operating results will be harmed.

 

We have limited experience in determining the prices for our products that our existing and potential customers will find acceptable. As the market for our products matures, or as new competitors introduce new products or services that compete with ours, we may be unable to renew our agreements with existing customers or attract new customers at the prices we have historically charged. As a result, it is possible that future competitive dynamics in our market may require us to reduce our prices, which could have an adverse effect on our revenues, profitability and operating results.

We derive a significant portion of our revenues from sales of our subscription-based digital marketing intelligence products. If our customers terminate or fail to renew their subscriptions, our business could suffer.

 

We currently derive a significant portion of our revenues from our subscription-based digital marketing intelligence products. Subscription-based products accounted for 70%, 75% and 79% of our revenues in 2005, 2006 and the nine months ended September 30, 2007, respectively. However, if our customers terminate their subscriptions for our products, do not renew their subscriptions, delay renewals of their subscriptions or renew on terms less favorable to us, our revenues could decline and our business could suffer.

 

Our customers have no obligation to renew after the expiration of their initial subscription period, which is typically one year, and we cannot assure you that current subscriptions will be renewed at the same or higher price levels, if at all. Some of our customers have elected not to renew their subscription agreements with us in the past. If we experience a change of control, as defined in such agreements, some of our customers have the right to terminate their subscriptions. Moreover, some of our major customers have the right to cancel their subscription agreements without cause at any time. We have limited historical data with respect to rates of customer subscription renewals, so we cannot accurately predict future customer renewal rates. Our customer renewal rates may decline or fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, including customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction with our products, the prices or functionality of our products, the prices or functionality of products offered by our competitors, mergers and acquisitions affecting our customer base or reductions in our customers’ spending levels.

 

If we are unable to sell additional products to our existing customers or attract new customers, our revenue growth will be adversely affected.

 

To increase our revenues, we believe we must sell additional products to existing customers and regularly add new customers. If our existing and prospective customers do not perceive our products to be of sufficient value and quality, we may not be able to increase sales to existing customers and attract new customers, and our operating results will be adversely affected.

 

We depend on third parties for data that is critical to our business, and our business could suffer if we cannot continue to obtain data from these suppliers.

 

We rely on third-party data sources for information regarding certain offline activities of our panelists. The availability and accuracy of these data is important to the continuation and development of our products that link online activity to offline purchases. If this information is not available to us at commercially reasonable terms, or is found to be inaccurate, it could harm our reputation, business and financial performance.

 

System failures or delays in the operation of our computer and communications systems may harm our business.

 

Our success depends on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of our computer and communications systems and the third-party data centers we use. Our ability to collect and report accurate data may be interrupted by a number of factors, including our inability to access the Internet, the failure of our network or software systems, computer viruses, security breaches or variability in user traffic on customer Web sites. A failure of our network or data gathering procedures could impede the processing of data, cause the corruption or loss of data or prevent the timely delivery of our products.

 

In the future, we may need to expand our network and systems at a more rapid pace than we have in the past. Our network or systems may not be capable of meeting the demand for increased capacity, or we may incur additional unanticipated expenses to accommodate these capacity demands. In addition, we may lose valuable data, be unable to obtain or provide data on a timely basis or our network may temporarily shut down if we fail to adequately expand or maintain our network capabilities to meet future requirements. Any lapse in our ability to collect or transmit data may decrease the value of our products and prevent us from providing the data requested by our customers. Any disruption in our network processing or loss of Internet

user data may damage our reputation and result in the loss of customers, and our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

 

We rely on a small number of third-party service providers to host and deliver our products, and any interruptions or delays in services from these third parties could impair the delivery of our products and harm our business.

 

We host our products and serve all of our customers from two third-party data center facilities located in Virginia and Illinois. While we operate our equipment inside these facilities, we do not control the operation of either of these facilities, and, depending on service level requirements, we may not continue to operate or maintain redundant data center facilities for all of our products or for all of our data, which could increase our vulnerability. These facilities are vulnerable to damage or interruption from earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fires, power loss, telecommunications failures and similar events. They are also subject to break-ins, computer viruses, sabotage, intentional acts of vandalism and other misconduct. A natural disaster or an act of terrorism, a decision to close the facilities without adequate notice or other unanticipated problems could result in lengthy interruptions in availability of our products. We may also encounter capacity limitations at our third-party data centers. Additionally, our data center facility agreements are of limited durations, and our data center facilities have no obligation to renew their agreements with us on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. Our agreement for our data center facility located in Virginia expires on October 3, 2008, if not renewed, and our agreement for our data center facility located in Illinois expires on April 28, 2008, if not renewed. Although we are not substantially dependent on either data center facility because of planned redundancies, and although we currently are able to migrate to alternative data centers, such a migration may result in an interruption or delay in service. If we are unable to renew our agreements with the owners of the facilities on commercially reasonable terms, or if we migrate to a new data center, we may experience delays in delivering our products until an agreement with another data center facility can be arranged or the migration to a new facility is completed.

 

Further, we depend on access to the Internet through third-party bandwidth providers to operate our business. If we lose the services of one or more of our bandwidth providers for any reason, we could experience disruption in the delivery of our products or be required to retain the services of a replacement bandwidth provider. It may be difficult for us to replace any lost bandwidth on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, due to the large amount of bandwidth our operations require.

 

Our operations also rely heavily on the availability of electrical power and cooling capacity, which are also supplied by third-party providers. If we or the third-party data center operators that we use to deliver our products were to experience a major power outage or if the cost of electrical power increases significantly, our operations and profitability would be harmed. If we or the third-party data centers that we use were to experience a major power outage, we would have to rely on back-up generators, which may not function properly, and their supply may be inadequate. Such a power outage could result in the disruption of our business. Additionally, if our current facilities fail to have sufficient cooling capacity or availability of electrical power, we would need to find alternative facilities.

 

Any errors, defects, disruptions or other performance problems with our products caused by third parties could harm our reputation and may damage our business. Interruptions in the availability of our products may reduce our revenues due to increased turnaround time to complete projects, cause us to issue credits to customers, cause customers to terminate their subscription and project agreements or adversely affect our renewal rates. Our business would be harmed if our customers or potential customers believe our products are unreliable.

 

Because our long-term success depends, in part, on our ability to expand the sales of our products to customers located outside of the United States, our business will become increasingly susceptible to risks associated with international operations.

 

We have very limited experience operating in markets outside of the United States. Our inexperience in operating our business outside of the United States may increase the risk that the international expansion

efforts we have begun to undertake will not be successful. In addition, conducting international operations subjects us to new risks that we have not generally faced in the United States. These risks include:

 

 

Additionally, operating in international markets requires significant management attention and financial resources. We cannot be certain that the investments and additional resources required to establish and maintain operations in other countries will hold their value or produce desired levels of revenues or profitability. We cannot be certain that we will be able to maintain and increase the size of the Internet user panel that we currently have in various countries or that we will be able to recruit a representative sample for our audience measurement products. In addition, there can be no assurance that Internet usage and eCommerce will continue to grow in international markets. In addition, governmental authorities in various countries have different views regarding regulatory oversight of the Internet. For example, the Chinese government has recently taken steps to restrict the content available to Internet users in China.

 

The impact of any one or more of these risks could negatively affect or delay our plans to expand our international business and, consequently, our future operating results.

 

If we fail to respond to technological developments, our products may become obsolete or less competitive.

 

Our future success will depend in part on our ability to modify or enhance our products to meet customer needs, to add functionality and to address technological advancements. For example, online publishers and advertisers have recently started to use Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, or AJAX, a development technique that allows Web applications to quickly make incremental updates without having to refresh the entire Web page. AJAX may make page views a less useful metric for measuring the usage and effectiveness of online media. If our products are not effective at addressing evolving customer needs that result from increased AJAX usage, our business may be harmed. Similarly, technological advances in the handheld device industry may lead to changes in our customers’ requirements. For example, if certain handheld devices become the primary mode of receiving content and conducting transactions on the Internet, and we are unable to adapt our software to collect information from such devices, then we would not be able to report on online activity. To remain competitive, we will need to develop new products that address these evolving technologies and standards. However, we may be unsuccessful in identifying new product opportunities or in developing or marketing new products in a timely or cost-effective manner. In addition, our product innovations may not achieve the market penetration or price levels necessary for profitability. If we are unable to develop enhancements to, and new features for, our existing products or if we are unable to develop new products that

keep pace with rapid technological developments or changing industry standards, our products may become obsolete, less marketable and less competitive, and our business will be harmed.

