Press Releases

CCS Expands CyberScholar.com, the Premier Online Sales
E-Training Program, to Encompass Consumer Electronics Channel

Creative Channel Services, the Innovative Leader in Retail Sales Training and Channel Marketing Services, Introduces Consumer Electronics Categories to Business-to-Business Web Solution

LOS ANGELES, CA – May 1, 2000 - Creative Channel Services (CCS) announced today that it has expanded its premier computer products and sales e-training website, CyberScholar®.com, to include vendor content and category certification for consumer electronics products. Originally launched August of 1997, "The Information Site for Retailers" is established as the industry standard for the computer channel, and the addition of consumer electronics enhances CyberScholar's leadership position in a rapidly consolidating technology market place.

CyberScholar.com is the information source for tens of thousands of sales associates from major national and regional accounts, delivering timely sales, product, category and technology training to mass merchants, electronics, office and computer superstores such as Best Buy, CompUSA, Fry's Electronics, Circuit City and Sears. CCS is also the developer of CompUSA's internal Team Training website, with CyberScholar.com serving as the exclusive home for advanced training and real-time reporting system for CompUSA and their 22,000 employees. In addition to interactive sales clinics from leading vendors including Canon Computer Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Intel Corporation, Microsoft Corporation and Samsung Electronics, CyberScholar's focused curriculum enables sales people to enhance customer service and sales skills, increase their general technology and product knowledge, and achieve exclusive certification recognition.

"With the dramatic growth that converging technologies are bringing to the consumer electronics industry, the salesperson is instrumental in achieving mindshare, sell-through and customer satisfaction for both retailer and manufacturer," said Anne Marie Mueller, CCS' president & CEO. "Our mission is to provide first-quality, measurable training resources for all of our business partners, helping to make sales associates more effective by properly equipping them with timely information and a continuous stream of hands-on learning opportunities."

Co-sponsored by industry powerhouses CEA, Ingram Micro, Earthlink and Cahners Publishing, CyberScholar.com's expanded certification categories now include: Accessories, Audio, Communications & Information Technology, Home Theater, Integrated Home Systems, Mobile Electronics, Personal Electronics and Video.

"In today's dynamic retail environment where product cycles are dwindling from months or years to just weeks, there is a clear need for training sales people more efficiently," said Andy Restivo, senior vice president of business development for CCS. "We delivered over half a million 'how-to-sell' training modules last year, and now CyberScholar becomes an even more powerful strategic vehicle for our vendor and retail partners in gaining a competitive edge through better trained sales people."

About Creative Channel Services, LLC
Creative Channel Services (CCS) is a leading retail marketing agency focused on helping manufacturers and retailers improve sales performance by creating influence at the point of sale. CCS' integrated solutions include field sales & marketing, training development, interactive services and promotional marketing, with a primary focus on creating brand advocacy through retail sales associates. Established in 1995 and headquartered in Culver City, California, CCS is a part of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), a leading global advertising, marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

For more information, contact:

Mark Boeder, Director of Marketing
Creative Channel Services
310-665-9900, ext. 345
Email Mark Boeder