Game Fans Discover Hear Me Out!, the Nation's Most Anticipated New Board Game, Available Exclusively at Starbucks; Game is Exceeding Expectations in Popularity.

Business & Entertainment Editors

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SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 18, 2002

This summer, game fans are learning more about friends, family and co-workers than they ever knew, thanks to Hear Me Out!(TM) -- the exciting new board game available exclusively at select Starbucks stores in the U.S. and Canada.

Launched three weeks ago, Hear Me Out! has become the talk of the board game world, as players romp and squirm through the three Hear Me Out! actions, putting together entertaining, frightening -- and more often embarrassing -- character profiles of friends and family.

When performing under the Brainstorming action, each player may be asked to free-associate on topics ranging from frozen food to 80s pop television. The Survey Says! action will require players to predict the group's consensus on conventional wisdom of such things as history's most overrated rock bands or the ingredients of hot dogs. And when asked to provide Sound Bites, players will have to improvise on topics and situations like how to explain to your kids that you gambled away their college tuition in Las Vegas, or how to speak to a group of vegetarians on the virtues of meat.

Everyone has an opinion -- right or wrong -- in Hear Me Out!. That's where the fun begins. Players will be entertained, educated and armed with compromising information about their fellow players in only 60 minutes. It's suitable for players 12 and older, and up to six players can play at a time. Hear Me Out! is different from other board games, because all players are engaged throughout the game with each roll of the dice. It's a catalyst for lively conversation, interaction and discovery.

"The initial response to the game by consumers has been amazing," said Jay Deutsch, president and CEO of merchandise agency Bensussen Deutsch & Associates, Inc. (BD&A), creators of the game. "Starbucks has been a valued client of BD&A and the opportunity to develop a game for the Starbucks customer was incredible," said Deutsch. "When we look at Hear Me Out! we see a natural extension of the coffeehouse culture, which is all about fun, family and friends. We believe that the game will be the next big hit for Starbucks."

The game retails for $34.95 in the U.S. and $45.00 in Canada. For more information, visit www.hearmeoutthegame.com.

About BD&A

Headquartered just east of Seattle in Woodinville, Bensussen Deutsch & Associates, Inc. (BD&A) is a privately held, full-service merchandise agency that provides clients nationwide with comprehensive promotional merchandise and brand extension services and strategies. With 15 offices nationwide, BD&A has also been named as one of Washington state's fastest-growing private companies for the past seven years. BD&A is also the nation's leading in-stadium sports promotional agency. In addition to physical distribution and retail facilities, BD&A offers a number of innovative e-business solutions, including online catalogs, product fulfillment systems and actual real-time inventory control. BD&A works closely with clients to ensure that all branded merchandise solutions are an integrated component of their clients' corporate marketing and advertising programs. BD&A's client/partners are among the world's most recognizable brands and include adidas, Agilent Technologies, America Online, Bank of America, Boeing, Dell, Delta Air Lines, Eli Lilly and Company, ExxonMobil, Microsoft, Nintendo, Pepsi-Cola and Yahoo!. For more information, visit the BD&A web site at www.bdainc.com.

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