 

The success of our business depends in large part on our ability to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights.

 

We rely on a combination of patent, copyright, service mark, trademark and trade secret laws, as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual restrictions, to establish and protect our proprietary rights, all of which provide only limited protection. While we have filed a number of patent applications and own two issued patents, we cannot assure you that any additional patents will be issued with respect to any of our pending or future patent applications, nor can we assure you that any patent issued to us will provide adequate protection, or that any patents issued to us will not be challenged, invalidated, circumvented, or held to be unenforceable in actions against alleged infringers. Also, we cannot assure you that any future trademark or service mark registrations will be issued with respect to pending or future applications or that any of our registered trademarks and service marks will be enforceable or provide adequate protection of our proprietary rights. Furthermore, adequate (or any) patent, trademark, service mark, copyright and trade secret protection may not be available in every country in which our services are available.

 

We endeavor to enter into agreements with our employees and contractors and with parties with whom we do business in order to limit access to and disclosure of our proprietary information. We cannot be certain that the steps we have taken will prevent unauthorized use of our technology or the reverse engineering of our technology. Moreover, third parties might independently develop technologies that are competitive to ours or that infringe upon our intellectual property. In addition, the legal standards relating to the validity, enforceability and scope of protection of intellectual property rights in Internet-related industries are uncertain and still evolving, both in the United States and in other countries. The protection of our intellectual property rights may depend on our legal actions against any infringers being successful. We cannot be sure any such actions will be successful.

 

An assertion from a third party that we are infringing its intellectual property, whether such assertions are valid or not, could subject us to costly and time-consuming litigation or expensive licenses.

 

The Internet, software and technology industries are characterized by the existence of a large number of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets and by frequent litigation based on allegations of infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights, domestically or internationally. As we grow and face increasing competition, the probability that one or more third parties will make intellectual property rights claims against us increases. In such cases, our technologies may be found to infringe on the intellectual property rights of others. Additionally, many of our subscription agreements may require us to indemnify our customers for third-party intellectual property infringement claims, which would increase our costs if we have to defend such claims and may require that we pay damages and provide alternative services if there were an adverse ruling in any such claims. Intellectual property claims could harm our relationships with our customers, deter future customers from subscribing to our products or expose us to litigation. Even if we are not a party to any litigation between a customer and a third party, an adverse outcome in any such litigation could make it more difficult for us to defend against intellectual property claims by the third party in any subsequent litigation in which we are a named party. Any of these results could adversely affect our brand, business and results of operations.

 

One of our competitors has filed patent infringement lawsuits against others, demonstrating this party’s propensity for patent litigation. It is possible that this third party, or some other third party, may bring an action against us, and thus cause us to incur the substantial costs and risks of litigation. Any intellectual property rights claim against us or our customers, with or without merit, could be time-consuming and expensive to litigate or settle and could divert management resources and attention. An adverse determination also could prevent us from offering our products to our customers and may require that we procure or develop substitute products that do not infringe on other parties’ rights.

With respect to any intellectual property rights claim against us or our customers, we may have to pay damages or stop using technology found to be in violation of a third party’s rights. We may have to seek a license for the technology, which may not be available on reasonable terms or at all, may significantly increase our operating expenses or may significantly restrict our business activities in one or more respects. We may also be required to develop alternative non-infringing technology, which could require significant effort and expense. Any of these outcomes could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

Domestic or foreign laws, regulations or enforcement actions may limit our ability to collect and use information about Internet users or restrict or prohibit our product offerings, causing a decrease in the value of our products and an adverse impact on the sales of our products.

 

Our business could be adversely impacted by existing or future laws or regulations of, or actions by, domestic or foreign regulatory agencies. For example, privacy concerns could lead to legislative, judicial and regulatory limitations on our ability to collect, maintain and use information about Internet users in the United States and abroad. Various state legislatures, including those of Utah and California, have enacted legislation designed to protect Internet users’ privacy, for example by prohibiting spyware. In recent years, similar legislation has been proposed in other states and at the federal level and has been enacted in foreign countries, most notably by the European Union, which adopted a privacy directive regulating the collection of personally identifiable information online. These laws and regulations, if drafted or interpreted broadly, could be deemed to apply to the technology we use, and could restrict our information collection methods or decrease the amount and utility of the information that we would be permitted to collect. In addition, our ability to conduct business in certain foreign jurisdictions, including China, is restricted by the laws, regulations and agency actions of those jurisdictions. The costs of compliance with, and the other burdens imposed by, these and other laws or regulatory actions may prevent us from selling our products or increase the costs associated with selling our products, and may affect our ability to invest in or jointly develop products in the United States and in foreign jurisdictions.

 

In addition, failure to comply with these and other laws and regulations may result in, among other things, administrative enforcement actions and fines, class action lawsuits and civil and criminal liability. State attorneys general, governmental and non-governmental entities and private persons may bring legal actions asserting that our methods of collecting, using and distributing Web site visitor information are illegal or improper, which could require us to spend significant time and resources defending these claims. For example, some companies that collect, use and distribute Web site visitor information have been the subject of governmental investigations and class-action lawsuits. Any such regulatory or civil action that is brought against us, even if unsuccessful, may distract our management’s attention, divert our resources, negatively affect our public image or reputation among our panelists and customers and harm our business.

 

The impact of any of these current or future laws or regulations could make it more difficult or expensive to attract or maintain panelists, particularly in affected jurisdictions, and could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

Laws related to the regulation of the Internet could adversely affect our business.

 

Laws and regulations that apply to communications and commerce over the Internet are becoming more prevalent. In particular, the growth and development of the market for eCommerce has prompted calls for more stringent tax, consumer protection and privacy laws in the United States and abroad that may impose additional burdens on companies conducting business online. The adoption, modification or interpretation of laws or regulations relating to the Internet or our customers’ digital operations could negatively affect the businesses of our customers and reduce their demand for our products.

 

If we fail to respond to evolving industry standards, our products may become obsolete or less competitive.

 

The market for our products is characterized by rapid technological advances, changes in customer requirements, changes in protocols and evolving industry standards. For example, industry associations such as the Advertising Research Foundation, the Council of American Survey Research Organizations, the Internet

Advertising Bureau, or IAB, and the Media Ratings Council have independently initiated efforts to either review online market research methodologies or to develop minimum standards for online market research. On April 19, 2007, we received a letter from the IAB, citing discrepancies between our audience measurement data, those of our competitors and those provided by the server logs of IAB’s member organizations. In its letter, the IAB asked us to submit to an independent audit and accreditation process of our audience measurement systems and processes. In September 2007, we began a full audit to obtain accreditation by the Media Ratings Council.

 

Any standards adopted by the IAB or similar organizations may lead to costly changes to our procedures and methodologies. As a result, the cost of developing our digital marketing intelligence products could increase. If we do not adhere to standards prescribed by the IAB or other industry associations, our customers could choose to purchase products from competing companies that meet such standards. Furthermore, industry associations based in countries outside of the United States often endorse certain vendors or methodologies. If our methodologies fail to receive an endorsement from an important industry association located in a foreign country, advertising agencies, media companies and advertisers in that country may not purchase our products. As a result, our efforts to further expand internationally could be adversely affected.

 

The success of our business depends on the continued growth of the Internet as a medium for commerce, content, advertising and communications.

 

Expansion in the sales of our products depends on the continued acceptance of the Internet as a platform for commerce, content, advertising and communications. The use of the Internet as a medium for commerce, content, advertising and communications could be adversely impacted by delays in the development or adoption of new standards and protocols to handle increased demands of Internet activity, security, reliability, cost, ease-of-use, accessibility and quality-of-service. The performance of the Internet and its acceptance as a medium for commerce, content commerce, content, advertising and communications has been harmed by viruses, worms, and similar malicious programs, and the Internet has experienced a variety of outages and other delays as a result of damage to portions of its infrastructure. If for any reason the Internet does not remain a medium for widespread commerce, content, advertising and communications, the demand for our products would be significantly reduced, which would harm our business.

