Ameritech uses "The Human Factor" campaign to reinforce reputation for customer-driven excellence; "If It Doesn't Work For People, It Doesn't Work".

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 16, 1995--There is nothing quite as exciting as being the first person with the hottest new product on the market -- until you discover the kinks haven't been worked out and there's already a new and improved version available. Sound familiar? It's all too common in today's high-tech world.

While many communications companies are showcasing their new technological developments, Ameritech has chosen to showcase the critical factor in the success of new technology -- the consumer. The new Ameritech television campaign for 1995, "The Human Factor," will feature how consumer insight drives Ameritech's new business.

The campaign, which launched on network TV on January 15, shows how the company studies real people using communications products and services in their natural environments -- an integral part of Ameritech's design and development process.

"Customers are at the center of everything we do and at the heart of every decision we make," says Richard C. Notebaert, Ameritech chairman and CEO. "We want Ameritech's name to be synonymous with friendliness and usability. That's why, to ensure it gets things right the first time, Ameritech involves consumers every step of the way before bringing a product or service to market."

Talking with customers, Ameritech has learned how consumers feel and think about all the technology they hear and read about. "Consumers tell us they are often confused, overwhelmed and intimidated, and worry about not being able to keep up with all the changes," says Arnold Lund, manager of the Human Factors department at Ameritech.

Created in 1989 to design, evaluate, test and re-engineer communications products and services, the Human Factors department studies how real people use technology in real life to develop products and services people not only need and want, but that are also simple to use, reliable and affordable.

The Human Factors researchers use "Test Towns" -- actual locations through the Midwest -- to conduct extensive research on consumer wants and needs. By studying how people in their actual environments are using products and services, Ameritech takes a proactive approach to problem-solving that ensures user-friendly solutions.

This commitment to positively influencing the design and development of communications products and services underlies the department's motto: "If It Doesn't Work For People, It Doesn't Work." According to Joel Engel, vice president - Technology for Ameritech, the company's commitment to Human Factors emphasizes the company's awareness of how consumers are becoming more sophisticated -- and critical -- about technology.

"As the often-discussed 'information revolution' comes to pass, consumers are driving the process of change as much as the innovations themselves," he says. "This often means the marketplace has become the laboratory for just-in-time technological innovation. By staying closely in touch with the market's true needs, Ameritech will continue to deliver technology which is consistently in tune with the needs of real people."

As the information revolution unfolds, Ameritech plans to be the world's premier provider of user-friendly communications for people at work, at home or on the move. To that end, the science of Human Factors is playing a large role in its pioneering work in video interactive services.

In 1995, the company plans to start marketing the first of a broad base of multi-media services to expand and enhance consumers' home video experiences by providing control, convenience and customization. In addition to TV viewing, applications might ultimately include opinion polling, product purchasing, play-along games and sports shows, and money management.

Ameritech, one of the world's largest communications companies, helps more than 13 million customers keep in touch. The company provides a wide array of local phone, data and video services in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. Ameritech is creating dozens of new information, entertainment and interactive services for homes, businesses and governments around the world.

One of the world's leading cellular companies, Ameritech serves more than 1 million cellular and half a million paging customers, and holds cellular interests in Norway and Poland. Ameritech owns interests in telephone companies in New Zealand and Hungary and in business directories in Germany and other countries. Nearly 1 million investors hold Ameritech (NYSE: AIT) shares. -0-

NOTE TO EDITORS: Joel Engel, vice president of Technology for Ameritech, was recently awarded the National Medal of Technology for his seminal role in creating cellular telephony. The National Medal of Technology is the nation's highest award for achievements in the commercialization of technology, or the development of human resources that foster technology commercialization.

CONTACT: Ameritech

Mike Brand, 312/750-5219

(or "mike.brand(a)x400gw.ameritech.com)

(a) denotes "at" symbol