Microsoft Taps Shandwick to Drive Interactive Media Division PR

REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 19, 1996 — Microsoft Corp. announced today it has awarded its interactive media division (IMD) public relations account to Shandwick USA, after a national agency search. IMD houses many Microsoft® products for the home user, including information titles such as the Encarta® multimedia encyclopedia and atlas; CD-ROM titles for kids and game players, such as The Magic School Bus
™
series and Flight Simulator; consumer input devices such as the Microsoft Mouse and SideWinder
™
joystick; online content and services such as the Expedia
™
travel services and MSN
™
, The Microsoft Network; and collaborative ventures such as MSNBC and Black Entertainment Television (BET).

The dollar amount of the IMD account was not disclosed.

Waggener Edstrom, Microsoft’s longtime PR agency of record, participated in the Shandwick selection process and will continue to serve as the company’s primary public relations agency. The two agencies will work closely during a transition period of several months and, going forward, Waggener Edstrom will be responsible for integrating Shandwick efforts into corporate programs and all other components of the Microsoft business.

“We were really impressed by the talent and resources available to us through Shandwick’s worldwide organization, particularly Shandwick’s experience in technology and new media,”
said Marty Taucher, the senior group marketing manager for IMD who spearheaded the agency search.
“That experience, the commitment to a strong Seattle-based account team, and the creative thinking embodied in their proposal won us over.”

Shandwick is in the process of establishing a dedicated Seattle office to service the Microsoft IMD account. The agency will also use resources from other Shandwick USA offices, including Rogers & Cowan, as well as Miller/Shandwick Technologies offices in servicing the account.

Although Shandwick will function as IMD’s strategic agency, Microsoft will continue to use other agency resources for its IMD business, including Edelman Worldwide for promotional and publicity programs on a project basis and Marcy Monyek and Associates, which assists Microsoft in marketing and promoting IMD products to the education channel.

Waggener Edstrom will continue to service some other Microsoft consumer products, including Publisher, Works, Greetings Workshop, Picture It!
™
personal imaging software and products from the company’s desktop finance division such as Microsoft Money. In addition, the agency will continue its focus on Microsoft corporate work and promotion of the company’s client and server operating systems strategies and products, Internet platforms and tools, and other products from the company’s desktop applications division.

While the agency transition is under way, journalists should continue to call their current agency contacts for assistance until further notified. The two agencies are committed to a transition with minimal confusion or access interruption for the editorial community.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft, Encarta, SideWinder, Expedia, MSN and PictureIt! are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The Magic School Bus is a trademark and/or registered trademark of Scholastic Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

The Microsoft Network is operated by Microsoft Corp. on behalf of Microsoft Network LLC.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.

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