 

We rely on our management team and need additional personnel to grow our business, and the loss of one or more key employees or the inability to attract and retain qualified personnel could harm our business.

 

Our success and future growth depends to a significant degree on the skills and continued services of our management team, including our founders, Magid M. Abraham, Ph.D. and Gian M. Fulgoni. Our future success also depends on our ability to retain, attract and motivate highly skilled technical, managerial, marketing and customer service personnel, including members of our management team. All of our employees work for us on an at-will basis. We plan to hire additional personnel in all areas of our business, particularly for our sales, marketing and technology development areas, both domestically and internationally, which will likely increase our recruiting and hiring costs. Competition for these types of personnel is intense, particularly in the Internet and software industries. As a result, we may be unable to successfully attract or retain qualified personnel. Our inability to retain and attract the necessary personnel could adversely affect our business.

 

We may expand through investments in, acquisitions of, or the development of new products with assistance from other companies, any of which may not be successful and may divert our management’s attention.

 

Our business strategy may include acquiring complementary products, technologies or businesses. We also may enter into relationships with other businesses in order to expand our product offerings, which could involve preferred or exclusive licenses, discount pricing or investments in other companies.

 

Negotiating any such transactions could be time-consuming, difficult and expensive, and our ability to close these transactions may be subject to regulatory or other approvals and other conditions which are beyond our control. Consequently, we can make no assurances that any such transactions, if undertaken and announced, would be completed.

An acquisition, investment or business relationship may result in unforeseen operating difficulties and expenditures. In particular, we may encounter difficulties assimilating or integrating the businesses, technologies, products, personnel or operations of the acquired companies, particularly if the key personnel of the acquired company choose not to be employed by us, and we may have difficulty retaining the customers of any acquired business due to changes in management and ownership. Acquisitions may also disrupt our ongoing business, divert our resources and require significant management attention that would otherwise be available for ongoing development of our business. Moreover, we cannot assure you that the anticipated benefits of any acquisition, investment or business relationship would be realized or that we would not be exposed to unknown liabilities. In connection with any such transaction, we may:

 

 

The impact of any one or more of these factors could adversely affect our business or results of operations or cause the price of our common stock to decline substantially.

 

Changes in, or interpretations of, accounting rules and regulations, including recent rules and regulations regarding expensing of stock options, could result in unfavorable accounting charges or cause us to change our compensation policies.

 

Accounting methods and policies, including policies governing revenue recognition, expenses and accounting for stock options are continually subject to review, interpretation, and guidance from relevant accounting authorities, including the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, and the SEC. Changes to, or interpretations of, accounting methods or policies in the future may require us to reclassify, restate or otherwise change or revise our financial statements, including those contained in this prospectus.

 

On December 16, 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 123R (revised 2004), Share-Based Payment, which is a revision of SFAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation (SFAS No. 123R). SFAS No. 123R supersedes APB Opinion No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees, and amends SFAS No. 95, Statement of Cash Flows. Generally, the approach in SFAS No. 123R is similar to the approach described in SFAS No. 123. However, SFAS No. 123R requires all share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, to be recognized in the income statement based on their fair values. We were required to adopt SFAS No. 123R on January 1, 2006, and have adopted it as of that date.

 

As permitted by SFAS No. 123, we accounted for share-based payments to employees through December 31, 2005 using APB Opinion No. 25’s intrinsic value method and, as such, generally recognized no compensation cost for employee stock options. Accordingly, the adoption of SFAS No. 123R’s fair value method has had a significant impact on the presentation of our results of operations, although it has not impacted our overall financial position. The long-term impact of adoption of SFAS No. 123R cannot be predicted at this time because it will depend on levels of share-based payments granted in the future and the assumptions for the variables which impact the computation of the fair value of any such grants.

 

Historically, we have used stock options as part of our compensation programs to motivate and retain existing employees and to attract new employees. Because we are now required to expense stock options, we may choose to reduce our reliance on stock options as part of our compensation packages. If we reduce our use of stock options, it may be more difficult for us to retain and attract qualified employees. If we do not reduce our use of stock options, our expenses in future periods may increase. Beginning in 2007, we issued restricted stock awards and restricted stock units, and we expect to reduce our use of stock options as a form

of stock-based compensation, but we cannot be certain whether or how our stock-based compensation policy will change in the future.

 

Investors could lose confidence in our financial reports, and our business and stock price may be adversely affected, if our internal control over financial reporting is found by management or by our independent registered public accounting firm to not be adequate or if we disclose significant existing or potential deficiencies or material weaknesses in those controls.

 

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires us to include a report on our internal control over financial reporting in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for each year beginning with the year ending December 31, 2008. That report must include management’s assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of the end of that and each subsequent fiscal year. Additionally, our independent registered public accounting firm will be required to issue a report on management’s assessment of our internal control over financial reporting and on their evaluation of the operating effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.

 

We continue to evaluate our existing internal controls against the standards adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB. During the course of our ongoing evaluation of our internal controls, we have in the past identified, and may in the future identify, areas requiring improvement, and may have to design enhanced processes and controls to address issues identified through this review. Remedying any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses that we or our independent registered public accounting firm may identify could require us to incur significant costs and expend significant time and management resources. We cannot assure you that any of the measures we may implement to remedy any such deficiencies will effectively mitigate or remedy such deficiencies. In addition, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the work necessary for our management to issue its management report in a timely manner, or that we will be able to complete any work required for our management to be able to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is operating effectively. If we are not able to complete the assessment under Section 404 in a timely manner or to remedy any identified material weaknesses, we and our independent registered public accounting firm would be unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective as of December 31, 2008. If our internal control over financial reporting is found by management or by our independent registered public accountant to not be adequate or if we disclose significant existing or potential deficiencies or material weaknesses in those controls, investors could lose confidence in our financial reports, we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by The NASDAQ Global Market, the Securities and Exchange Commission or other regulatory authorities and our stock price could be adversely affected.

 

A determination that there is a significant deficiency or material weakness in the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting could also reduce our ability to obtain financing or could increase the cost of any financing we obtain and require additional expenditures to comply with applicable requirements.

 

Our net operating loss carryforwards may expire unutilized or underutilized, which could prevent us from offsetting future taxable income.

 

We have experienced “changes in control” that have triggered the limitations of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code on our net operating loss carryforwards. As a result, we may be limited in the portion of net operating loss carryforwards that we can use in the future to offset taxable income for U.S. Federal income tax purposes.

 

At December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007, we had both federal and state net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $81.2 million and $74.8 million, respectively, which are available to offset future taxable income. The federal net operating loss carryforwards will begin to expire in 2020. The state net operating loss carryforwards begin to expire in 2010.

 

In addition, at December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007, we had net operating loss carryforwards for tax purposes related to our foreign subsidiaries of $703,000 and $592,000, respectively, which begin to expire in 2010.

 

In the year ended December 31, 2006 and the nine months ended September 30, 2007, deferred tax assets, before valuation allowance, decreased approximately $2.4 million and $2.6 million, respectively, due to our use of net operating loss carryforwards to offset taxable income.

 

We periodically assess the likelihood that we will be able to recover our deferred tax assets. We consider all available evidence, both positive and negative, including historical levels of income, expectations and risks associated with estimates of future taxable income and ongoing prudent and feasible profits. As a result of this analysis of all available evidence, both positive and negative, we concluded that a full valuation allowance against deferred tax assets should be applied as of December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007. Depending on our actual results for the remainder of 2007, there may be sufficient positive evidence to support the conclusion that all or a portion of our valuation allowance should be reduced. To the extent we determine that all or a portion of our valuation allowance is no longer necessary, we will recognize an income tax benefit in the period such determination is made for the reversal of the valuation allowance. Once the valuation allowance is eliminated or reduced, its reversal will no longer be available to offset our current tax provision. These events could have a material impact on our reported results of operations.

 

We may require additional capital to support business growth, and this capital may not be available on acceptable terms or at all.

