Lewisville, TX, February 14, 2012 – Parago, a leading provider of consumer and corporate incentives in the US, today announced the acquisition of Intuitive Group International, which specializes in implementing powerful multi-channel, multi-touch global marketing programs in Europe and across the globe. Together Parago and Intuitive Group form the new Parago, an international provider of end-to-end engagement management programs for consumers, sales channels and employees.

“This acquisition pairs the United States’ leader in consumer incentives with a premiere international provider of total channel management and employee performance solutions, for a powerful combination,” said Juli Spottiswood, Parago President & CEO. “At Parago we are dedicated to continually advancing our engagement offerings, and this step will allow us to provide clients full-service programs designed to increase customer acquisition, enhance channel sales performance and reward and recognize employee performance, all from one provider. And we now offer this around the globe, with the scale and expertise that Parago is well known for.”

While Parago previously offered channel and employee programs, they were limited to US-based programs only. Intuitive Group’s robust platform includes complete channel and partner relationship management capabilities such as marketing automation, management of marketing development funds (MDF), email and direct mail, event management, campaign on demand, lead management, marketing and sales integration and campaign analytics. Additionally, Intuitive Group has a complete rewards and incentives offering that spans the globe. The employee incentive platform allows companies to improve performance, provide training incentives and reward and recognize employees.

The combination of the two incentives providers will result in a greater reach and suite of total engagement offerings, plus a client roster that includes many of the world’s leading companies, across many industries. Today, Parago provides consumer incentive and customer acquisition rewards to one out of every two US households, for several Fortune 500 companies and for some of the largest brands in America. Intuitive Group’s clients include many leading technology, telecom and financial services clients, and they deliver seven of the leading global channel management programs, servicing more than 220 countries, multiple currencies and myriad languages. Combined, the companies interact with more than 2 million channel participants around the globe, every day.

Parago will maintain the European Intuitive Group office in Reading, UK.

America’s Growth Capital served as financial advisor to Intuitive Group.

Lewisville, TX, October xx, 2011 –Parago, a leading provider of consumer and corporate incentives, today announced the launch of a promotional fulfillment service offering designed to reward and communicate to clients’ Spanish-speaking customers in their language of preference. Many consumer promotions are currently marketed in Spanish; however, translation gaps in reward fulfillment and customer service communications exist. SOLO Spanish addresses this shortfall and is now available for all Parago consumer incentive and customer acquisition programs including rebates, gift with purchase and others.

The new Spanish-language program tailors all communication touch points to the language of the customer’s choosing during reward submission. For example, once a customer identifies preference for the Spanish-language, all following communication will be tailored to this preference. SOLO Spanish will not only provide better customer service by communicating in native or language-of-preference, it will also make consumer incentives fulfillment more personalized. Some consumer promotions include two languages in all written fulfillment materials – both English and Spanish. Parago’s new program will only have a single version of each communication piece in the language that the consumer selected, speaking directly to the customer and reducing the volume of communication materials.

MetroPCS Communications, Inc. the nation’s leading provider of unlimited, no annual contract, flat-rate wireless service, has implemented SOLO Spanish with great success.

“MetroPCS’ customer-base has a large Spanish-speaking component,” said Phil Terry, senior vice president of corporate marketing, MetroPCS. “We work with Parago to help drive customer acquisition, deliver incentives and maintain ongoing engagement with our valued customers and now, with dedicated Spanish-language communication, we are able to better serve our customers.”

“Parago delivers rewards on behalf of most major consumer brands in America, and as such is pleased to offer a more personalized reward fulfillment service offering tailored specifically for Spanish-speaking consumers and Hispanic-focused marketing campaigns,” stated Juli Spottiswood, President & CEO of Parago. “As Spanish-speaking consumers represent 12 percent of US residents, SOLO Spanish will help our clients meet the increasingly diverse American consumer. Companies have realized the benefits of marketing in the native language of Spanish-speaking communities, and we are proud to extend that approach to promotion fulfillment and post-purchase communications.”

Parago provides consumer incentive and customer acquisition rewards to 1 out of every 2 US households.

