MSN Joins Toyota to Launch the Next Generation of America's Best-Selling Car, the 2002 Camry

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REDMOND, WA USA 08/22/2000
MSN Advantage Marketing Gives Toyota a Digital Edge in the Largest Integrated
                   Marketing Campaign in Automotive History

    REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 27 MSN(R) today announced it will
collaborate with Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. on the most extensive, fully
integrated marketing effort in automotive history, which will incorporate the
reach of MSN and the technology and product offerings available to marketers
through the MSN Advantage Marketing program. Less than three weeks after
unveiling the MSN Advantage Marketing program, MSN customized its expanded
technology, products and service offerings to tightly integrate with and
enhance the performance of Toyota's multiplatform campaign in a series of
firsts on MSN.
    (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )
    "We developed a breakthrough campaign for Toyota that will help in moving
the meter on brand with the 2002 Toyota Camry," said Richard Bray, vice
president of MSN at Microsoft Corp. "Our technology expertise is a major
factor as to how MSN Advantage Marketing maximizes the effectiveness of
Toyota's message with our savvy, upscale Internet audience."
    "MSN and its innovative digital marketing solutions offer a unique
approach to launching the newest generation of our No. 1-selling car, the
Camry, for 2002," said Steve Sturm, vice president of marketing, Toyota Motor
Sales (TMS) USA Inc. "We are extending our message online so that consumers
can experience the Camry brand through interactive audio and video on MSN."
     Toyota's 2002 Camry integrated marketing campaign will be the first
campaign to utilize the Next Generation Ad Products streaming media solutions
offered through the MSN Advantage Marketing program. Toyota will extend the
reach of its broadcast commercials, which will begin airing in September, by
running them online as 15-second spots before video content viewed at
WindowsMedia.com, part of the MSN network. The spots will be in
industry-leading Windows Media(TM) Video for the highest quality and broadcast
reach. They will be playable on the forthcoming Windows Media Player for the
Windows(R) XP operating system, scheduled to be available Oct. 25. Other Next
Generation Ad Products will be used by Toyota, including the Internet
Advertising Bureau's new, larger skyscraper and showcase ad units. In addition
to their ability to interactively engage users through a multimedia
experience, these new sizes and shapes enable marketers to deliver their
offline, print creative content online with MSN. The combination of these
technologies and formats enables Toyota to deliver a consistent message across
all media types, increasing the impact of its multiplatform advertising and
lifestyle initiative.
    To optimize its 60 percent reach and savvy online audience, MSN customized
the 2002 Camry campaign to include, for the first time, both of the premier
advertising placements on MSN.com. A third placement, on the home page of MSN,
will feature a photograph of the all-new redesigned Camry. An accompanying
caption will link to a special vehicle page on the MSN Carpoint(TM) online
automotive service, the No. 1 most-visited car-buying and ownership site on
the Web, which features additional photographs and a detailed description of
Toyota Camry updates and options. According to an August MSN Carpoint survey,
85 percent of car buyers who plan to use the Internet before purchasing their
next car will be exposed to placements throughout the site. Visitors to the
Internet's No. 1 most-visited online news site, MSNBC.com, and Slate(R) online
magazine also will be exposed to streaming media banners and showcase ads.

    About Toyota
    Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. is the sales, marketing, distribution and
customer service arm of Toyota in the United States and is a subsidiary of
Toyota Motor Corp. Through a network of nearly 1,400 Toyota and Lexus dealers,
it has achieved sales of more than 1 million vehicles annually over the past
11 years. TMS' goal is to become the "most successful and respected car
company in America." Toyota Motor Corp. and its manufacturing subsidiaries
produced more than 5.8 million vehicles worldwide in 2000. Toyota vehicles are
manufactured in 25 countries and are renowned for their quality, reliability
and value. Toyota is the third-largest vehicle manufacturer and the
fourth-largest automaker in North America.

    About MSN
    MSN is the world's most popular destination on the Web, attracting more
than 250 million visitors per month. Available in 33 markets and 17 languages,
MSN provides consumers with their home on the Web -- where they can get
everything they need from the Web and make the most of their time online. MSN
is a world leader in delivering Web services to consumers and digital
marketing solutions to businesses worldwide. MSN is located on the Web at
http://www.msn.com/ .

    About Microsoft
    Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in
software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business
computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed
to empower people through great software -- any time, any place and on any
device.
    NOTE:  Microsoft, MSN, Windows Media, Windows, Carpoint and Slate are
either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United
States and/or other countries.
    The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.

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