 

We intend to continue to make investments to support our business growth and may require additional funds to respond to business challenges, including the need to develop new products or enhance our existing products, enhance our operating infrastructure and acquire complementary businesses and technologies.

 

Accordingly, we may need to engage in equity or debt financings to secure additional funds. If we raise additional funds through further issuances of equity or convertible debt securities, our existing stockholders could suffer significant dilution, and any new equity securities we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges superior to those of holders of our common stock. Any debt financing secured by us in the future could include restrictive covenants relating to our capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital and to pursue business opportunities, including potential acquisitions. In addition, we may not be able to obtain additional financing on terms favorable to us or at all. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us when we require it, our ability to continue to support our business growth and to respond to business challenges could be significantly limited. In addition, the terms of any additional equity or debt issuances may adversely affect the value and price of our common stock.

 

Risks Related to the Securities Market and Ownership of our Common Stock

 

We cannot assure you that a market will continue to develop or exist for our common stock or what the market price of our common stock will be.

 

Prior to our initial public offering, which was completed on July 2, 2007, there was no public trading market for our common stock, and we cannot assure you that one will continue to develop or be sustained. If a market does not continue to develop or is not sustained, it may be difficult for you to sell your shares of common stock at an attractive price or at all. We cannot predict the prices at which our common stock will trade.

 

The trading price of our common stock may be subject to significant fluctuations and volatility, and our new stockholders may be unable to resell their shares at a profit.

 

The stock markets, in general, and the markets for technology stocks in particular, have experienced high levels of volatility. The market for technology stocks has been extremely volatile and frequently reaches levels that bear no relationship to the past or present operating performance of those companies. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock. In addition, the trading price of our common stock has been subject to significant fluctuations and may continue to fluctuate or decline. Since our initial public offering, which was completed on July 2, 2007, the price of our common stock has ranged from an intra-day low of $19.70 to an intra-day high of $42.00 through November 20, 2007.

The price of our common stock that will prevail in the market after this offering may be higher or lower than the price you pay, depending on many factors, some of which are beyond our control and may not be related to our operating performance. It is possible that, in future quarters, our operating results may be below the expectations of analysts or investors. As a result of these and other factors, the price of our common stock may decline, possibly materially. These fluctuations could cause you to lose all or part of your investment in our common stock. Factors that could cause fluctuations in the trading price of our common stock include the following:

 

 

In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been brought against that company. If our stock price is volatile, we may become the target of securities litigation, which could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention and resources from our business. In addition, volatility, lack of positive performance in our stock price or changes to our overall compensation program, including our equity incentive program, may adversely affect our ability to retain key employees.

 

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they issue an adverse or misleading opinion regarding our stock, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

 

The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. If any of the analysts who cover us issue an adverse or misleading opinion regarding our stock, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

Our stock price could decline due to the large number of outstanding shares of our common stock eligible for future sale.

 

Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market following this offering, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. These sales could also make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem appropriate.

 

Upon completion of this offering, we will have 29,245,383 outstanding shares of common stock based on the number of shares outstanding on September 30, 2007 and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and no exercise of outstanding options or warrants after September 30, 2007. The 6,095,000 shares sold by us and the selling stockholders in our initial public offering are currently tradeable without restriction, and the 6,052,453 sold by us and the selling stockholders pursuant to this offering will be immediately tradable without restriction. Of the remaining shares:

 

 

 

 

 

The shares subject lock-up agreements are subject to one of two different forms of lockup agreements. The lock-up period for the shares subject to lock-up restrictions for a period that is up to and including December 23, 2007 may be extended in certain cases for up to 34 additional days under certain circumstances where we announce or pre-announce earnings or a material event within approximately 17 days prior to, or approximately 16 days after, December 23, 2007. Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC may, in its sole discretion and at any time without notice, release all or any portion of the securities subject to either lock-up agreement.

 

Insiders will continue to have substantial control over us after this offering, which could limit your ability to influence the outcome of key transactions, including a change of control.

 

Our directors, executive officers and each of our stockholders who own greater than 5% of our outstanding common stock and their affiliates, in the aggregate, together beneficially own a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock. As a result, these stockholders, if acting together, would be able to influence or control matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors and the approval of mergers, acquisitions or other extraordinary transactions. They may have interests that differ from yours and may vote in a way with which you disagree and which may be adverse to your interests. This concentration of ownership may have the effect of delaying, preventing or deterring a change of control of our company, could deprive our stockholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their common stock as part of a sale of our company and might affect the market price of our common stock.

 

Our management will have broad discretion over the use of the proceeds from this offering and may not apply the proceeds of this offering in ways that increase the value of your investment.

 

Our management will have broad discretion to use the net proceeds we receive from this offering, and you will be relying on its judgment regarding the application of these proceeds. We expect to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes, which may include working capital, capital expenditures, other corporate expenses and potential acquisitions of complementary products, technologies or businesses. Except as

disclosed under “Use of Proceeds”, we have not yet allocated these net proceeds for any specific purposes. Management may not apply the net proceeds of this offering in ways that increase the value of your investment.

 

If you purchase shares of our common stock in this offering, you will experience substantial and immediate dilution.

 

If you purchase shares of our common stock in this offering, you will experience substantial and immediate dilution, because the price that you pay will be substantially greater than the net tangible book value per share of the common stock that you acquire. This dilution is due in large part to the fact that our earlier investors paid substantially less than the assumed public offering price when they purchased their shares of our capital stock. You may experience additional dilution upon the exercise of options to purchase common stock under our equity incentive plans, if we issue restricted stock to our employees under these plans or if we otherwise issue additional shares of our common stock.

 

We have incurred and will continue to incur increased costs and demands upon management as a result of complying with the laws and regulations affecting a public company, which could adversely affect our operating results.

 

As a public company, we have incurred and will continue to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as rules implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission and The NASDAQ Stock Market, requires certain corporate governance practices for public companies. Our management and other personnel devote a substantial amount of time to public reporting requirements and corporate governance. These rules and regulations have significantly increased our legal and financial compliance costs and made some activities more time-consuming and costly. We also have incurred additional costs associated with our public company reporting requirements. If these costs do not continue to be offset by increased revenues and improved financial performance, our operating results would be adversely affected. These rules and regulations also make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage if these costs continue to rise. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified people to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers.

 

Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and under Delaware law might discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or changes in our management and, therefore, depress the trading price of our common stock.

 

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that could depress the trading price of our common stock by acting to discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or changes in our management that the stockholders of our company may deem advantageous. These provisions:

 

 

Additionally, we are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any of a broad range of business combinations with any “interested” stockholder for a period of three years following the date on which the stockholder became an “interested” stockholder and which may discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company.

 

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
AND INDUSTRY DATA

 

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 contains certain safe harbor provisions regarding forward-looking statements. This prospectus, including the sections entitled “Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Business,” contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. These statements may relate to, but are not limited to, expectations of future operating results or financial performance, capital expenditures, introduction of new products, regulatory compliance, plans for growth and future operations, as well as assumptions relating to the foregoing. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. These risks and other factors include, but are not limited to, those listed under “Risk Factors.” In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “intend,” “potential,” “might,” “would,” “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions. Actual events or results may differ materially.

 

We believe that it is important to communicate our future expectations to our investors. However, there may be events in the future that we are not able to accurately predict or control and that may cause our actual results to differ materially from the expectations we describe in our forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States and the rules and regulations of the SEC, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after we distribute this prospectus, whether as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise. Potential investors should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Before you invest in our common stock, you should be aware that the occurrence of any of the events described in the “Risk Factors” section and elsewhere in this prospectus could harm our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements.

 

This prospectus also contains estimates and other information concerning our industry, including market size and growth rates of the markets in which we participate, that are based on industry publications, surveys and forecasts, including those generated by Forrester Research, IDC, the Interactive Advertising Bureau, JupiterResearch, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Infonetics. This information involves a number of assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to these estimates. These industry publications, surveys and forecasts generally indicate that their information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. The industry in which we operate is subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in “Risk Factors.” These and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in these publications, surveys and forecasts.

