New Campaign Returns to Heritage of ``Trust the Midas Touch''

ITASCA, Ill.--March 4, 2004--Midas, Inc. is returning to its heritage of trust, first used in Midas advertising in the 1980s, in the first marketing campaign from its new national advertising agency DDB Chicago collaborating with Ogilvy & Mather Toronto.

"Trust is the essence of any brand and a differentiating and enduring legacy of the Midas brand," said Alan D. Feldman, Midas' president and chief executive officer.

"`Trust the Midas Touch' is more than a marketing campaign. It is a way of doing business that becomes the foundation of our brand as the trusted provider of automotive services," Feldman said. "The campaign assures customers that they can expect professional and trustworthy service provided at great value from the people of Midas."

The commercials take place in a Midas shop and show a humorous dialog between a customer of Midas and a Midas service employee, who is hooked up to a polygraph machine. The Midas employee responds to such questions as "Will you sell me something I don't need?" "Do you do more brake jobs than anyone else?" or "Are your brake pads and shoes really guaranteed for as long as I own my car?"

"As Midas continues to evolve from a repair specialist into a full-service provider, this campaign focuses on the importance of building trust and reinforces Midas as the trusted source for reliable and responsive automotive services," Feldman said.

"These commercials are the first in a long-term campaign to grow Midas' category-leading shares in brakes and exhaust and to support the expansion of our maintenance services, including oil changes and other routine maintenance services," Feldman said.

Feldman said that Midas dealers and the International Midas Dealers Association in the United States and Canada have been actively involved with the company and the agencies in developing this campaign.

"Midas dealers were excited to partner in the development of the `trust' campaign and we are committed to meeting the expectation we are creating in these commercials by delivering the highest levels of customer service and building trust with our customers," said Joe Sipocz, Jr., a Maryland Midas dealer who is president of the International Midas Dealers Association.

"We felt that Midas has a strong but underutilized equity in 'Trust the Midas Touch,'" said Don Pogany, DDB Chicago senior vice president/group creative director. "And we thought the use of a polygraph lie detector test would be a captivating way to both communicate Midas services and show just how far its mechanics will go to back up their work and their word."

The 30-second spots, which support a national promotion for lifetime brake products at $89.95, begin a month-long media buy on March 8 on network and cable prime time, late night and sports programming, including NCAA basketball tournament coverage.

Midas is one of the world's largest providers of automotive service, offering exhaust, brake, steering, suspension and maintenance services at 2,700 franchised, licensed and company-owned Midas shops in 19 countries, including nearly 1,900 in the United States and Canada.