USA: New Talbots E-commerce Campaign is Out of This World

Leading specialty retailer, cataloger, and now, online retailer, Talbots (NYSE:TLB), is unveiling its first advertising campaign targeted to internet shoppers seeking classic head-to-toe dressing at the touch of a button. The over $1 million program encompasses full and double-page color ads in newspapers, and on-line advertising on select web sites and search engines. Featuring Jane Jetson, George's wife and devoted mother to Judy and Elroy on the popular cartoon, The Jetsons, the ad breaks Thursday, April 27, in major daily newspapers throughout the U.S., including The New York Times, USA Today and The Boston Globe. The campaign was developed by Arnold Communications of Boston, MA, in conjunction with Talbots in-house creative team. Next to a picture of Jane Jetson the headline reads: "Remember how she just pressed a button and got a complete outfit? Guess what? Introducing talbots.com." Banner ads that feature Jane Jetson will also appear on northernlight.com, iVillage.com and bhg.com (Better Homes & Gardens). talbots.com was launched on November 17, 1999 and has been an immediate contributor to Talbots operating income. Further, the Company's research reveals that a significant percentage of its on-line customers are shopping with Talbots for the first time, indicating that the site itself has also been an effective advertising vehicle for the Talbots brand. Bruce Prescott, Senior Vice President of Direct Marketing responsible for Talbots catalog and e-commerce operations, said, "We're delighted with the early success of talbots.com and we're looking forward to broadening awareness of our site through our first e-commerce advertising campaign. Jane Jetson's broad appeal and her very memorable shopping method perfectly represents the convenience of talbots.com, and offers a fresh approach to help us build this exciting new sales channel." *