 

USE OF PROCEEDS

 

We estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of the 1,344,809 shares of our common stock that we are selling in this offering will be approximately $35.7 million, based on the assumed public offering price of $28.74 per share, which was the last sale price of our common stock as reported by The NASDAQ Global Market on November 20, 2007, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. We will not receive any proceeds from any sale of shares of our common stock by the selling stockholders.

 

The principal purpose of this offering is to obtain additional capital.

 

Except as discussed below, we currently have no specific plans for the use of a significant portion of the net proceeds of this offering. However, we anticipate that we will use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes, which may include working capital, capital expenditures, other corporate expenses and acquisitions of complementary products, technologies or businesses. The timing and amount of our actual expenditures will be based on many factors, including cash flows from operations and the anticipated growth of our business. Pending these uses, we intend to invest the net proceeds of this offering primarily in short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing instruments.

 

PRICE RANGE OF COMMON STOCK

 

Our common stock has been listed on The NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “SCOR” since it began trading on June 27, 2007. Shares sold in our initial public offering on June 26, 2007 were priced at $16.50 per share. The following table sets forth, for the time periods indicated, the high and low sale prices of our common stock as reported on The NASDAQ Global Market.

 

 

On November 20, 2007, the last reported sale price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Global Market was $28.74 per share.

 

As of September 30, 2007, there were 27,900,574 shares of our common stock outstanding held by approximately 589 stockholders of record.

 

DIVIDEND POLICY

 

We have never declared or paid any dividends on our capital stock. We anticipate that we will retain any earnings to support operations and to finance the growth and development of our business. Accordingly, we do not expect to pay cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.

 

CAPITALIZATION

 

The following table sets forth our capitalization as of September 30, 2007:

 

 

 

You should read this table in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

 

The preceding table excludes, as of September 30, 2007:

 

 

 

 

 

SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

 

You should read the selected consolidated financial data set forth below in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements, the notes to our consolidated financial statements and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” contained elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

The consolidated statements of operations data and the consolidated statements of cash flows data for the years ended January 31, 2003 and December 31, 2003 as well as the consolidated balance sheet data as of January 31, 2003 and December 31, 2003 and 2004 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements not included in this prospectus. The consolidated statements of operations data and the consolidated statements of cash flows data for each of the three years ended December 31, 2004, 2005 and 2006 as well as the consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2005 and 2006 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements that are included elsewhere in this prospectus. In 2003, we changed our fiscal year to the twelve months ended December 31. The year ended January 31, 2003 and the year ended December 31, 2003 in the table below both include the results of operations for the month ended January 31, 2003. The consolidated statements of operations data for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007 and the consolidated balance sheet data as of September 30, 2007 have been derived from our unaudited consolidated financial statements that are included elsewhere in this prospectus. We have prepared this unaudited financial information on the same basis as the audited consolidated financial statements and have included all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, that we consider necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position and operating results for such period. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for future periods. Results for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 are not necessarily indicative of results expected for the full year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes to those statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. In addition to historical financial information, the following discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results and timing of selected events may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those discussed under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

 

Overview

 

We provide a leading digital marketing intelligence platform that helps our customers make better-informed business decisions and implement more effective digital business strategies. Our products and solutions offer our customers deep insights into consumer behavior, including objective, detailed information regarding usage of their online properties and those of their competitors, coupled with information on consumer demographic characteristics, attitudes, lifestyles and offline behavior.

 

Our digital marketing intelligence platform is comprised of proprietary databases and a computational infrastructure that measures, analyzes and reports on digital activity. The foundation of our platform is data collected from our comScore panel of more than two million Internet users worldwide who have granted us explicit permission to confidentially measure their Internet usage patterns, online and certain offline buying behavior and other activities. By applying advanced statistical methodologies to our panel data, we project consumers’ online behavior for the total online population and a wide variety of user categories.

 

We deliver our digital marketing intelligence through our comScore Media Metrix product family and through comScore Marketing Solutions. Media Metrix delivers digital media intelligence by providing an independent, third-party measurement of the size, behavior and characteristics of Web site and online advertising network audiences among home, work and university Internet users as well as insight into the effectiveness of online advertising. Our Marketing Solutions products combine the proprietary information gathered from the comScore panel with the vertical industry expertise of comScore analysts to deliver digital marketing intelligence, including the measurement of online advertising effectiveness, customized for specific industries. We typically deliver our Media Metrix products electronically in the form of weekly, monthly or quarterly reports. Customers can access current and historical Media Metrix data and analyze these data anytime online. Our Marketing Solutions products are typically delivered on a monthly, quarterly or ad hoc basis through electronic reports and analyses.

 

Our company was founded in August 1999. By 2000, we had established a panel of Internet users and began delivering digital marketing intelligence products that measured online browsing and buying behavior to our first customers. We also introduced netScore, our initial syndicated Internet audience measurement product. We accelerated our introduction of new products in 2003 with the launch of Plan Metrix (formerly AiM 2.0), qSearch, the Campaign R/F (Reach and Frequency) analysis system and product offerings that measure online activity at the local market level. By 2004, we had built a global panel of over two million Internet users. In that year, in cooperation with Arbitron, we launched a service that provides ratings of online radio audiences. In 2005, we expanded our presence in Europe by opening an office in London. In 2006, we continued to expand our measurement capabilities with the launch of World Metrix, a product that provides worldwide data on digital media usage, and Video Metrix, our product that measures the audience for streaming online video. In 2007, we completed an initial public offering of 5,000,000 shares of our common stock.

 

We have complemented our internal development initiatives with select acquisitions. On June 6, 2002, we acquired certain Media Metrix assets from Jupiter Media Metrix, Inc. Through this acquisition, we acquired certain Internet audience measurement services that report details of Web site usage and visitor demographics. On July 28, 2004, we acquired the outstanding stock of Denaro and Associates, Inc, otherwise known as Q2 Brand Intelligence, Inc. or Q2, to improve our ability to provide our customers more robust survey research

integrated with our underlying digital marketing intelligence platform. The total cost of the acquisition was approximately $3.3 million, consisting of cash and shares of our common stock. On January 4, 2005, we acquired the assets and assumed certain liabilities of SurveySite Inc., or SurveySite. Through this acquisition, we acquired proprietary Internet-based data-collection technologies and increased our customer penetration and revenues in the survey business. The total cost of the acquisition was approximately $3.6 million, consisting of cash and shares of our common stock. For the ninety-day period beginning January 1, 2008, the former shareholders of SurveySite (or their transferees) have the right to sell 135,635 shares of our common stock back to us for an aggregate price of approximately $1.8 million, or $13.35 per share.

 

Our total revenues have grown from $15.4 million during the fiscal year ending January 31, 2003 to $66.3 million during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, a compounded annual growth rate of approximately 63%. By comparison, our total expenses from operations have grown from $35.2 million to $60.7 million over the same period, a compounded annual growth rate of approximately 20%. The growth in our revenues was primarily the result of:

 

 

As of September 30, 2007, we had 837 customers, compared to 334 as of January 31, 2003. We sell most of our products through our direct sales force.

 

Our Revenues

 

We derive our revenues primarily from the fees that we charge for subscription-based products and customized projects. We define subscription-based revenues as revenues that we generate from products that we deliver to a customer on a recurring basis. We define project revenues as revenues that we generate from customized projects that are performed for a specific customer on a non-recurring basis. We market our subscription-based products, customized projects and survey services within the comScore Media Metrix product family and through comScore Marketing Solutions.

 

A significant characteristic of our business model is our large percentage of subscription-based contracts. Subscription-based revenues accounted for 78% of our total revenues in 2004 and decreased to 70% of total revenues in 2005 primarily due to the acquisition of SurveySite. Subscription-based revenues increased to 75% of total revenues in 2006 and to 79% of total revenues during the nine months ended September 30, 2007.

 

Many of our customers who initially purchased a customized project have subsequently purchased one of our subscription-based products. Similarly, many of our subscription-based customers have subsequently purchased additional customized projects.

 

Historically, we have generated most of our revenues from the sale and delivery of our products to companies and organizations located within the United States. We intend to expand our international revenues by selling our products and deploying our direct sales force model in additional international markets in the future. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, our international revenues were $5.7 million, an increase of $2.4 million over international revenues of $3.4 million for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005. For the nine months ended September 30, 2007, our international revenues were $6.6 million, an increase of $2.6 million, or 66%, over international revenues of $4.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006. International revenues comprised approximately 7%, 9% and 11% of our total revenues for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2005 and 2006 and the nine months ended September 30, 2007, respectively.

