Converse Launches New Advertising Campaign Built around the Hit Summer Track My Drive Thru - Creative Spotlights All-Original Music Collaboration with Pharrell Williams, N.E.R.D., Santogold, and Julian Casablancas

Business Wire, July 15, 2008

My Drive Thru's Music Video Debuts in Top Ten Most Watched Videos on MySpace - Receiving Widespread Acclaim from Fans and Generating More Than 750,000 Streams on Leading Internet Portals in First Four Days

Supporting Advertising Includes Television, Print, Outdoor, Digital and Cinema

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. -- Converse, the creator of iconic shoes including the Chuck Taylor[R] All Star[R], Jack Purcell[R] and One Star[R] shoes, today launched a multi-media advertising campaign built around the company's recent "Three Artists, One Song," music collaboration with Pharrell Williams, N.E.R.D., Santogold and Julian Casablancas. The resulting track, My Drive Thru, was released in June to music fans globally via free digital download at converse.com and a corresponding music video was released on July 9 with a myspace.com online premiere followed by a broadcast premiere on MTV. The ad campaign includes television, print, outdoor, digital and cinema advertising.

"Music is central to the Converse brand and we're excited to launch this campaign which further activates our commitment to being a catalyst for creativity," said Geoff Cottrill, Chief Marketing Officer of Converse. "It has been totally gratifying to get My Drive Thru to music fans across the world as a favorite summer song, a must-see music video, and now a range of engaging advertising that brings the music and Converse's intention to inspire creativity to consumers worldwide."

Converse has long been associated with the worlds of music, sport, art and fashion. The campaign is inspired by the brand's rich musical heritage - most notably, the Chuck Taylor All Star shoe which is iconic in the world of rock n' roll. The new Converse campaign takes an innovative marketing approach in that all components were inspired by the creation of the original music track. The artists were given total creative freedom and brand direction was solely for the artists to collaboratively produce "a great piece of music," that was true to the each of their musical styles.

My Drive Thru has received considerable acclaim from both fans and critics. The debut of the music video on MySpace.com, YouTube.com and other leading outlets resulted in more than 750,000 video streams in the first four days. In its first day, it placed among the Top 10 most viral videos on the internet according to viralvideochart.com.

Converse advertising plans include:

* Television advertising, in 30 and 60 second versions begins to air today nationally on broadcast and cable outlets including NBC, MTV, MTV2, BET, Cartoon Network (Adult Swim), Comedy Central, VH1, E!, Fuel, Fuse, Current and Music Choice. The television ads were produced and animated by Psyop (New York) in collaboration with both internal creative, lead Converse advertising partner, Anomaly (New York), and music promotions partner, Cornerstone (New York).

* Massive outdoor and transit advertising installations featuring the lead artists are now being posted in eight markets, including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, Austin, Seattle, Miami and San Francisco. The outdoor creative is based on print advertising that was launched earlier in the summer in conjunction with the track release. In addition to Pharrell Williams, N.E.R.D., Santogold and Julian Casablancas, outdoor visuals feature a range of emerging musical talent from across the globe, including MGMT, Kid Sister, YACHT, Bradford Cox and members of Gallows, Fiery Furnaces, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, and Care Bears on Fire.

* Digital advertising plans include a homepage takeover on YouTube.com on July 16 as well as banner ads and streaming video on sites including MySpace.com, MTV.com, imeem.com, Pitchfork.com, Stereogum.com, pandora.com, Last.fm, AOL Sessions, and Complex Media Network.

* Cinema advertising will bring the creative to the big screen beginning on July 18 in top 30 markets.

* Print advertising began running in several music-focused publications in June and will continue.

To view and download the initial press release announcing the launch of the track as well as images, go to: http://mnr.onthescene.com/converse/mydrivethru.html.

Converse Inc., based in N. Andover, Massachusetts, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nike, Inc. Established in 1908, the Converse brand has built a reputation as "America's Original Sports Company"[TM] and has been associated with a rich heritage of legendary shoes such as the Chuck Taylor[R] All Star[R] shoe, the Jack Purcell[R] shoe and the One Star[R] shoe. Today, Converse offers a diverse portfolio including premium lifestyle men's and women's footwear and apparel. Converse product is sold globally by retailers in over 160 countries and through 25 company-owned retail locations in the U.S. For more information, visit Converse on the web at: www.converse.com.