Burger King Corporation and AOL Time Warner Announce Strategic Alliance and Partnership

Business Wire, Nov 5, 2001

Business Editors

MIAMI & DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 5, 2001

"Internet-Powered" Campaigns Planned, With Special Sports and

Music Features Soon To Be Available Only Through Purchases at

BURGER KING(R) Restaurants

Burger King Corporation and AOL Time Warner (NYSE: AOL) today announced an industry-leading, "Internet-powered" strategic alliance and partnership that will soon offer exciting new interactive programs and features exclusively designed to reach BURGER KING(R) customers.

Under this new partnership, Burger King Corporation and AOL Time Warner plan to create a series of integrated marketing concepts that will link the 12 million customers who visit BURGER KING(R) restaurants every day with innovative customized features within numerous media properties of AOL Time Warner in publishing, broadcast, music, film and online. BURGER KING(R) customers, for example, would soon be given digital codes with purchases to allow them access to special sites available on several America Online brands and www.burgerking.com. Once inside these sites, BURGER KING(R) customers would be able to participate in various sports and music promotions encompassing a wide range of companies within the entertainment industry.

"At Burger King Corporation, we are looking to welcome back millions of customers to BURGER KING(R) restaurants through new products, new partnerships, new strategies and a commitment to serve customers what they want and how they want it at a good value," said John H. Dasburg, chairman, chief executive officer and president, Burger King Corporation. "Partnering with a media powerhouse like AOL Time Warner will provide our customers a broad array of exciting, interactive and cutting edge experiences. By combining our brand with AOL Time Warner's top-drawer content and media distribution strengths, we will reach the widest audience in the online and offline worlds. This strategic alliance will bring more value to our customers than anyone in food service. This partnership will bring fun, valuable experiences to our customers."

"Our AOL Time Warner Global Marketing Solutions group has worked closely with the Burger King Corporation global marketing team to create a truly integrated partnership, one that enables us to reach BURGER KING(R) customers as well as their employees, franchisees and suppliers worldwide, with a wide range of values and opportunities," said Bob Pittman, co-chief operating officer, AOL Time Warner. "We are pleased to work with Burger King Corporation to align their brand with our programming in television, sports, music and filmed entertainment in new and innovative ways, and we believe this alliance demonstrates the kind of tailored cross-platform opportunities that only AOL Time Warner can design for its partners."

Under the multi-million dollar, multi-year alliance, AOL Time Warner and Burger King Corporation will create targeted promotions and programs that are designed to build customer loyalty and drive sales. The agreement takes advantage of each company's brands and marketing strengths through a broad package of opportunities such as:

-- Sports Moment of the Month: In an initiative designed to integrate interactive and print promotions, BURGER KING(R) customers and SPORTS ILLUSTRATED readers will be invited to share their opinions on the best "WHOPPER(R) Sports Moment of the Month," as part of an ongoing Special Advertising Section presented in the magazine, on www.burgerking.com and on www.CNNSI.com. Consumers will also be encouraged to submit their own personal sports moment of the month, adding a local "sports hero" component to this national, multi-media program. Participants could also then be entered in a sweepstakes to win one of several prizes, which might include VIP tickets with airfare and accommodations to their favorite sports event. The winners may also be featured in a commemorative issue on the year's best sports moments. Selected sports moments are also planned to be featured in sports programming broadcast on TBS Superstation and TNT, as well as within America Online's brands.

-- Music: AOL Time Warner and Burger King Corporation intend to incorporate the latest popular and emerging music acts, encompassing a broad range of record labels, into a variety of interactive promotions to take advantage of the power of the online medium. Through a new "BK Backstage" custom site developed by AOL Music and featured on America Online's music sites and on www.burgerking.com, BURGER KING(R) customers would be able to get an exclusive "backstage all-access pass" to behind-the-scenes music and video content, such as free music downloads, pre-release streaming of the latest songs and videos, live chats with recording artists, and chances to win a variety of prizes, including backstage concert passes.

-- Television/Movie Opportunities: Burger King Corporation and AOL Time Warner are working together on a number of marketing opportunities with television programs to promote BURGER KING(R) products. Burger King Corporation also plans to be aligned with upcoming AOL Time Warner films, including the first installment of the long-awaited New Line Productions trilogy, "The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." Announced in May 2001, this unprecedented worldwide promotion will span more than 11,000 BURGER KING(R) restaurant locations worldwide and parallel all the groundbreaking elements of the movie itself.