We anticipate that revenues from our U.S. customers will continue to constitute the substantial majority of our revenues, but we expect that revenues from customers outside of the U.S. will increase as a percentage of total revenues as we build greater international recognition of our brand and expand our sales operations globally.

 

Subscription Revenues

 

We generate a significant proportion of our subscription-based revenues from our Media Metrix product family. Products within the Media Metrix family include Media Metrix 2.0, Plan Metrix, World Metrix and Video Metrix. We launched Ad Metrix in the third quarter of 2007. These product offerings provide subscribers with intelligence on digital media usage, audience characteristics, audience demographics and online and offline purchasing behavior. Customers who subscribe to our Media Metrix products are provided with login IDs to our Web site, have access to our database and can generate reports at anytime.

 

We also generate subscription-based revenues from certain reports and analyses provided through comScore Marketing Solutions, if that work is procured by customers for at least a nine month period and the customer enters into an agreement to continue or extend the work. Through our Marketing Solutions products, we deliver digital marketing intelligence relating to specific industries, such as automotive, consumer packaged goods, entertainment, financial services, media, pharmaceutical, retail, technology, telecommunications and travel. This marketing intelligence leverages our global consumer panel and extensive database to deliver information unique to a particular customer’s needs on a recurring schedule, as well as on a continual-access basis. Our Marketing Solutions customer agreements typically include a fixed fee with an initial term of at least one year. We also provide these products on a non-subscription basis as described under “Project Revenues” below.

 

In addition, we generate subscription-based revenues from survey products that we sell to our customers. In conducting our surveys, we generally use our global Internet user panel. After questionnaires are distributed to the panel members and completed, we compile their responses and then deliver our findings to the customer, who also has ongoing access to the survey response data as they are compiled and updated over time. These data include responses and information collected from the actual survey questionnaire and can also include behavioral information that we passively collect from our panelists. If a customer contractually commits to having a survey conducted on a recurring basis, we classify the revenues generated from such survey products as subscription-based revenues. Approximately half of the revenues derived from survey products are generated on a subscription basis. Our contracts for survey services typically include fixed fee agreements that range from two months to one year.

 

Project Revenues

 

We generate project revenues by providing customized information reports to our customers on a nonrecurring basis as part of our comScore Marketing Solutions. For example, a customer in the media industry might request a custom report that profiles the behavior of the customer’s active online users and contrasts their market share and loyalty with similar metrics for a competitor’s online user base. If this customer continues to request the report beyond an initial project term of at least nine months and enters into an agreement to purchase the report on a recurring basis, we begin to classify these future revenues as subscription-based.

 

In the second quarter of 2007, we launched Campaign Metrix, a suite of products that enables our customers to measure their return on investment from their investment in digital marketing campaigns and that we believe will help their revenue growth. Project revenues from Campaign Metrix will be generated when a customer accesses or downloads a report through our Web site. Pricing for our Campaign Metrix product is presently based on the scope of the information provided in the report generated by the customer.

 

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles

generally accepted in the U.S. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates, assumptions and judgments that affect the amounts reported in our financial statements and the accompanying notes. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates. While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus, we believe the following accounting policies to be the most critical to the judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

We recognize revenues in accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 104, Revenue Recognition (SAB 104). SAB 104 requires that four basic criteria must be met prior to revenue recognition: (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (ii) delivery has occurred or the services have been rendered, (iii) the fee is fixed or determinable, and (iv) collection of the resulting receivable is reasonably assured.

 

We generate revenues by providing access to our online database or delivering information obtained from our database, usually in the form of periodic reports. Revenues are typically recognized on a straight-line basis over the period in which access to data or reports are provided, which generally ranges from three to 24 months.

 

We also generate revenues through survey services under contracts ranging in term from two months to one year. Our survey services consist of survey and questionnaire design with subsequent data collection, analysis and reporting. We recognize revenues on a straight-line basis over the estimated data collection period once the survey or questionnaire design has been delivered. Any change in the estimated data collection period results in an adjustment to revenues recognized in future periods.

 

Certain of our arrangements contain multiple elements, consisting of the various services we offer. Multiple element arrangements typically consist of a subscription to our online database combined with periodic reports of customized data. These arrangements are accounted for in accordance with Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) Issue No. 00-21, Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables. We have determined that there is not objective and reliable evidence of fair value for any of our services and, therefore, account for all elements in multiple elements arrangements as a single unit of accounting. Access to data under the subscription element is generally provided shortly after the execution of the contract. However, the initial delivery of periodic reports of customized data generally occurs after the data has been accumulated for a specified period subsequent to contract execution, usually one calendar quarter. We recognize the entire arrangement fee over the performance period of the last deliverable. As a result, the total arrangement fee is recognized on a straight-line basis commencing upon the delivery of the first report of customized data over the period such reports are delivered.

 

Generally, our contracts are non-refundable and non-cancelable. In the event a portion of a contract is refundable, revenue recognition is delayed until the refund provisions lapse. A limited number of customers have the right to cancel their contracts by providing us with written notice of cancellation. In the event that a customer cancels its contract, it is not entitled to a refund for prior services, and it will be charged for costs incurred plus services performed up to the cancellation date.

 

Advance payments are recorded as deferred revenues until services are delivered or obligations are met and revenue can be recognized. Deferred revenues represent the excess of amounts invoiced over amounts recognized as revenues.

 

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

 

We record goodwill and intangible assets when we acquire other businesses. The allocation of acquisition costs to intangible assets and goodwill involves the extensive use of management’s estimates and assumptions, and the result of the allocation process can have a significant impact on our future operating results. We estimate the fair value of identifiable intangible assets acquired using several different valuation approaches,

including the replacement cost, income and market approaches. The replacement cost approach is based on determining the discrete cost of replacing or reproducing a specific asset. We generally use the replacement cost approach for estimating the value of acquired technology/methodology assets. The income approach converts the anticipated economic benefits that we assume will be realized from a given asset into value. Under this approach, value is measured as the present worth of anticipated future net cash flows generated by an asset. We generally use the income approach to value customer relationship assets and non-compete agreements. The market approach compares the acquired asset to similar assets that have been sold. We generally use the market approach to value trademarks and brand assets.

 

Under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (SFAS 142), intangible assets with finite lives are amortized over their useful lives while goodwill and indefinite lived assets are not amortized, but rather are periodically tested for impairment. An impairment review generally requires developing assumptions and projections regarding our operating performance. In accordance with SFAS 142, we have determined that all of our goodwill is associated with one reporting unit as we do not operate separate lines of business with respect to our services. Accordingly, on an annual basis we perform the impairment assessment for goodwill required under SFAS 142 at the enterprise level by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit, based on estimated future cash flow, to its carrying value including goodwill recorded by the reporting unit. If the carrying value exceeds the fair value, impairment is measured by comparing the derived fair value of the goodwill to its carrying value and any impairment determined is recorded in the current period. If our estimates or the related assumptions change in the future, we may be required to record impairment charges to reduce the carrying value of these assets, which could be material.

 

Long-lived assets

 

Our long-lived assets primarily consist of property and equipment and intangible assets. In accordance with SFAS No. 144, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, we evaluate the recoverability of our long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of such assets may not be recoverable. If an indication of impairment is present, we compare the estimated undiscounted future cash flows to be generated by the asset to its carrying amount. If the undiscounted future cash flows are less than the carrying amount of the asset, we record an impairment loss equal to the excess of the asset’s carrying amount over its fair value. The fair value is determined based on valuation techniques such as a comparison to fair values of similar assets or using a discounted cash flow analysis. Substantially all of our long-lived assets are located in the United States. Although we believe that the carrying values of our long-lived assets are appropriately stated, changes in strategy or market conditions or significant technological developments could significantly impact these judgments and require adjustments to recorded asset balances. There were no impairment charges recognized during the years ended December 31, 2004, 2005, or 2006 or the nine months ended September 30, 2007.

