ADVO Joins With Detroit Newspapers To Strengthen and Expand Its Newly Established Weekend Advertising Program.

Business Editors

WINDSOR, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 10, 2001

ADVO, Inc. (NYSE: AD) announced today a major expansion of its recently announced weekend mailing program in Detroit through a partnership with Detroit Newspapers.

The new five-year agreement will create an expanded advertising vehicle which combines targeted direct mail with newspaper distribution. The program will be co-branded and include both the Detroit Free Press (a Knight-Ridder newspaper) and The Detroit News (a Gannett newspaper). Beginning this month, the program will initially cover approximately 600,000 households with an increase to 850,000 households planned for early 2002.

Gary Mulloy, ADVO's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We look forward to joining with the Detroit Newspapers, in affiliation with both the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News, to bring this enhanced program to the market. The creation of this new partnership substantially strengthens and expands our recently announced second mailing initiative in Detroit, and results in an improved advertising vehicle for retailers and consumers."

ADVO is the nation's largest full-service targeted direct mail marketing services company with annual revenues of over $1 billion. The Company's core ShopWise branded shared mail program is distributed nationally to approximately 60 million households weekly. Approximately 30 million additional households can be reached, on a shared mail basis, through ADVO's National Network Extension (A.N.N.E.). Additionally, the Company's consumer web site, ShopWise.com, provides targeted Internet access to consumers. ADVO's subsidiary, MailCoups, Inc., produces Super Coups, a direct mail-based advertising solution for local neighborhood businesses in an envelope format. ADVO launched the America's Looking For Its Missing Children(R) program in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the United States Postal Service in 1985, and ADVO's missing child cards are responsible for safely recovering approximately one out of every seven children featured. ADVO has 21 mail processing facilities and 60 sales offices nationwide. ADVO's corporate headquarters are located at One Univac Lane, Windsor, Connecticut 06095. The Company can be visited at its Web site at www.advo.com.

This report contains certain forward looking statements regarding the Company's results of operations and financial position within the meaning of Sections 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward looking statements are based on current information and expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties which would cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those in the forward looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: changes in customer demand and pricing; the possibility of consolidation throughout the retail sector; the impact of economic conditions on retail advertising spending; postal and paper prices; possible governmental regulation or legislation affecting aspects of the Company's business; the efficiencies achieved with technology upgrades; the amount of shares the Company will repurchase in the future under its buyback program; fluctuations in interest rates related to the outstanding debt and other general economic factors.