ValueStar Launches Advertising Campaign

Alameda, CA-based ValueStar Corp., which provides online customer satisfaction ratings of local service businesses, said it plans a marketing campaign via newspapers, radio and the Internet beginning in June.

The campaign is being launched with a half-page ad in the Los Angeles Times. Radio spots in the San Francisco Bay area also are planned. While increasing brand awareness is the primary goal, another aim is to increase traffic to the company’s search engine site, said ValueStar’s Managing Director James Stein.

In addition to the newspapers and radio, ValueStar said it has begun an advertising relationship with Yahoo Spending was not disclosed. Through Yahoo, ValueStar is able to target local consumers in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas.

ValueStar’s site features a SmartShopper tool, allowing consumers to locate local top-rated companies within a given area, then enter there own information regarding the service they require, when they require it and other pertinent data. This information is automatically emailed to all the top-rated companies meeting the search parameters.

ValueStar provides independent customer satisfaction ratings for e-commerce sites. To rate each local company, ValueStar conducts a statistically valid number of customer satisfaction surveys and audits their license, insurance and complaint status. Top-rated companies qualify to use the ValueStar Certified symbol as a marketing tool.