Press Releases

Creative Channel Services & the Consumer Electronics Association Expand CEknowhow E-Learning Site

Training Site Now Linked with over 60,000 Salespeople Who Assist up to 900,000 Consumers Daily

CULVER CITY, CA – November 18, 2004 – Creative Channel Services, LLC (CCS), a leading provider of sales, marketing and training solutions, and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) are pleased to announce the integration of CEA's CEknowhow™ sales training site into the CyberScholar®.com Learning Network. CEknowhow will now be linked to an audience of over 60,000 consumer electronics salespeople who assist up to 900,000 consumers each day in retail stores across North America.

Developed by CCS under the direction of CEA, the animated CEknowhow site provides valuable technology courses and entertaining training to help salespeople improve their selling skills and better assist consumers. Salespeople can get certified in five categories including: Audio, Digital Television, Home Networking, Mobile and Wireless technology.

"CEA commissioned the CEknowhow site as part of our ongoing mission to grow and support the consumer technology industry," said Jeff Schrum, senior manager of industry training for CEA. "Providing consumer electronics sales professionals the knowledge and training to better serve their customers is an essential part of helping the industry move forward and expand."

CEknowhow has already garnered accolades for its value to the industry. In a survey of thousands of retail salespeople who completed CEA's CEknowhow training, nearly 70% of respondents gave the program a rating of 4 or 5 (out of 5).

"Sales training is valuable to salespeople because it gives them more confidence in helping customers, to retailers because it helps improve customer satisfaction, and to manufacturers because it helps increase sales of their products," said Andy Restivo, president of Creative Channel Services. "For years, CCS has led the charge for providing up-to-date product and technology category education, and we are pleased to include CEA's CEknowhow in our CyberScholar Learning Network."

The CyberScholar Learning Network is a multi-vendor online portal that leads the consumer electronics industry in delivering highly effective, interactive sales training and product education to sales associates working for such major retailers as CompUSA, Best Buy, Circuit City, Staples, Sears, Ritz Camera, Radio Shack, Fry's Electronics, MicroCenter, Good Guys, Office Depot, Target and many more. To encourage participation in CEknowhow and other programs, salespeople earn entries into monthly drawings for cash and prizes every time they complete a training category.

CEknowhow will be featured within the "Experience CEA" area at the 2005 International CES, the world's largest annual technology showcase, which will be held January 6-9 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The integrated site can also be viewed through the CyberScholar web site at http://www.cyberscholar.com.

About CEA
The Consumer Electronics Association is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the consumer technology industry through technology policy, events, research, promotion and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA represents more than 1,750 corporate members involved in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and integration of audio, video, mobile electronics, wireless and landline communications, information technology, home networking, multimedia and accessory products, as well as related services that are sold through consumer channels. Combined, CEA's members account for more than $90 billion in annual sales. CEA's resources are available online at www.CE.org, the definitive source for information about the consumer electronics industry. CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES.

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