 

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

 

We manage credit risk on accounts receivable by performing credit evaluations of our customers on a selective basis, by reviewing our accounts and contracts and by providing appropriate allowances for uncollectible amounts. Allowances are based on management’s judgment, which considers historical experience and specific knowledge of accounts that may not be collectible. We make provisions based on our historical bad debt experience, a specific review of all significant outstanding invoices and an assessment of general economic conditions. If the financial condition of a customer deteriorates, resulting in an impairment of its ability to make payments, additional allowances may be required.

 

Income Taxes

 

We account for income taxes using the liability method in accordance with SFAS No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes. We estimate our tax liability through calculations we perform for the determination of our current tax liability, together with assessing temporary differences resulting from the different treatment of items for income tax and financial reporting purposes. These differences result in deferred tax assets and

liabilities, which are recorded on our balance sheet. We then assess the likelihood that deferred tax assets will be recovered in future periods. In assessing the need for a valuation allowance against the net deferred tax asset, we consider factors such as future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, taxable income in prior carryback years, if carryback is permitted under the tax law, tax planning strategies and future taxable income exclusive of reversing temporary differences and carryforwards. To the extent that we cannot conclude that it is more likely than not that the benefit of such assets will be realized, we establish a valuation allowance to adjust the net carrying value of such assets.

 

As of December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007, we had $81.2 million and $74.8 million, respectively, of both federal and state net operating loss carryforwards which begin to expire in 2020 for federal and begin to expire in 2010 for state income tax reporting purposes. In addition, we had net operating loss carryforwards related to our foreign subsidiaries totaling $703,000 and $592,000 as of December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007, respectively, which begin to expire in 2010. Approximately $13.3 million of our net operating loss carryforwards are subject to annual limitations under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code based on changes in percentage of our ownership. We do not expect that this limitation will impact our ability to utilize all of our net operating losses prior to their expiration.

 

As of December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007, we had a valuation allowance of $33.7 million and $31.1 million, respectively, against certain deferred tax assets, which consisted principally of net operating loss carryforwards. We believe that, based on a number of factors, the available objective evidence creates sufficient uncertainty regarding the realizability of the deferred tax assets such that a full valuation allowance is required. Such factors include the lack of a significant history of profits, recent increases in expense levels to support our growth, the fact that the market in which we compete is intensely competitive and characterized by rapidly changing technology, and the lack of carryback capacity to realize deferred tax assets. We will continue to evaluate our valuation allowance position on a regular basis. Depending upon our actual results for the remainder of 2007, we may conclude that all or a portion of our valuation allowance should be reduced during the remainder of 2007. To the extent we determine that all or a portion of our valuation allowance is no longer necessary, we will recognize an income tax benefit in the period such determination is made for the reversal of the valuation allowance. Once the valuation allowance is eliminated in whole or in part, it will not be available to offset our future current tax provision. It is expected that any such reduction of our valuation allowance would have a material impact on our results of operations and financial condition.

 

In June 2006, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 48 (FIN 48), Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes, an interpretation of SFAS No. 109. This interpretation clarifies the accounting for income taxes by prescribing that a company should use a more-likely-than-not recognition threshold based on the technical merits of the tax position taken. Tax provisions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold should be measured as the largest amount of tax benefits, determined on a cumulative probability basis, which is more likely than not to be realized upon ultimate settlement in the financial statements. FIN 48 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting for interim periods, disclosure and transition, and explicitly excludes income taxes from the scope of SFAS No. 5, Accounting for Contingencies. FIN 48 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2006, and was adopted by us on January 1, 2007. As of the adoption date of FIN 48 on January 1, 2007 and as of September 30, 2007, we do not have any material gross unrecognized tax benefits. We or one of our subsidiaries files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various states and foreign jurisdictions. For income tax returns filed by us, we are no longer subject to U.S. federal, state and local tax examinations by tax authorities for years before 2002, although carryforward tax attributes that were generated prior to 2002 may still be adjusted upon examination by tax authorities if they either have been or will be utilized. It is our policy to recognize interest and penalties related to income tax matters in income tax expense.

 

Stock-Based Compensation

 

Through December 31, 2005, as permitted by SFAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation (SFAS 123), we applied the intrinsic value method for accounting for stock-based compensation as set forth in Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees (APB 25). For purposes of the pro forma disclosures required under SFAS 123, we used the minimum-value method to

estimate the fair value of our stock-based awards. On January 1, 2006, we adopted SFAS No. 123R, Share Based Compensation (SFAS 123R). Under SFAS 123R, a non-public company that previously used the minimum value method for pro forma disclosure purposes is required to adopt the standard using the prospective method. Under the prospective method, all awards granted, modified or settled after the date of adoption are accounted for using the measurement, recognition and attribution provisions of SFAS 123R. As a result, stock-based awards granted prior to the date of adoption of SFAS 123R will continue to be accounted for under APB 25 with no recognition of stock-based compensation in future periods, unless such awards are modified or settled.

 

Subsequent to the adoption of SFAS 123R, we estimate the fair value of our stock-based awards on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The determination of fair value using the Black-Scholes model requires a number of complex and subjective variables. One key input into the model is the fair value of our common stock on the date of grant. Prior to our initial public offering, our board of directors estimated the fair value of our common stock for the purpose of determining stock-based compensation expense. Our board utilized valuation methodologies commonly used in the valuation of private company equity securities for purposes of estimating the fair value of our common stock.

 

Other key variables in the Black-Scholes option-pricing model include the expected volatility of our common stock price, the expected term of the award and the risk-free interest rate. In addition, under SFAS 123R, we are required to estimate forfeitures of unvested awards when recognizing compensation expense. If factors change and we employ different assumptions in the application of SFAS 123R in future periods, the compensation expense we record may differ significantly from what we have previously recorded.

 

At September 30, 2007, total estimated unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested stock-based awards granted prior to that date was $9.1 million, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.14 years.

 

We expect stock-based compensation expense to increase in absolute dollars as a result of the adoption of SFAS 123R as options that were granted at the beginning of 2006 and beyond vest. Beginning in 2007, we made use of restricted stock awards and reduced our use of stock options as a form of stock-based compensation. The actual amount of stock-based compensation expense we record in any fiscal period will depend on a number of factors, including the number of shares subject to the stock awards issued, the fair value of our common stock at the time of issuance and the expected volatility of our stock price over time.

 

Estimation of Fair Value of Warrants to Purchase Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock

 

On July 1, 2005, we adopted FASB Staff Position 150-5 (FSP 150-5). Our outstanding warrants to purchase shares of our redeemable convertible preferred stock are subject to the requirements in FSP 150-5, which require us to classify these warrants as current liabilities and to adjust the value of these warrants to their fair value at the end of each reporting period. We estimated the fair value of these warrants at the respective dates using the Black-Scholes option valuation model, based on the estimated market value of the underlying redeemable convertible preferred stock at the valuation measurement date, the contractual term of the warrant, risk-free interest rates and expected dividends on and expected volatility of the price of the underlying redeemable convertible preferred stock. These estimates, especially the market value of the underlying redeemable convertible preferred stock and the expected volatility, are highly judgmental. Upon the closing of our initial public offering on July 2, 2007, these liabilities were reclassified to stockholder’s equity (deficit).

 

Seasonality

 

Historically, a slightly higher percentage of our customers have renewed their subscription products with us toward the end of the fourth quarter.

Results of Operations

 

The following table sets forth selected consolidated statements of operations data as a percentage of total revenues for each of the periods indicated.

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2006 and 2007

 

Revenues

 

 

Total revenues increased by approximately $13.8 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2007 as compared to the same period in 2006. This increase was primarily due to increased sales to existing customers based in the U.S. totaling $47.9 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2007, which was $9.3 million higher than in the same period in 2006. In addition, revenues in the nine months ended September 30, 2007 from new U.S. customers were $7.4 million, an increase of approximately $1.9 million as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2006. Revenues from customers outside of the U.S. totaled approximately $6.6 million, or approximately 11% of total revenues, in the nine months ended September 30, 2007, which was an increase of $2.6 million as compared to the same period in 2006. This increase was due primarily to our ongoing expansion efforts in Europe and continued growth in Canada.

