Alloy, Inc. (ALOY)

Alloy is a youth oriented media and marketing services company, targeting customers aged between 10 and 24. Its promotion segment specializes in the event and field marketing, sampling and acquisitions programs, internet design services, and consumer research. Media segment comprises entertainment media assets, including its out-of-home, internet, database, specialty print and entertainment businesses, and the placement segment provides advertising placement solutions for marketers.

Competition in the industry is intense since the target population is the fastest growing demographic with 35% of the US population under the age of 24. Also, adults and teens spend considerable time watching television or surfing internet. Led by surging growth in the online sector, global entertainment and media sector is set to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 6.6% till 2010. However, Alloy has not managed to capitalize on the opportunities in this money-spinning market. The company’s peers Omnicom or WPP Group have progressed much faster in this flourishing industry.

Alloy’s overall performance has been pretty mediocre with meager turnover growth. The growth of media segment that contributes about 26% has seen huge downslides in revenue growth. Also, placement segment is not in a good shape with substantial tumble in top-line. Revenues also suffered due to the termination of mall marketing sponsorship programme at the end of fiscal 2005. Though, leverage has improved, it was primarily due to slide in placement revenues that has higher variable costs. Besides, prior acquisitions of Dan’s Competition and dELiAs by the company have been a failure. Woeful tale continues as their Sconex acquisition appears in doldrums with massive decline in page views since April 2006. In the light of all these facts, the ailing stock seems to have hardly any upside potential