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Macy's Passport '99 Goes Digital In Its Alliance With Excite@Home First online fashion show run totally by the user; Exclusive celebrity chats with Cindy Crawford and Tommy Hilfiger
on September 15th and 16th
Redwood City, CA, September 7, 1999 Excite@Home (Nasdaq:ATHM), one of the
leading brands on the Web, today unveiled the interactive entertainment
site for
this year's Macy's Passport '99 "Extreme" event series,
http://macyspassport.excite.com. For the first time, consumers across the
country can experience the celebrities and fashion shows of Macy's Passport
with a dynamic 3-D virtual fashion show, exclusive celebrity chats and the
chance to win the online sweepstakes.
Excite@Home is the online sponsor of Macy's Passport ‘99, making this the
first
time an Internet portal is sponsoring and hosting an online presence for the
internationally known Macy's Passport events. Macy's Passport, in partnership
with American Express, is a series of fashion and celebrity events (three
evenings in San Francisco and one spectacular evening in Los Angeles with
American Express) that brings together individuals and corporations to raise
funds for the continuing HIV/AIDS crisis.
"Excite @Home is thrilled to be of assistance to Macy's Passport '99 in their
fight against HIV/AIDS crisis," said Fred Siegel, senior vice-president of
marketing, Excite@Home. "As we enter the millennium, we are glad that we can
provide the technical support and resources to Macy's in bringing this
incredible event to thousands of people over the Web."
As a major sponsor this year, Excite@Home has created the
http://macyspassport.excite.com site where anyone online can be part of the
fashion and celebrity glamour of Macy's Passport and get information about the
events.
Do the Catwalk About the 3-D Virtual Fashion Show
This is the first fashion show where the audience decides what they
view
and how they set the stage on the runway. Excite@Home's Extreme Team, with
technology created by Shout Interactive, is presenting the first online
environment for consumers to become the show producer - selecting the model
they want, the outfit, the lighting, runway, music, and camera angles. They
can also change the model's walks, poses, hair, and skin color. This 3-D
virtual fashion show gives each user a one-of-a-kind experience and is the
first time Macy's Passport can give users an intimate way of interacting with
some of the designers featured at the shows.
"Working with Excite@Home on this highly interactive and very
cutting-edge virtual fashion show has been a great experience," said Bill
Bigler, fashion director, Macy's West. "We are thrilled to bring this feature
and the event itself to consumers this year."
Serving as a preview, the outfits featured in the virtual fashion show include
clothing from Cynthia Rowley, Joe Boxer, Tommy Jeans, Marithe and Francois
Girbaud and Chaiken & Capone. A majority of the outfits selected for this
virtual show will also be prominent on the actual runway at Macy's Passport
'99.
Strip down to your boxers and bikini underwear. Excite@Home has created a
unique functionality with the Joe Boxer line. By selecting the "smiley face"
graphic, Internet users can undress the model down to his/her Joe Boxer
underwear -- a feature that promises to be one of the most popular.
On the Chatwalk: About the Celebrity Chats
Excite@Home invites fashion enthusiasts to chat with the nationally recognized
celebrities and visionaries in the fashion industry. Chatters can have
one-on-one conversations with their favorite designer or celebrity. Tune
in to
the following high style chats for two evenings of interviews brought to you
exclusively by Excite@Home and Macy's.
Wednesday, September 15th beginning at 5:00pm PT
| 5:00pm | Dave Mira |
| 5:30pm | Tommy Hilfiger (confirmed) |
| 6:00pm | Mandy Moore |
Thursday September 16th beginning at 7:00pm PT
| 7:00 PT | Nicholas Graham |
| 7:30 PT | Cindy Crawford |
More, More, More
In addition to participating in the 3d virtual fashion show and celebrity
chats, at http://macyspassport.excite.com consumers can enter to win prizes in
the "Extreme Dream" Sweepstakes. Web users can find information on purchasing
tickets to any of the Macy's Passport '99 "Extreme" events (details below),
read the history of Macy's Passport, view the San Francisco and Los Angeles
events schedule for this year's Passport '99 and get information about the
sponsors. Complete contest rules may be found at
http://macyspassport.excite.com/rules.html.
About Macy's Passport
The 17th annual Passport extravaganza, featuring the best of Macy's
fall
collections for men, women and children, is presented by American Express for
the 13th year. American Express has also been the title sponsor in Los
Angeles
for 4 years. 24 Hour Fitness joins the Los Angeles event as this year's
presenting sponsor.
Starting on September 15th, Passport '99 will include three
exhilarating
evenings at San Francisco's Fort Mason Center. September 15th is the date of a
new Passport preview evening for high school students called Tommy Hilfiger
"Extreme Teen" Night. On September 16th is the Opening Night Gala in San
Francisco. Tickets are still available for the American Express Cardmember
Evening on September 17th by calling 1-877-ETM-4MACYS. The fashion show will
then travel to Los Angeles for one stellar evening on Saturday, September
24th.
This year's hosts are Founding Chair Elizabeth Taylor, Event Chair Earvin
"Magic" Johnson and Event Co-chair Cindy Crawford, spokesperson for 24 Hour
Fitness. "Magic" Johnson will also attend the American Express Cardmember
Evening on September 17th to host a live auction featuring some of his
celebrity
friends. Guest designers Julie Chaiken for Chaiken and Capone, François and
Marithe Girbaud, Nicholas Graham for Joe Boxer, Tommy Hilfiger, and Cynthia
Rowley will appear on the runway with their fall collections on Opening Night.
Since 1988, Macy's and American Express have raised more than $8 million for
the fight against HIV/AIDS. The agencies and programs that Passport is
supporting are creating new approaches to HIV/AIDS research, prevention,
treatment and care to meet emerging needs. They represent the best in our
communities' responses to HIV and AIDS. These programs reach out to the young,
the disenfranchised and the hard to reach with passion and conviction.
Passport '99 celebrates their creative spirit.
Beneficiaries
In San Francisco: AIDS Emergency Fund; AIDS Health Project; AIDS Project East
Bay; Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center; ARIS (AIDS Research Information
& Services); Maitri Residential Care for People Living with AIDS; Project Open
Hand; Shanti; Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center; and UCSF/Macy's Center for
Creative Therapies.
In Los Angeles: AIDS Services Foundation for Orange County; East Los Angeles
Women's Center; Caring for Babies with AIDS; The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS
Foundation, LA Gay & Lesbian Center; L.A. Shanti; Magic Johnson Foundation,
Inc.; O.A.S.I.S; and Project Angel Food.
In both cities: The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation; Magic Johnson
Foundation,
Inc.
About Excite@Home
Excite@Home (Nasdaq: ATHM) is a global media company based
in Redwood City, Calif. Through the company's narrowband portal,
Excite (www.excite.com),
and broadband services @Home and @Work, the company uniquely
offers consumers content and interactive services across both
narrowband and broadband. The rich media advertising and database
marketing solutions of Enliven (www.enliven.com) and MatchLogic
(www.matchlogic.com) offer advertisers highly targeted interactive
marketing and reporting services across all platforms of delivery.
Leveraging the high-speed, always-on attributes of cable,
Excite@Home empowers unique multimedia applications that go
beyond current Web experiences. The company will combine the
Excite brand -- one of the best-known names on the Internet
with 70 percent recognition among Web users -- with the @Home
broadband service's broad distribution, a worldwide footprint
of 67 million cable homes, to deliver on its vision of "All
Band, All Device, All the Time."
For more investor information about Excite@Home, please
call our stockholder services hotline at 1.888.924.9248.
Brand recognition statistics quoted are from Frank N. Magid
and Associates, Inc. (1/99).
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