AVP Avon Products Inc

Beauty Business for Young Women Continues to Break New Ground; mark From Avon Announces Three New Alliance Partnerships NEW YORK, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- mark, the new beauty business from Avon Products, Inc. (NYSE:AVP), announced three new strategic alliances which will be key additions to the seven existing alliance partnerships in the communications, entertainment, education, and philanthropic areas. The alliances further advance mark's development of a 360 degree lifestyle beauty brand without boundaries, serving both consumers and representatives in all avenues of their lives. The three pioneering new alliances -- Ford Motors, Hairspray and the Varsity Spirit Corporation -- further mark's ability to offer young women a unique earnings opportunity, a superior product line, and lifestyle incentives that enhance both of these elements. mark was named in celebration of young women making their 'mark' in the world today, and is the makeup you can buy and sell. mark consists of over 300 diverse, first-to-market and exclusive products including cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, accessories, jewelry and handbags. The meet mark magalog is distributed to 7 million young women each month, making it the largest print vehicle for young women in the U.S. today. In 2004, mark expects to generate net sales of $35 - $40 million. "When we launched mark just over one year ago, we viewed our alliances as a truly integral tool in forming a lifestyle-based brand that would broaden our reach beyond just the beauty realm," says Deborah Fine, President of Avon Future. "Today, as we continue to build upon this vision, we are thrilled to add these new alliance partnerships to help us build a brand with outstanding benefits for the mark customer and the mark Representative, as well as making mark become the ultimate lifestyle beauty brand out there today." Ford Motors: October 2004 -- mark Customers and Representative across the country will be given the opportunity to enter a sweepstakes and win a 2005 Ford Focus ZX4 ST by logging on to http://www.meetmark.com/. In addition to the sweepstakes, Ford will award the top four regional mark sales representatives with a two year lease on a 2005 Ford Focus ZX5 SE. Cars will be awarded in 2005 and will be based on 2004 mark sales. Furthermore, all mark representatives will also be offered a $500 gift card that is good toward the purchase of any new Ford Focus. Hairspray: August 2004 -- mark is offering customers and Representatives the chance to win one of 48 cast recordings from the smash Broadway musical Hairspray exclusively on http://www.meetmark.com/. 4 mark Representatives will also be given the opportunity to experience Hairspray on Broadway by winning a 3 night 2 day paid trip for two to New York City. Additionally, one mark Representative will win a paid trip to New York City to learn how to sing and dance like Tracy Turnblad, the star of Hairspray. All mark Representatives will be offered a discount on Hairspray tickets by logging on to http://www.meetmark.com/ Varsity Spirit Corporation: January 2005 -- At the Varsity Spirit National Sales Meeting in January, mark will be designated as the official fundraising platform for Varsity Spirit Corporation Cheerleading and Dance Team properties. Varsity representatives will be educated on mark's Fundraising Initiative and a financial incentive will be developed for reps to encourage the mark Fundraising program throughout spring 2005 Uniform Sales Calls. mark will also have a large presence at regional and national Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) and National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) competitions across the country, as well as the 2005 UCA and UDA National Championships at Walt Disney World. Sponsorship of these competitions will include signage, print advertising, distribution of the meet mark magalog and product sampling. Additionally, mark will reach over 300,000 camp participants with magalogs, product samples and fundraising materials at the 2005 Summer Camps of the Varsity Spirit Corporation. At the launch in August 2003, the mark brand announced four alliances in the fields of education, music, philanthropy and the internet, including The University of Phoenix, Atlantic Records and The American Legacy Foundation. These alliances continue today, representing significant innovation in the development of a total lifestyle beauty brand. In June 2004, mark announced four other additional partnerships in the fields of entertainment and telecommunications, including Loews Cineplex Entertainment, Nextel Communications, MTV, and New Line Cinemas. About Ford Motors Ford Focus, one of the highest quality small cars on the road today, receives major performance, design and handling improvements for 2005, including a 24 percent increase in base-model horsepower and a 32 percent reduction in tailpipe emissions. The new 2005 Ford Focus "Begs to be Driven" in an integrated print, broadcast and Internet marketing campaign that highlights the car's new engines, improved ride and handling and redesigned interior. About 55 percent of Focus customers are women. About 23 percent of all Focus customers are first-time buyers - the highest percentage of all Ford Division vehicles. About 39 percent of customers are new to the Ford brand. Base Focus prices range from $13,550 for a three-door Focus ZX3 to $18,250 for a Focus ZX4 ST sports sedan. These prices include destination charges but exclude taxes, title and license fees. About Hairspray Broadway's Tony Award-winning musical-comedy phenomenon takes you back to 1962 Baltimore, as 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad sets out to dance her way onto TV's most popular show. Can a big girl with big dreams -- and even bigger hair! -- change the world ... and still have time to win the boy she loves? This mega-hit is piled bouffant-high with laughter and romance -- and enough deliriously tuneful new songs to fill a nonstop platter party. It's the winner of eight 2003 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. As The New York Times says, "If life were everything it should be, it would be more like HAIRSPRAY. It's irresistible!" For more information, please visit http://www.hairsprayonbroadway.com/ or http://www.hairsprayontour.com/. About Varsity Spirit Corporation Varsity is a leading provider of goods and services to the school spirit industry. The company designs, markets and manufactures cheerleading and dance team uniforms and accessories, as well as dance and recital apparel for the studio dance market; operates cheerleading and dance team instruction camps throughout the United States; produces nationally televised cheerleading and dance team championships and other special events; and operates studio dance competitions and conventions. The company markets these products and related services through a year-round marketing strategy. The company markets its proprietary products and services to schools, recreational organizations, coaches and participants in the extra-curricular market using its own nationwide sales force, as well as websites that are targeted to specific audiences and specific activities. About mark mark is the makeup you can buy and sell, and was created in celebration of young women making their 'mark' in the world today. mark is providing millions of women with an opportunity to buy and sell makeup they love -- and ultimately, to become the CEO of their own beauty business. mark is sold exclusively through mark Representatives, the mark website, http://www.meetmark.com/, and over 480,000 active Avon Representatives today. Consumers can also call 1-800-meetmark for further information. DATASOURCE: Avon Products, Inc. CONTACT: Jennifer Wolinetz of mark Public Relations, +1-212-282-5180 Web site: http://www.meetmark.com/

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