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Mercedes-Benz Enters Into Alliance with Diversified Agency Services

2 March 1999

Mercedes-Benz of North America Enters Into Strategic Marketing Alliance with Diversified Agency Services (DAS)

    MONTVALE, N.J., March 2 -- Mercedes-Benz of North America,
Inc. (MBNA) today announced that it has entered into a strategic marketing
alliance with Diversified Agency Services, a division of Omnicom Group Inc.,
to handle the full range of its marketing communications for the Mercedes-Benz
product portfolio in the United States.
    According to Mike Jackson, president and CEO of MBNA, "In Diversified
Agency Services, we have a strategic partner who brings us an unprecedented
cadre of creative resources which we need to bring our highly successful
communications to the next level.  This is important because, going forward,
we need not only outstanding partners and innovative thinking but also the
ability to talk to customers with one voice and on their terms -- whether by
traditional advertising, relationship marketing, interactive, events etc."
    DAS is the largest marketing services group of its kind in the world
comprising 70 individual companies -- each with its own communication
specialty -- which operate autonomously but with the resources of the DAS
networking structure.
    "It was a relatively easy choice considering, on the one hand, the
long-standing relationships which we already have with several of the DAS
companies based on the phenomenal work they've done for us in the past and, on
the other hand, the new talent and new thinking that we gain with the other
talent DAS brings to the table, namely Merkley Newman Harty which will be the
lead integrator of our marketing approach," said Joe Eberhardt, vice president
of marketing for MBNA.

    The following DAS companies are currently on the roster to service the
    MBNA account:
    -- Merkley, Newman, Harty - Strategic & account planning/creative
       services/advertising
    -- The Designory* - High-end graphic design/collateral materials
    -- Rapp Collins* - Relationship marketing & database management
    -- Alcone Marketing Group* - Promotional marketing/fulfillment

    (* These companies currently have business relationships with MBNA)

    John Wren, president and chief executive officer of Omnicom Group Inc.
said, "Omicom's Diversified Agency Services agencies have enjoyed a long and
successful relationship with MBNA.  We are delighted by MBNA's decision to
integrate their marketing relationship within DAS by selecting Merkley Newman
Harty to handle their creative advertising business."
    Omnicom Group Inc. is the leading marketing communications company in the
world and consists of the global advertising agency networks BBDO Worldwide,
DDB Needham Worldwide and TBWA Worldwide.  The group also includes the
national advertising agencies (Martin Williams, GSD&M, Goodby, Silverstein &
Partners); Communicade a division of wholly owned and significant minority
investment interests in several leading interactive and new media companies;
and Diversified Agency Services (DAS), Omnicom Group's marketing services and
specialty communications division.
    DAS is the largest group within Omnicom operating the worldwide leaders in
high-end graphic design (The Designory, Inc.), in direct/database relationship
marketing (Rapp Collins), brand consultancy (Interbrand), promotion and field
marketing (Alcone Marketing Group, Claydon Heeley, Integer and TLP), Public
Relations (Fleishman-Hillard, Porter Novelli and Ketchum) and consumer
advertising within Merkley Newman Harty, an agency that combines the
disciplines of strategic and account planning with innovative creativity.
    Mercedes-Benz of North America is responsible for the sales and marketing
of Mercedes-Benz automobiles and accessories in the United States.  The
company sold 170,245 vehicles in the U.S. during 1998, a 39 percent increase
over the previous year setting the highest sales volume ever in its history.
MBNA is currently running 4 percent ahead of last year's record-setting pace.