A longtime leader and innovator in the consumer incentive and rebate fulfillment industry, this year Parago advanced the promotions industry again with the launch of GoRebate Mobile iPhone and Android shopping applications, which allow consumers to find great rebate deals on the go, to track the status of submitted rebates and receive alerts when a rebate deal is nearby.

While Parago has continued to expand its incentive offerings, the company saw record-setting rebate issuance in 2010, this year introduced an industry-best rewards fulfillment platform, PROP, has maintained a 98% client retention rate and continues to deliver incentive innovation and results in market.

Best in Biz Awards 2011 were presented in more than 30 categories, including Best Overall Company of the Year, Most Innovative Company of the Year, Executive of the Year and Best New Product of the Year. More than 150 entries were received in this year’s awards program, from an impressive array of public and private companies from a variety of industries, sectors and regions. The companies that won gold, silver and bronze awards in this year’s program represent the best in American business.

“I credit our success and recognition from the Best in Biz program to our ability to continually evolve promotions, to make them more rewarding for consumers and more profitable for businesses,” said Juli Spottiswood, President & CEO of Parago. “GoRebate Mobile is a great example of how Parago continued to innovate in 2011. We are thrilled to receive this award and look forward to continuing to drive the incentive and promotion industry forward.”

Winners of Best in Biz Awards 2011 were determined by scores from a panel of high-caliber judges from top-tier business and technology publications, as well as analyst firms, including: Accounting Today, AllBusiness.com, ECT News Network, eWeek Channel Insider, Financial Times, Fox News, Hartford Business Journal, Insight Media, Kelsey Group, King Features Syndicate, Lab Reviews, Network World, PC Magazine, Portfolio, Puget Sound Business Journal, Tech.Blorge, Tech-Gaming, Techtalk and Wired. The 20 judges on this year’s panel boast more than 470 years of combined experience and have written for a combined total of more than 180 consumer, business, financial, trade and technology publications nationwide.

For a full list of gold, silver and bronze winners in Best in Biz Awards 2011,
visit: http://www.bestinbizawards.com/2011-winners.

Lewisville, TX, October 13, 2011 – Countless employers have eliminated big bonuses and extravagant end-of-year celebrations. Yet many still seek simple ways to reward their staff and keep employees motivated to ensure their companies remain competitive in the recovering economy. Parago, a leading provider of consumer and corporate incentives, today announced new research that indicates that even a small token of appreciation goes a long way to keep employees motivated and feeling appreciated and loyal to their employers. In fact, 64% said a prepaid card of $50 or less would meet their expectations for an end-of-year reward, with 55% expecting $25.

According to the recently completed survey, most employees do not expect their employers to give end-of-year rewards or holiday gifts this year, yet an even bigger majority indicates that even a little reward would be greatly appreciated. In fact, 81% say that end-of-year rewards are a nice thing to do for employees but should not be expected. This data uncovers a missed opportunity for employers to foster a loyal environment and maintain a productive workforce:  respondents overwhelmingly reported positive emotions about an employer that would give a holiday or end-of-year reward, if even a small one. Key findings of the research include:

• Small rewards make a big impact: 84% of employees reported that an end-of-year reward of a prepaid card valued at $100 or less would meet their expectations.  55% of employees said it would take just a $25 prepaid card to meet their expectations.
• Holiday incentives are not expected this year: 69% of employees do not expect their employers to give end-of-year rewards or holiday gifts this year, with the main reasons being lower company profits, missed quotas, lack of appreciation for employees or the fact that their company does not normally give out holiday rewards.
• Rewards will boost morale: 81% of employees said a reward would make them feel either appreciated, motivated to work harder or more loyal to the company. 79% of employees said that receiving an end-of-year reward would mean that they had done a great job and worked hard or that their employer appreciates and/or values them.
• Prepaid cards are the incentive of choice: When asked what type of holiday gift they would like to receive, prepaid gift cards backed by Visa or MasterCard came out on top with 57%, over gift cards, company-branded merchandise or cash. An overwhelming 85% of survey respondents said they would feel grateful if they received a prepaid card as a holiday reward this year. When asked about their favorite features of prepaid cards, the majority pointed to the fact that prepaid cards can be spent almost anywhere and at multiple retailers.

