VML Drives Off With Alamo and National Interactive Business; VML Wins Interactive Agency of Record for the Nation's Leading Car Rental Company, ANC

Business Wire, Dec 12, 2000

Business Editors

KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 12, 2000

VML, a Kansas City-based full-service advertising agency, today announced that ANC Rental Corporation (Nasdaq:ANCX), selected it as its interactive agency of record.

ANC is the parent company of Alamo Rent a Car and National Car Rental. VML will work with ANC in online media planning and execution for both car rental companies. The value of the contract was not disclosed.

As ANC's strategic media partner, VML will help build profitable transactions on the Web. John McGuigan, director of integrated media for VML, said the new account is a real coup for the agency. "Travel is the number one business on the Web, and with two major brands like Alamo and National, ANC is in the thick of it. The Web is very much an active business for ANC -- vibrant, real, revenue-generating. It's where the future of their business lies," McGuigan said. "It's exciting to work with a company like ANC that's already recognized, invested in and has profited from the Web."

Jon Cook, vice president, account management for VML, said the agency's history in the travel industry helped them get the business. VML was the agency of record for Northwest Airlines in the late 90s. "Our experience handling the Northwest account meant we knew the travel industry inside out, but what really won us the business was our interactive experience. Very few other agencies have executed the variety and scope of online promotions that VML has." The agency handles interactive work for Sprint, H&R Block, Payless ShoeSource, and AMC Theatres, to name a few.

From ANC's perspective, VML was the right fit for a variety of reasons. "We feel that their extensive knowledge and ideas will bring ANC to the next level of online success," said Kellie Smythe, director, internet partnerships for ANC.

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., ANC is one of the world's largest car rental companies with annual revenue of approximately $3.5 billion in 1999. Alamo, ANC's value brand, currently serves leisure, business, neighborhood and insurance replacement customers through 109 locations in the United States and Canada and more than 400 international locations in Europe and Latin America. Alamo can be found on the Internet at www.alamo.com. National, ANC's premium brand, serves business and leisure travelers with more than 3,000 locations in 65 countries. With approximately 250 airport-serving locations in the United States, National is the preferred rental choice for many business and leisure travelers. National can be found on the Internet at www.nationalcar.com.

Based in Kansas City, and with offices in Dallas, Minneapolis, and Portland, VML is a 180-person, $108 million integrated marketing communications company specializing in the development and synchronization of traditional offline communication with Internet-based media. In its short eight-year history, VML has become expert at solving unique offline and online challenges quickly, creatively and effectively. VML's client roster includes accounts such as AMC Theatres, American Express, Bayer Corporation, H&R Block, Northwest Airlines, Sprint, Wiredinn, Yellow Freight and World Wireless Corporation/X-traWeb.