RedPlum Announces Search For America's Most 'VALUEable' City

LIVONIA, Mich., Feb. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --  RedPlum®, a leading provider of deals and savings on brands consumers want most, announced today its search for America's Most "VALUEable" City. Based on coupon data from redplum.com as well as third-party research on digital deal seekers, free activities and dining out, RedPlum has identified the following cities as the top five contenders – Atlanta , Chicago, Dallas, New York and Phoenix . Voting for the contest continues through Feb. 23 on RedPlum's Facebook page ( www.facebook.com/redplumsaves).

"Our goal at RedPlum is to help people live the value lifestyle, so we appreciate the cities throughout the United States that do this best," said Lisa Reynolds, RedPlum's Mom Saver-in-Chief. "Each finalist city has residents who love a great deal, are both digitally connected clicking for deals right alongside clipping for savings, are cost conscious and take advantage of the park space and free activities their city has to offer."

The four data points used to identify the top five finalist cities include:

• Parkland – Where parkland abounds, there are lots of free things to do from picnicking to hiking, swimming, or bicycling ( source: The Trust for Public Land: 2011 City Park Facts).
• Digital deal seekers – As digital continues to grow, value seekers look for deals from a variety of sources and are tuned in to today's technology (source: Scarborough Research, Scarborough USA+ Study).
• Average cost of food and beverage  –  Food and beverages – whether for groceries or eating out – create a great opportunity to save and those MVC contenders are keeping their costs in check  (source: Bundle.com).
• Print-at-home coupons – There is something to be said for clicking from the comfort of your home and those who live in the MVCs are printing at home most often ( source: redplum.com 2011 prints).

The residents of each finalist city have shown that they embrace the value lifestyle. For example, Atlanta printed over 572,000 coupons in 2011 and 59 percent regularly download offers to their grocery loyalty card or phone number. Seventy-seven percent of Chicago area residents save up to $50 a week using coupons and deals, which could amount to about $2,600 over the course of a year. Additionally, 35 percent visit their favorite savings or deal websites daily looking to score a great deal. In Dallas, 59 percent share or swap coupons and hot deals with their family and friends and 32 percent use digital deals. New Yorkers are technologically connected with 29 percent using digital deals when they seek out value, and with 4,000 street food vendors, an inexpensive meal can be had. Finally, 63 percent of Phoenix residents have become savvier and are using more print coupons than last year and are taking advantage of free activities in the 62,192 acres of parkland at their disposable. These savings strategies can be adopted no matter what city you live in, helping you save hundreds of dollars per year.

RedPlum will reward the winning city with a $1,000 donation to a food bank in their areas. The food banks in the running include:

• Atlanta : Atlanta Community Food Bank
• Chicago : Greater Chicago Food Depository
• Dallas : North Texas Food Bank
• New York : Food Bank For New York City
• Phoenix : Desert Mission Food Bank

For more information about RedPlum's Most Valueable City contest, please visit www.facebook.com/redplumsaves or www.re dplum.com/mvc.

About RedPlum®

RedPlum brings consumers relevant offers and good deals on the brands they want most to best stretch their budgets. We deliver deals on a weekly basis to over 100 million shoppers in the mailbox, in the newspaper, in-store and online. At redplum.com and save.com, you will find one of the largest collections of printable coupons, coupon codes and savings tips along with the best deals and the sweetest coupons plus trends, tips and inside information on what to wear, buy and do right now. RedPlum is the consumer brand of Valassis, a Michigan-based company that has been delivering savings and value for 40 years. Building upon our wish to help American families, we empower the public to take part in the effort to help safely recover missing children through our America's Looking For Its Missing Children® program, which appears on our RedPlum products. For more information, visit http://www.redplum.com and http://www.save.com. To learn about advertising opportunities with RedPlum, please call 1-800-437-0479.

SOURCE Valassis

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