“Employees are not expecting rewards this year, but if they received one it would clearly foster positive attitudes and behavior that could help many companies compete in this tough economy,” said Juli Spottiswood, President & CEO of Parago. “Whether it is for the holidays or as an end-of-year incentive, our research shows that employee rewards are dearly appreciated, no matter the value. Low-dollar prepaid cards are an easy way to reward employees given the many benefits of the cards – not to mention they remove any guesswork from giving the ‘right’ reward to a diverse group of people.”

Last month Parago launched PROP™ (Parago Reward Ordering Portal), a proprietary reward ordering portal that provides large organizations a central destination for ordering, loading, activating and customizing Visa® prepaid cards for incentives and rewards. PROP is a perfect portal for companies seeking a quick and easy way to obtain employee incentives this holiday season.

September 8, 2011 (Lewisville, TX) – Today Parago introduced PROP™ (Parago Reward Ordering Portal), a proprietary enterprise reward ordering portal that provides large organizations a central destination for ordering, loading, activating and customizing Visa® prepaid cards for incentives and rewards. The one-stop online destination is a customizable portal that makes the prepaid incentive procurement process simple. PROP facilitates total self-service for the end-user, allowing companies to select cards, customize language and collateral, load, activate, pay and ship all in one, hierarchical, managed environment. The portal is designed to make reward and incentive ordering quicker, simpler and more auditable by allowing users to place orders, manage budgets, customize reward amounts, and design and track redemption within approved parameters.

Parago (www.parago.com) is an industry leader in delivering engaging incentives, delivering more than 10 million prepaid cards annually and more than $2.5 billion in awards each year.

PROP delivers tremendous user control and customization, allowing users to:
• Load any number of custom or stock cards
• Set permission-based access to specific card designs and collateral
• Establish budget and approval process within portal
• Pay by purchasing card, wire or ACH
• Ship direct to end user, with bulk ship options available
• Send out activated cards and activate through portal
• Access detailed reporting and auditing
• Implement company-wide pricing structure, maximizing efficiencies
• Streamline the organization’s internal brand and legal approval with cross-department availability and reward centralization
• Order 5 -5,000,000 cards, available on demand with multiple communication options

Many large companies struggle with the reward and incentives purchasing and procurement process, as it often requires coordination of multiple contracts with a number of approved vendors, various pricing schedules, and internal brand and legal review. In response to this problem, PROP was designed to simplify the reward ordering process, and centralize, streamline and standardize the procurement effort.

The platform provides a single destination for enterprises that before had to coordinate different incentives through different departments, such as Human Resources, Finance, Sales and Marketing. Using PROP, all departments have access to a prepaid incentive ordering and customization portal, which can be set up with pre-approved configuration designed on a user basis and a hierarchical structure including approval and budget capabilities and restrictions. Companies have the ability to select from a range of standard designs, or create custom designs to fit within a specific product line, promotion, achievement or theme. Users can leverage scale, pre-approved materials, simple ordering, and a robust reporting and audit trail.

“We developed PROP to solve a request that we heard time and time again: our clients need a centralized repository to order and re-order Visa prepaid cards,” stated Juli Spottiswood, President & CEO of Parago. “Whether it is a short run of cards used by HR for employee recognition, or thousands of cards for a large-scale consumer incentive program, PROP enables all departments within an enterprise to procure prepaid incentives through a few quick clicks.”

PROP is designed for organizations large and small to deliver a streamlined and synthesized ordering process.

“The launch of PROP is just in time for those organizations looking for an enterprise-wide way to deliver great holiday rewards,” continued Spottiswood. “Clients can provide a solution that lets managers and brand owners deliver unique rewards to their audience, whether it be employee, customer or client, easily and in a standardized process.”

For more information, a demo or pricing on PROP, contact the Parago Prepaid Team at 888.219.7533.

August 16, 2011 (Lewisville, TX) – The Metroplex Technology Business Council (MTBC), the largest technology trade organization in Texas, has named Parago a finalist in the Technology Adopter category as part of the 11th Annual Tech Titans and Titan Fast Tech Awards. Tech Titans are recognized as outstanding technology companies and individuals in the North Texas area who have made significant contributions to their industries during the past year. Parago was selected in recognition of its Synergy™ incentives platform.