 

During the nine months ended September 30, 2007, our total customer base grew by a net increase of 131 customers from 706 at December 31, 2006 to 837 customers at September 30, 2007. There was continued

revenue growth in both our subscription revenues, which increased by approximately $12.3 million from $36.4 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2006 to $48.7 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2007, and, to a lesser extent, our project-based revenues, which increased by $1.4 million from $11.8 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2006 to over $13.2 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2007.

 

Cost of Revenues

 

 

Cost of revenues consists primarily of expenses related to operating our network infrastructure and the recruitment, maintenance and support of our consumer panels. Expenses associated with these areas include the salaries and related expenses of network operations, survey operations, custom analytics and technical support, all of which are expensed as they are incurred. Cost of revenues also includes data collection costs for our products and operational costs associated with our data centers, including depreciation expense associated with computer equipment.

 

Cost of revenues increased by approximately $2.0 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2007 as compared to the same period in 2006. This increase was primarily due to increased salaries and benefits, stock compensation and related costs associated with supporting our consumer panel and data centers. During the nine months ended September 30, 2007, we experienced an increase of approximately $14,000 in panel recruiting costs as compared to the same period in 2006. During the nine months ended September 30, 2007, our data center costs increased as a result of the relocation in June 2006 of our Illinois data center to a new service provider and increased utility costs at our Virginia data center. Cost of revenues declined as a percentage of revenues by 3.9 percentage points during the nine months ended September 30, 2007 over the same period in 2006. This decrease was primarily due to the increase in revenues as described above and a moderation of the increase in costs to build and maintain our panel. In addition, the headcount and costs associated with our technology staff grew at a lower rate than our growth in revenues.

 

We expect cost of revenues to increase in absolute dollar amounts as we seek to grow our business but vary as a percentage of revenues depending on whether we benefit from investments in our panel and network infrastructure.

 

Selling and Marketing Expenses

 

 

Selling and marketing expenses consist primarily of salaries, benefits, commissions and bonuses paid to our direct sales force and industry analysts, as well as costs related to online and offline advertising, product management, industry conferences, promotional materials, public relations, other sales and marketing programs, and allocated overhead, including rent and depreciation. All selling and marketing costs are expensed as they are incurred. Commission plans are developed for our account managers with criteria and size of sales quotas that vary depending upon the individual’s role. Commissions are paid to a salesperson and are expensed as selling and marketing costs when a sales contract is executed by both the customer and us. In the case of multi-year agreements, one year of commissions is paid initially, with the remaining amounts paid at the beginning of the succeeding years.

 

Selling and marketing expenses increased by $4.7 million during the nine months ending September 30, 2007 as compared to the same period in 2006. This increase was primarily due to increased employee salaries and benefits, stock compensation and related costs associated with an increase in account management personnel for our sales force, the formation of our product management team, our expansion in foreign markets and an increase in commission costs associated with increased revenues. Our selling and marketing headcount totaled 195 employees as of September 30, 2007, an increase of 44 employees as compared to September 30, 2006. In addition, we experienced increases in consulting costs related to new products, recruiting and relocation fees associated with the hiring of additional personnel and in advertising costs.

 

We expect selling and marketing expenses to increase in absolute dollar amounts as we continue to grow our selling and marketing efforts but to vary in future periods as a percentage of revenues depending on whether we benefit from increased productivity in our sales force and from increased revenues resulting in part from our ongoing marketing initiatives.

 

Research and Development Expenses

 

 

Research and development expenses include new product development costs, consisting primarily of compensation and related costs for personnel associated with research and development activities, and allocated overhead, including rent and depreciation.

 

Research and development expenses increased by $1.7 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2007 as compared to the same period in 2006. This increase was primarily due to increased employee salary and benefits, stock compensation and related costs associated with the increase in headcount and our continued focus on developing new products, such as World Metrix, Video Metrix, Campaign Metrix, Ad Metrix and Segment Metrix and the launch of qSearch 2.0, which is a second generation monthly scorecard of the search market. Research and development costs decreased slightly as a percentage of revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 as compared to the prior year period primarily due to our growth in revenues outpacing our existing investments in research and development. We also experienced an increase in costs paid to outsourced service providers to support our development of new products.

 

We expect research and development expenses to increase in absolute dollar amounts as we continue to enhance and expand our product offerings. As a result of the size and diversity of our panel and our historical investment in our technology infrastructure, we expect that we will be able to develop new products with moderate increases in research and development spending as compared to our growth in revenues.

 

General and Administrative Expenses

 

 

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and related expenses for executive management, finance, accounting, human capital, legal, information technology and other administrative functions, as well as professional fees, overhead, including allocated rent and depreciation, and expenses incurred for other general corporate purposes.

 

General and administrative expenses increased by $2.0 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2007 as compared to the same period in 2006. This increase was primarily due to increased costs associated

with being a public company. Our professional fees and insurance costs increased by approximately $564,000 during the nine months ending September 30, 2007 as compared to the same period in 2006. We also experienced increases in employee salaries and benefits, stock compensation and related costs associated with expanding our finance department. General and administrative expenses also increased to a lesser extent due to our investment to support further revenue growth.

 

We expect general and administrative expenses to increase on an absolute basis in future annual periods as we incur increased costs associated with being a public company. Operating as a public company will present additional management and reporting requirements that will significantly increase our directors’ and officers’ liability insurance premiums and professional fees such as audit and outside legal counsel support both in absolute dollars and as a percentage of revenues.

 

Amortization Expense

 

 

Amortization expense consists of charges related to the amortization of intangible assets associated with past acquisitions.

 

Amortization expense decreased by $240,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2007 as compared to the same period in 2006 because certain intangible assets related to previous acquisitions were fully amortized during 2006 and 2007.

 

Absent additional acquisitions, we expect amortization expense to continue to decline as the remaining amount of intangible assets related to previous acquisitions is amortized.

 

Interest Income, Net

 

Interest income consists primarily of interest earned from short-term investments, such as auction rate securities, and our cash and cash equivalent balances. Interest expense is incurred due to capital leases pursuant to several equipment loan and security agreements and a line of credit that we have entered into in order to finance the lease of various hardware and other equipment purchases. Our capital lease obligations are secured by a senior security interest in eligible equipment.

 

Interest income, net was $1.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2007, an increase of $1.3 million as compared to the same period in 2006. The change from 2006 to 2007 reflects the net effect of interest income that we earned on our cash balances offset by the interest expense associated with the capital leases that we had in place in each period. Our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments increased by $84.2 million to $100.2 million from $16.0 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2007 primarily due to the net proceeds from our initial public offering of $73.1 million. We also continued to reduce the outstanding balance on our outstanding capital lease obligations.

 

(Loss) Gain from Foreign Currency

 

The functional currency of our foreign subsidiaries is the local currency. All assets and liabilities are translated at the current exchange rates as of the end of the period, and revenues and expenses are translated at average rates in effect during the period. The gain or loss resulting from the process of translating the foreign currency financial statements into U.S. dollars is included as a component of other comprehensive income. Primarily due to the strength of the Canadian dollar, during the nine months ended September 30, 2007, we recorded a loss of $321,000 as compared to a loss of $24,000 in the same period in 2006. Our foreign currency transactions are recorded as a result of fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Canadian dollar, Euro and British Pound.

Provision for Income Taxes

 

As of September 30, 2007, we had net operating loss carryforwards for federal income tax purposes in the amount of approximately $74.8 million, which begin to expire in 2020 for federal and begin to expire in 2010 for state income tax reporting purposes. In the future, we intend to utilize any carryforwards available to us to reduce our tax payments. Approximately $13.3 million of our net operating loss carryforwards are subject to annual limitations under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code based on changes in percentage of our ownership. We do not expect that this limitation will impact our ability to utilize all of our net operating losses prior to their expiration. During the nine months ended September 30, 2007, we recorded an income tax provision of $181,000 as compared to no provision recorded in the same period in 2006. For the nine months ended September 30, 2007, the tax provision is comprised of an income tax expense of $239,000, reflecting our alternative minimum tax and is partly offset by a decrease of $58,000 in the deferred tax liability associated with a temporary difference related to certain acquired intangible assets.

 

Years Ended December 31, 2004, 2005 and 2006

 

Revenues