Phelps’ Historic 8-Day Olympic Whirlwind Generates

$24 Million of Media Exposure for Sponsoring Brands

         ANN ARBOR, MI, August 22, 2008 –Michael Phelps’ eight-night gold medal run at the Beijing Olympics saw brands associated with the swimmer amass a combined $19 million of in-broadcast exposure value during NBC’s primetime telecasts, and another $5.1 million of exposure value stemming from articles appearing during the same time span in print publications and on the Internet.

       According to research conducted by Joyce Julius & Associates, Inc. — which specializes in measuring the impact of sponsorships across all forms of media — Nike, Speedo and Visa logos combined for 12 minutes, 41 seconds (12:41) of on-screen time exclusively from apparel worn by Phelps during NBC’s coverage, beginning Saturday, August 9, and running through his final gold medal triumph on Saturday, August 16.  One way Joyce Julius determines exposure value is by comparing the in-broadcast time the brands garner to the estimated cost of a commercial spot during the telecasts.

       A warm-up jacket worn by Phelps during each of his medal ceremonies accounted for all of Nike’s time with the swimmer, as the familiar swoosh was monitored for 8:19, leading to an exposure value of $12.5 million.

       Speedo logos on Phelps’ warm-up jacket, swim cap and bodysuit and a hat landed the brand 4:19 of airtime and $6.5 million.  Meanwhile, Olympic restrictions prevented Phelps from wearing Visa logos; however, NBC’s highlight montages of the swimmer’s career did produce a smattering of in-broadcast exposure for his sponsor.

       During the eight days Phelps competed, his sponsors also enjoyed a media surge ranging beyond the event broadcasts.  For example, Speedo benefited from press coverage surrounding a performance bounce they established with the swimmer, as text mentions of the brand and Phelps together appeared within nearly 600 print articles and 3,500 stories monitored on the Internet.  This coverage alone provided Speedo with an additional $3.5 million of exposure value.

Phelps’ 8-Day Brand Exposure Totals:

Brand          NBC In-Broadcast Exposure          Print/Internet Exposure                       Combined Total

Nike               $12,475,000                  $672,350          $13,147,350

Speedo             $6,475,000               $3,488,750            $9,963,750

Visa                       $75,000                  $933,250            $1,008,250

About Joyce Julius & Associates, Inc.:

       Joyce Julius & Associates, Inc. is the sports and entertainment industry leader in accurate measurement and evaluation of sponsorships and promotional programs.  Joyce Julius’ fully customizable, third party research is highlighted by in-broadcast television exposure monitoring, full media impact measurements, and fan/consumer perception analyses.

       The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based firm—which monitors more than 2,500 nationally televised sports and special event programs annually—has been measuring the impact of corporate sponsorships across all forms of media since 1985.  These forms of media include national and regional event television broadcasts, television highlight and news programming, event radio, print media, Internet articles, along with exposure stemming from promotions and advertising, as well as event on-site elements.

--###--