Synergy is the heart of Parago’s incentives capabilities as a reward platform provider, and the proprietary transaction processing platform was designed to simplify, automate and provide systemic management of consumer incentive programs. It is a high-capacity, flexible, rules-based reward processing system that allows for an infinite number of predetermined fixed, variable and random awards to be processed in a consistent and controlled manner.

“Our technology provides the foundation that allows us to innovate meaningful and high-value incentive programs for consumers and the businesses that provide them,” said Juli Spottiswood, President & CEO of Parago.

“We are honored to be recognized for the Synergy platform, which has had a significant impact on the promotional incentives industry by introducing dramatic paradigm shifts positively affecting cost structures, time to market and customer experience and allowed us to develop creative solutions for our clients.”

The Tech Titans Award winners will be revealed at the Tech Titans Award Gala at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas, on Friday, August 26, 2011.  More information about the event is available at www.metroplextbc.org/techtitans.

“Tech Titans is the premier recognition of fast-growing, highly innovative companies that contribute to the vibrancy of the North Texas economy and make our region an exciting place to live and work,” said Hernan Giraldo, Vice-President Sales for applications software at Alcatel-Lucent, and Chair of the MTBC’s Tech Titans steering committee. “We look forward to showcasing true leaders in our industry and celebrating their hard work and creativity.”

Besides the MTBC and Title Sponsor SoftLayer, other supporters of the Tech Titans Awards event include Ericsson, VCE, RIM, Digital Realty Trust, Fujitsu Network Communications, Deloitte, AT&T, BKD LLP, Huawei, Munck Carter, Alcatel-Lucent, Employer Flexible, BDO, Haynes and Boone LLP, Telecommunications Industry Association, University of North Texas, University of Texas at Dallas, AVMG, Park Place Porsche, creative sponsor SKSW and the Dallas Business Journal. Travis Wolff and Comerica Bank Life Science are sponsors for Fast Tech. The Fast Tech Awards recognize the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex over a tree year period.

August 11, 2011 (Lewisville, TX) – Back-to-school is back in season and retailers are gearing up for the growing group of deal-seeking consumers that are expected to hit their school supply shelves. In a survey recently completed by Parago, the nation’s largest rebate provider, 97% of moms who plan on shopping for back-to-school supplies said they plan to look for sales or specials and 72% say price is the number one factor when shopping for the items. This number is up compared to a Parago survey completed earlier this year that found 67% of shoppers think the most important factor when shopping for everyday household items is price.

Rebate awareness has also increased among consumers today. According to mothers who plan on shopping for back-to-school supplies in 2011, 54% plan on looking for or purchasing back-to-school items that offer rebates this year. Of this same group, only 39% said they looked for or purchased items that offer rebates in previous years.

“Rebates have always been a great way to get an even deeper discount on items you’re already purchasing, especially during the back-to-school season when we see many of our clients offer a larger number of rebates,” stated Juli Spottiswood, President & CEO of Parago, which provides consumer rebate programs for many large retailers across the country. “Now that awareness about rebates is growing, many consumers are integrating rebate savings into their budgets to get more for less.”

The back-to-school Parago survey also reported that 63% of moms shopping for school supplies this year will use coupons. Comparison shopping will also be popular, as 63% of moms said they plan on shopping in two to three stores for their back-to-school lists. According to recent PriceGrabber® survey data, 69% of consumers plan to shop online and use comparison shopping sites to save money, compared to only 23% who said they would in 2010. In addition, 41% of shoppers indicated that they will visit retailer websites to print out coupons, versus 33% last year.

Retailers have already stocked their back-to-school aisles for the $68 billion that is expected to flow from K-12 and college parents’ pocketbooks in preparation for the upcoming school year, according to the National Retail Federation. This is an increase from the $55 billion spent in 2010 on back-to-school shopping. US families with children in grades K-12 are expected to spend an average of $603.63, just a few dollars short of last year’s average of $606.40. According to Parago, 75% of mothers shopping for back-to-school supplies will spend about the same or more this year compared to 2010.

