DETROIT
FOR RELEASE: August 28, 2001General Motors, Student Advantage Kick Off 'The Student Advantage Fanfest Presented By Pontiac Vibe'
General Motors Sponsors College Football Events to Introduce the Pontiac Vibe
DETROIT- General Motors Corporation and Student Advantage, Inc. will tackle some of the nation's biggest college campuses this fall with the Student Advantage FanFest presented by the Pontiac Vibe.
This college tour will bring an interactive village complete with sporting activities, games and tons of prizes to top Division One universities nationwide. There will be official tailgate parties at 12 schools; these events will be located adjacent to football stadiums at big school rivalry football games throughout the college football season. In addition, pep rallies will take place during the week at several other schools in high-traffic areas on campus.
Students will be able to demonstrate their personal "endzone dance," participate in game shows where they can test how well they know their friends' "vibes," and win prizes by receiving Vibe decoder cards. In addition, FanFest attendees will have the opportunity to check out the all-new Pontiac Vibe and have their photos taken while sitting in the driver's seat.
The Pontiac Vibe is a sporty exciting expression of fun and flexibility in an affordable compact package. Uniquely combined, Vibe defies the traditional vehicle classification. It offers a spacious interior in the disguise of a compact car, and the features of a sports car, sport wagon and SUV all at the same time. Vibe will arrive in dealer showrooms early next year as a 2003 model.
A sweepstakes, which will begin at the first event and end at the last event, will be open to anyone who attends the event or logs onto www.collegeclub.com/winavibe and register. The "Catch Your Vibe Sweepstakes: Why walk when you can Vibe?" will allow participants to register on-site and on-line to win a 2003 Pontiac Vibe plus $1,000 worth of GM Accessories. Full rules and regulations will be available at www.collegeclub.com/winavibe.
"FanFest is the perfect venue to introduce the Pontiac Vibe to college students," said Jody Sautter, manager of media integration and affinity alliances for e-GM, the Internet business unit of General Motors. "We're excited to tour college campuses and generate some buzz around one of our newest vehicles."
This promotional campaign is part of the affinity partnership that GM announced in August 2000 with CollegeClub.com, the most widely used college-oriented web site. GM's agreement with Student Advantage, Inc., of which CollegeClub is a division, allows GM to leverage all of Student Advantage's on- and offline assets.
"College students are very dynamic, savvy consumers. Our partnership with General Motors is a great way for these first-time buyers to learn as much as they can about car-buying, take advantage of the student-only opportunities for making that first purchase, and have fun," said Student Advantage Chairman, President and CEO Raymond V. Sozzi, Jr.
There are 15.1 million college students in the U.S., according to the Department of Higher Education. According to the 2000 Student Monitor Automotive Study, 68 percent of college students own a vehicle and 73 percent say their next vehicle will be a new car.
The first FanFest campus event takes place today at Arizona State University, while the first FanFest tailgate party will take place on Sept. 1 at the University of Oregon. A detailed schedule of the Student Advantage FanFest presented by Pontiac Vibe events will be available online at www.pontiac.com/vibe.
About e-GM e-GM, established in August 1999, is a business unit of General Motors focused on leveraging the power of the Internet to enhance experiences and relationships with customers worldwide. GM has formed a number of strategic Internet alliances to build relationships with important groups of customers and to generate exposure for GM's web sites.
About Student Advantage, Inc.
Founded in 1992, Student Advantage, Inc. is the media, marketing and commerce connection for millions of college students and the businesses and universities that serve them. Student Advantage reaches students online through its award-winning Web sites, CollegeClub.com and studentadvantage.com, and offline through the Student Advantage Membership and SA Cash programs, and the OCM direct marketing products. The company serves its corporate partners by providing sophisticated integrated marketing solutions as well as events and promotion services through SA Marketing Group. Additionally, Student Advantage supplies information services, Internet content and data management services to colleges and universities.
About CollegeClub.com
CollegeClub.com, a division of Student Advantage, Inc., is a leading integrated communications and media company that has created an online suite of community services that resonates with the college student marketplace. It provides its student members with an integrated communications solution, including an interactive online community, which added 1.8 million new registered members in year 2000. Media Metrix, an independent service that tracks Internet usage, ranks CollegeClub.com as one of the top ten "stickiest" sites overall among the key college-age demographic of 18-24, and the number one college-oriented site.