ATLANTA, May 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Kudzu.com, a local business search engine that connects consumers with local service professionals, received a Gold Award from the Service Industry Advertising Awards (SIAA) for its total advertising campaign used to launch the website in Las Vegas, San Diego, and Arizona - as well as to accelerate its growth in Atlanta.

Over 2,000 entries were received for the awards and a national panel of judges evaluated and rated entries based on execution, creativity, quality, consumer appeal and overall break through advertising content. Bigelow Advertising, based in Atlanta, handled creative and production.

As a result of extensive cross-media promotion and positive word-of-mouth, Kudzu.com now lists over 250,000 local businesses in a wide variety of business categories, a significant number of which have upgraded to include more detailed information, photos, maps, special deals, and videos. Plus, consumers can find over 100,000 ratings and reviews from people who have used the service professionals that they are considering hiring.

"Kudzu.com gives local businesses a venue to tell their full story with detailed information - and to showcase their work with video and photos. When you combine that with our own aggressive online and offline promotional campaigns, it's a powerful tool for local businesses to generate new business." said Tom Bates, Vice President and General Manager of Kudzu.com.

Kudzu.com Delivers Big Results for Local Businesses Here's what local businesses have to say about Kudzu.com:

"Kudzu.com has tripled our business! We've never gotten the kind of response from any other advertising vehicle as what we've gotten from Kudzu.com," said Kerry Chase, co-owner, along with his son, Jason, of J & J Drain and Sewer. "New customers trust us even before they've used us, as a result of the reviews they read on Kudzu.com."

J & J Drain and Sewer is a family-owned plumbing operation that provides drain and sewer service and repair as well as other plumbing needs.

"I don't think there's a day that goes by without a call from our listing on Kudzu.com," said John Dagostino, owner of Ohana Pool & Spa Care. "I've been waiting for the phone to ring from our Yellow Pages ad for three months now! The extensive advertising Kudzu.com does helps drive more and more people to the site. Kudzu.com is helping so many of us small business owners. We love you!"

Ohana Pool & Spa Care offers commercial and residential swimming pool service and repair

"Kudzu.com's cross-media advertising push drives more consumers to its site and our listing. Customer reviews then sell them on us," says Walter Wiesboeck, owner of Motorcars International. "As a result, Kudzu.com users are becoming a larger portion of our business every week."

Motorcars International is a full-service repair and maintenance facility specializing in Acura, BMW, Honda, SAAB, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo automobiles.

Kudzu.com features include: -- The Virtual House--a completely interactive, visual environment that gives consumers quick access to home service pros, tip sheets and checklists, and a fun way to fix, fantasize and fulfill their home improvement dreams. -- Advice- A "central intelligence" channel for tips, tools, how-to, and other advice for finding, hiring, and getting the most from service pros in a wide variety of categories. -- Map All Results-A print-out, carry and keep favorite that makes it easy for consumers to see where their restaurant search results are located, and to make dinner plans right from the car. -- Side by Side Comparisons-a handy feature that lets consumers see at a glance which of their service pro choices best fits their needs. -- Video Ads-a new advertising opportunity that lets consumers see and hear business owners online, easily accessed on service pro listings as well as consolidated on a convenient video channel.

Kudzu.com is owned and operated by Cox Search, Inc, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises, a leading media company and provider of automotive services. The SIAA is the only advertising awards to specifically recognize the achievements of the service industry.

CONTACT: Bobby Amirshahi of Cox Enterprises, +1-678-645-4518, or
Bobby.Amirshahi@coxinc.com, for Kudzu.com

Web site: http://www.kudzu.com/