Mobile shopping will also play a significant role in how moms shop for back-to-school supplies this year. According to Nielsen findings, US smartphone users account for approximately 30% of the population and a recent survey by Greystripe® shows that 66% of smartphone-using moms indicated that their mobile device plays a role in shopping. Of these mobile shoppers, 45% said they use their smartphones to locate the nearest store locations, while 36% said they price compare with their mobile devices. Also, 57% of moms using smartphones reported using coupons every time they shop. In response to this growing demand for information on-the-go, Parago recently released an iPhone and Android mobile application, GoRebate Mobile, which allows consumers to find nearby rebates, track submitted rebate statuses and more. For information about GoRebate Mobile, visit http://www.gorebate.com/mobile-app.html.

July 13, 2011 (Lewisville, TX) – Remember when clipping coupons was embarrassing? Well, smart shopping is in, and thanks to mobile apps and bargain bloggers, it’s easier than ever. Today’s consumers demand great deals – through things like extreme couponing, flash marketing sites and rebates – and no customer expects to pay full retail price. GoRebate Mobile, launching today, taps into consumers’ desire to save, and save big, on demand.

Beginning today, consumers are able to download (for free!) the first-ever mobile rebate shopping app available for both iPhone and Android: GoRebate Mobile. GoRebate Mobile is designed to provide consumers with the ability to find great rebate deals on the go, as well as the power to track the status of submitted rebates and receive alerts when a rebate deal is nearby.

More than 83% of consumers are actively seeking rebates, and GoRebate Mobile delivers high-value rebate deals to consumers, based on where they are. GoRebate Mobile provides an unprecedented level of on-demand deal information empowering consumers to get the best deal, on the go. Consumers everywhere are loving rebates: “I am a total rebate fan,” stated blogger Las Vegas Coupon Mom. “The rebate is sort of like free money,” she continued. “[Rebates] are worth the time and cost of the stamp to me.”

“Today’s consumers expect great deals and an easy way to research them. GoRebate Mobile empowers the consumer to be presented with and find great deals in their areas using GPS technology,” said Juli Spottiswood, President & CEO of Parago, rebate processor and owner of GoRebate Mobile. “Shopping apps are changing the way consumers shop and save. Rebates give consumers deeper discounts than traditional sales and now the process is even easier to find those deep discounts. GoRebate makes it easy for consumers to instantly find rebates on the products they love, in the stores they are near.”

GoRebate Mobile is also joined by the GoRebate Community (www.gorebate.com), an online source that delivers great deals and money-saving tips. More information about the GoRebate Community can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

GoRebate and GoRebate Mobile are powered by Parago, a leading rebate provider and innovator of reward programs that drive behavior and promote customer loyalty. The GoRebate mobile app was created by Bottle Rocket Apps, developer of the popular NPR iPhone and iPad apps, and is currently available as a free download for both iPhone and Android smartphones.

GoRebate Mobile comes on the heels of research conducted by Parago that shows that of consumers who use their phones to look for deals while shopping, 68% are doing so to search specific products and deals. Also, recent Nielsen research indicates that smartphones will account for more than half of the US mobile phone market by the end of 2011. Offering consumers the ability to find deep discounts via rebates will answer the growing market of savvy mobile shoppers.

GoRebate Mobile allows consumers to easily enjoy a robust rebating experience; users are able to:

• Be presented with available rebates based on their current location
• Browse for rebates in their area either by retailer or product category
• Access rebate terms and conditions
• Share specific rebate promotions with others via text, email, Facebook or Twitter, or tag them for a reminder at a later date
• Track submitted rebates to see where they are in the redemption process
• Track the card balance of their rebates paid out on prepaid cards issued by Parago
• Set alerts for rebates by proximity and frequency

For more information about GoRebate, download the application for free in the iTunes App Store or Android Market, or visit www.gorebate.com.

July 13, 2011 (Lewisville, TX) – Parago (www.parago.com), a leading provider of innovative reward programs that drive behavior and promote brand loyalty with consumers, today announced GoRebate Mobile™, the first mobile shopping applications for iPhone and Android focused on rebates that allow marketers to deliver rebates directly into the hands of value-seeking consumers. GoRebate utilizes the latest technology available for mobile phones and was created by leading app developer Bottle Rocket, which has designed apps for major brands such as Discovery Channel, NPR and American Express. GoRebate is the first consumer-facing offering from promotions powerhouse Parago, which is the nation’s largest rebate provider.

