Star Alliance Set to Launch Global Advertising Campaign

Star Alliance Set to Launch Global Advertising Campaign Worldwide Airline Alliance Mounts First TV Effort SINGAPORE, April 7, 2000 - Star Alliance , the airline network for Earth, has introduced its first global television advertising campaign aimed at enhancing the brand's image among the world's international business travelers. The goal of the campaign is to increase awareness of the value of Star Alliance membership to airline travelers, as well as communicate the alliance's vision and benefits to a wide range of constituents, including partner airline employees and stockholders, corporate travel managers, the media and the travel trade. The integrated campaign, which includes television, print, out-of-home, direct mail and Internet executions, premiered on April 3, 2000. It was created by three Young & Rubicam companies: Young & Rubicam Advertising, Impiric London, and Luminant. The communications strategy is focused on highlighting the many tangible customer benefits that the Star Alliance member airlines are providing to its customers. With a wide range of services extending across all the partner airlines, such as one-stop check-in, more opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyers miles, lounge access, silver and gold frequent flyer status recognition and unsurpassed global access, flying on Star Alliance carriers provides travelers with a real form of "star treatment." The television advertisements are based on this approach. Directed by Bob Richardson, an Academy Award-nominated cinematographer with many feature films to his credit, the spots humorously depict the growth of the Star Alliance brand and the way flying on Star Alliance member airlines makes a customer's travel process feel seamless. The ads were shot on location in Los Angeles and Bangkok. The campaign will be launched globally in pan-regional efforts in Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. Specific country efforts have been bought in sixteen individual markets, including the U.S. The media strategy focuses on channels that reach international business travelers while en route, including airport out-of-home, television, and business magazines and newspapers. The campaign will be the largest for Star Alliancein its three-year history. Star Alliance was established in May of 1997. The alliance includes Air Canada, Air New Zealand, ANA - All Nippon Airways, Ansett Australia, the Austrian Airlines Group (Austrian Airlines, Lauda Air and Tyrolean Airways), Lufthansa German Airways International, SAS - Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways International, United Airlines and Varig Brazilian Airlines. With Mexicana and British Midland are slated to join Star Alliance later this year, the global partnership will include 13 members comprising 15 airlines. SAS CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/04/07/20000407BIT00540/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/04/07/20000407BIT00540/bit0002.pdf