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Oldsmobile Rides on a Smart, Fresh Route With Hard Rock Rockfest

4 June 1999

Oldsmobile Rides on a Smart, Fresh Route With Hard Rock Rockfest

   Oldsmobile Alero Kicks Off Hottest Concert Tour of the Summer in Atlanta

    ATLANTA, June 3 --  Most people may not automatically
associate hot billboard-ranking bands, like Third Eye Blind and Collective
Soul, with Oldsmobile.  After June 5, when the Hard Rock RockFest Presented By
Oldsmobile Alero jump starts in Atlanta, it will be hard for people not to.
As part of the renaissance taking place at the Oldsmobile Division of General
Motors, Oldsmobile is trying to "Start Something" with the younger generation.
    "RockFest represents the high-energy direction Oldsmobile is taking with
our image and our products," said Karen Francis, General Manager, Oldsmobile.
"The Alero audience is younger, edgier and more contemporary than who we've
been speaking to in the past.  The 'Oldsmobile Experience' has to reflect this
new attitude and feel.  We feel music is a powerful way to do that."
    Oldsmobile is hoping their partnerships with events like Olympic Beach
Volleyball and the RockFest concert series will help the resurging division
"Start Something" with more women and young people.  The brand has left behind
yesterday's paradigm and now they are asking America's youthful contemporaries
to do the same.
    The Hard Rock RockFest Presented By Oldsmobile Alero is the latest
in a number of music-related activities that Oldsmobile has launched in
1999 -- from a partnership with Chayanne, one of the hottest Latin music
stars today, to hosting an upcoming celebration of Black Music Month.

    Live Cyber Concert
    For the music lovers who can't make it to Atlanta for the kick off of
RockFest, Oldsmobile is sponsoring a live Internet webcast of the 12-hour
concert.  On June 5 at 12 p.m. EST, cyber concert-goers can log onto
http://www.tunes.com and http://www.rollingstone.com to view the concert live in addition
backstage interviews with the bands that are playing at RockFest and
interviews with fans.

    U.S. Olympic Volleyball Players and Hopefuls Rock Too
    As part of the Oldsmobile Alero Beach Volleyball Series, Oldsmobile will
host a Beach Volleyball match between RockFest band members and U.S. Olympic
volleyball players like Gabrielle Reece.  The Oldsmobile Alero Beach
Volleyball RockFest Exhibition will take place the day of the concert in
Atlanta on the RockFest grounds at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    Six-City, Spin-Off Concerts
    After the initial mega concert in Atlanta, RockFest will tour the country
visiting six other cities.  The spin-off concert series begins on June 23 in
San Antonio, rides through Denver, Atlantic City, Cleveland and St. Louis, and
crosses the finish line after August 1 when it ramps up to a city that will be
announced soon.  Three modern rock acts including Smashmouth and Marvelous 3
will be featured.