“We are dedicated to helping our clients drive successful promotional programs. GoRebate Mobile provides access to the exponentially growing demographic of price-savvy consumers that rely on their smart phones to shop and research deals. Our statistics show that of the people aware of shopping apps, 66% want to receive proactive rebate and cash-back deals,” said Juli Spottiswood, President & CEO of rebate processor Parago. “As the industry leader in rebates, it is imperative to drive this innovation on behalf of our clients and their customers. Marketing and consumer expectations are rapidly evolving, and we are able to deliver the innovation and technology to push our clients to the forefront.”

GoRebate Mobile, which launched in the iTunes App Store and Android Market today and is free to download, utilizes an intuitive and user-friendly design and allows users to:

• Be presented with available rebates based on their current location
• Browse for rebates in their area either by retailer or product category
• Access rebate terms and conditions
• Share specific rebate promotions with others via text, email, Facebook or Twitter, or tag them for a reminder at a later date
• Track submitted rebates to see where they are in the redemption process
• Track the card balance of their rebates paid out on prepaid cards issued by Parago
• Set alerts for rebates by proximity and frequency

GoRebate Mobile was designed to be a practical tool for value-seeking consumers that are likely to use rebates, and deliver high-value content to people seeking savings. The progressive technology behind GoRebate allows it to seamlessly integrate into consumers’ existing shopping routines and enables browsing for or notification of rebates in their area.

“Parago identified a huge opportunity in shopper marketing,” stated Calvin Carter, President of Bottle Rocket. “GoRebate Mobile leverages the latest technology in shopping and geo-location technology to deliver customers directly to retailers and manufacturers. We are thrilled with the end result of this partnership, and have been excited to innovate alongside Parago. By combining the best in rebating with the best in mobile app technology, we have created a great service.”

The app’s innovative sensitivity features are intelligent enough to know when to re-query Parago’s server not only based on new location, but also on rate of movement. For example, rather than continually notifying a user that is driving down the highway of new rebates, it can send notifications of nearby rebates when the user has slowed or come to a stop.

GoRebate Mobile aims to solve a genuine problem in the marketplace: until now retailers had to actively do something to market rebate promotions to the public or they had to hope that consumers would notice them in their stores. GoRebate offers a whole new avenue for businesses to make consumers aware of rebates and to drive store traffic and sales lift.

GoRebate currently includes rebate promotions from select Parago clients across a number of retail, manufacturer and service categories.

For more information about GoRebate, download the application for free in the iTunes App Store or Android Market or visit http://www.gorebate.com.

July 06, 2011 (Lewisville, TX) – Parago (www.parago.com), provider of innovative reward programs that drive behavior and promote brand loyalty with consumers and sales channels, today announced that it ranked number 20 on PROMO magazine’s 2011 PROMO 100 list of the top U.S. promotion agencies.

Parago, a leading incentive provider, delivered more than 50 million incentives last year. Due to downward economic pressures, the impact of rewards and incentives – consumer, sales and channel alike – has increased dramatically. Parago enabled retailers and manufacturers to take advantage of the growing draw of incentives to cultivate more loyal customers and more engaged sales teams through a great reward experience.

“While consumer confidence remains low, we give our clients a competitive edge with modernized customer acquisition and incentive programs that delight end-users and deliver powerful ROI. I credit our innovation in designing and implementing industry-leading incentive programs for our continued success,” said Juli Spottiswood, President & CEO of Parago. “We are pleased to once again be recognized by the PROMO 100 amidst the top promotion agencies in the country.”

The PROMO 100 is the prestigious annual ranking of the Top 100 U.S. promotion agencies, from PROMO, which covers the field of promotional marketing for The Chief Marketer Network. For more than 15 years, PROMO has presented this ranking to recognize the best and brightest agencies in the promotion industry, allowing agencies to weight themselves against competitors, while showcasing their strengths to existing and potential clients. The PROMO 100 ranks promotion agencies in order of 2010 U.S. net revenue.