[2] The Issue of Breast Cancer Continues to Resonate With American Consumers.

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 4, 1999--

Second Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Survey Finds Consumers Reward

With Loyalty and Dollars Companies Who Support Breast Cancer

For the second year in a row, women overwhelmingly respond to companies who align with the issue of breast cancer - and reward those companies with their loyalty and purchases. According to the 1999 Cone Breast Cancer Awareness Trend Tracker, 77% of women surveyed have a better image of companies who support National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Additionally, 76% of respondents will tell their friends about these companies and become advocates for specific companies' good deeds.

Besides influencing women's attitudes, companies' support of breast cancer issues also impacts women's purchasing decisions. In October, one in four women - approximately 26 million consumers - purchased a product or service related to a breast cancer cause initiative. Additionally, 67% of women surveyed indicated that they would be more likely to purchase these products and services throughout the year.

The 1999 Cone Breast Cancer Awareness Trend Tracker is an annual survey commissioned by Boston-based Cone, Inc., nationally recognized for creating strategic programs that link companies and causes. The survey, now in its second year, was a national telephone sampling of 500 women during the last weekend of October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

"Our longitudinal data confirms that companies who support the breast cancer cause have a significant influence on women's attitudes and purchasing behavior," says Carol Cone, CEO of Cone, Inc.

As in 1998, Avon's Breast Cancer Awareness Crusade and the U.S. Postal Service's Breast Cancer Research Stamp program remain as the two most recognized breast cancer cause initiatives this year. Avon's Breast Cancer Awareness Crusade, now in its seventh year, has raised more than $37 million to provide medically underserved women with information about breast cancer and direct access to early detection services. The U.S. Postal Service has raised $7.8 million for breast cancer research in just one year of sales of its special pink ribbon stamp.

New breast cancer cause programs - including Yoplait's "Save Lids, Save Lives" promotion, the National Football League's sponsorship of "Race for the Cure," WebMD's free screening mammogram program, and The Gillette Women's Cancer Connection - join Avon and the U.S. Postal Service as some of the most recognized breast cancer cause initiatives.

"In the past year, we have watched companies gain significant ground in the fight against breast cancer," adds Cone. "Companies with well-known, established initiatives like Avon continue to win consumer loyalty and trust by constantly refining and innovating their programs. At the same time, companies with new cause initiatives are gaining recognition by providing their customers with credible ways to interact with their brand and by utilizing integrated communications to ensure that their messages break through the clutter of breast cancer cause programs."

The 1999 Cone Breast Cancer Awareness Trend Tracker was conducted by Opinion Research Corporation International and has an error margin of +/- four percent. Opinion Research Corporation International and Cone, Inc. will execute the third annual Cone Holiday Trend Tracker to document the impact of causes on holiday shopping patterns. Results will be available in mid-November.

Cone, Inc. (www.coneinc.com), based in Boston with an office in New York, is a strategic marketing firm that develops and implements cause programs to deepen relationships between companies and their customers. To obtain more information on the 1999 Cone Breast Cancer Awareness Trend Tracker, call [phone].