America Online 2014 Annual Report Download - page 20

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Brand Group offerings include original content produced by professional journalists from new and
traditional media, politicians, celebrities, academics, policy experts, freelance writers and bloggers, our curated
content and curated and aggregated content from third parties and user-generated content. Our content offerings
are made available to broad audiences through sites such as AOL.com and The Huffington Post, and related sites,
as well as to specialized audiences on highly-targeted, branded properties, such as Engadget and TechCrunch.
Some of these sites also serve as entry points for our other services, such as AOL Search. Additionally, we have
entered into joint ventures and other strategic partnerships with third parties with established brands in an effort
to expand our content offerings. To facilitate the intake, creation, management and publication of original
content, we utilize publishing platforms and content management systems that are designed to scale in a cost-
effective manner in order to produce a large variety of relevant content for consumers. In some instances, we
have entered into third party partnerships in certain content verticals, which typically provide that the Brand
Group receives a share of advertising revenue sold on a co-branded site. The Brand Group continues to simplify
its brand portfolio, focusing on fewer, more relevant brands and in 2014 we shuttered or disposed of several
brands, including Patch. For more information related to our material dispositions, see “Note 4” in our
accompanying consolidated financial statements. The Brand Group offers many highly engaging and relevant
brands, including:
• AOL.com-AOL.com curates and aggregates compelling and engaging content, including content
verticals around news, sports, entertainment and finance, and provides easy access to important
services such as AOL Search and AOL Mail. We seek to continuously develop and refine our home
page by offering enhanced features and functionality, including original video content and user
interface improvements.
• The Huffington Post-an influential news, opinion and lifestyle website with user comments, which also
includes many sections that offer news and perspectives on different subject areas, such as
multicultural issues, healthy living and politics. We have expanded The Huffington Post internationally
and it is now in over 10 countries, largely through partnerships with established local media companies.
In 2014 and beyond we seek to continue the expansion of The Huffington Post. Additionally, HP Live!
provides live online streaming video programming that leverages The Huffington Post’s community
and social platform and invites real-time viewer engagement and interaction by smartphone, tablet or
webcams.
• MapQuest-a leading online mapping and directions service. We seek to continue to supplement our
MapQuest offerings beyond navigation through the launch of original travel content and enhanced trip
planning features. We plan on further refining our mobile products with features and enhancements that
enable users to experience trips more efficiently. MapQuest also licenses its business-to-business
services to third party customers.
• Other brands-Moviefone, TechCrunch, Engadget, Makers and StyleMePretty
Through different services operated by AOL Platforms, advertisers are able to access inventory on Brand
Group properties and our AOL Properties are able to optimize their content offerings, using multi-screen content
optimization and personalization.
Increasingly, consumers access the internet on devices other than a personal computer. We continue to
develop and offer applications for our existing desktop products and services that are optimized for display on
portable devices, such as smartphones and tablets, and on internet-enabled televisions. In addition, we also
continue to develop and offer applications specific to such devices.
We plan to continue our focus on creating a better user experience across our brands, investing in mobile
applications within the Brand Group, prioritizing launches of key brands, collaborating with other providers in
order to have our mobile applications included in their offerings, and expanding our mobile advertising platform.
We offer AOL search on AOL Properties within the Brand Group and Membership Group.
4