WOBURN, Mass. -- July 27, 2004 -- Mirror Image(R) Internet, a leading adaptive network for online content, application and transaction delivery, today announced the company is the exclusive hosting and streaming delivery provider for the American Museum of the Moving Image's new online exhibition The Living Room Candidate: Presidential Campaign Commercials 1952-2004, on display at www.movingimage.us. Since its launch on July 1, 2004, the exhibition has drawn significant interest, with the Web site seeing a 1650 percent increase in daily visitors and Mirror Image powering more than 350,000 streams.
As the trend for utilizing the Web for political purposes grows, streaming media is becoming a popular avenue for people who are looking for education and to gain perspective on both historical and current political events. Presenting over 250 presidential campaign commercials dating from 1952 along with more recent Web-based advertisements, The Living Room Candidate exhibition includes streaming video, historical analysis, election results and a searchable database. Hosted and reliably delivered by Mirror Image's on-demand streaming solutions, visitors to the Museum's Web site are able to seamlessly watch hours of political commercials while navigating freely between different election years, advertising formats and issues. Traffic statistics indicate that site visitors are thoroughly "walking through" the exhibition, with the number of page views per visitor averaging at 25 and 20 percent of users staying longer than 15 minutes.
"We are thrilled with the positive reception the exhibition has received so far. By leveraging the capacity of Mirror Image's global network, we have been able to successfully attract and hold the interest of our growing audience -- up to 15,000 visitors a day -- by consistently delivering reliable and efficient streams that come close to replicating the quality of the original, televised material," said Carl Goodman, the Museum's Curator of Digital Media & Director of New Media Projects and co-curator of The Living Room Candidate. "Additionally, our partnership with Mirror Image ensures us that as the Museum's online hosting requirements grow, Mirror Image will be able to meet our capacity needs."
Delivering Over 50 Years of Political Perspective
Demonstrating how advertising techniques and styles have evolved over the years, The Living Room Candidate includes such landmark ads as the groundbreaking "Eisenhower Answers America" spots of 1952, the notorious "Daisy Girl" ad from Lyndon Johnson's 1964 campaign, Ronald Reagan's "Morning in America" ads from 1984, and the controversial attack ads ran during George Bush's 1988 campaign. The exhibition also contains a selection of 2004 commercials, and a new section, The Desktop Candidate, which highlights the rapidly growing medium of Web-based advertising.
"There was a time when our nation's video history was available only to the select few; those who were willing to travel, to search through vaults and scan through stacks of aging tapes," said Jeff Marcus, Vice President of Streaming Media for Mirror Image. "Now, thanks to The Living Room Candidate and the power of streaming media, Mirror Image is honored to help the American Museum of the Moving Image deliver some of these treasures to the world."
About the American Museum of the Moving Image
The American Museum of the Moving Image is the only institution in the United States dedicated exclusively to the study of film, television, and digital media, and to examining their impact on American culture and society. A pioneer in its field, the Museum houses over 100,000 moving image artifacts. It presents many of these objects in its dynamic core exhibition Behind the Screen; annually screens more than 400 films; hosts notable series of personal appearances, lectures, and seminars; and operates an education program that serves 20,000 students and 1,500 educators each year. The museum is located at 35 Avenue at 36 Street, Astoria, NY 11106.
About Mirror Image Internet
Mirror Image(R) Internet, a leading adaptive network for online content, application and transaction delivery, provides innovative Web computing solutions that offer e-businesses a smarter way to create more engaging Web experiences for users worldwide. With an enterprise-class platform combining an optimal mix of connectivity, processing power and storage, Mirror Image gives retail, advertising/media and software companies the control they need to deliver the Right Content to the Right Customer at the Right Time. Principally owned by Xcelera Inc. (AMEX:XLA), Mirror Image increases revenue opportunities, reduces infrastructure costs and improves customer satisfaction for Global 2000 enterprises, e-businesses and service/hosting providers worldwide through its corporate headquarters in Woburn, Massachusetts. For additional information, please visit www.mirror-image.com or call +1 866 374 4113.
