Monster Marches to St. Louis for the 2005 NCAA Men's Final Four

Monster's NCAA(R) Final Four(R) Marketing Program to Feature an Interactive Fan Zone for Visitors of All Ages in Addition to Pre-Game Analyses from Sports Personalities Rick Majerus and Steve Kerr

Mascots from NCAA Basketball(R) Programs Once Again Take to the Court for Second Annual Monster Mascot Competition

MAYNARD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 28, 2005-- As NCAA Division I Men's Basketball teams prepare for the Men's Final Four in St. Louis, Monster, a member of NCAA's Corporate Partner Program, today launched its second annual NCAA activation program. The multi-tiered marketing platform will feature events and activities for fans of all ages that will soon arrive in the Gateway City to support their teams, in addition to extensive brand marketing and advertising to promote the Monster brand. Monster is the leading global online careers property and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNST).

Monster officially joined the NCAA's Corporate Partner Program in April 2003, signing a multi-year contract with CBS Sports. Last year, Monster and the NCAA launched NCAA CareerCoach(TM) (www.ncaacareercoach.com/), a student-athlete focused website designed to offer career guidance and information about a range of job opportunities. As part of this NCAA partnership, commercials from Monster's "Portraits" campaign, which encourage viewers to reach for greatness in their life and careers, will air throughout all rounds of the tournament, including the Men's Final Four semifinal and championship games on April 2 and 4, respectively.

Key elements of Monster's activation program at this year's NCAA Final Four include:

  • Monster Fan Zone

    Monster is transforming a 6,000-square foot, loft-style lounge located in the heart of St. Louis' entertainment district into an engaging, interactive basketball-themed experience for the more than 45,000(1) visitors expected to descend on St. Louis during the Final Four. The Monster Fan Zone will feature large screen televisions, vintage video games, computer workstations and a job corner highlighting St. Louis employers. "Scan & Win" kiosks and the Monster Instant Paycheck Booth will offer fans the chance to win prizes including tickets to the 2005 NCAA Men's Final Four and - of course - an "instant paycheck."

    The Monster Fan Zone will also host free, pre-game "chalk talks" with two basketball greats - Rick Majerus, the winningest men's basketball coach in the University of Utah history, and Steve Kerr, who was a member of five NBA Championship teams after a stellar four-year collegiate career at the University of Arizona.

    In addition, three St. Louis-based Infinity Broadcasting radio stations, KEZK-FM, KMOX-AM, and KYKY-FM, who have worked with Monster on several promotions and giveaways, will broadcast live from the Monster Fan Zone throughout Final Four weekend.

  • Monster Mascot Challenge

    Mascots from several NCAA Basketball programs will once again suit up this year in a Monster-style competition that will take place on Center Court at NCAA Hoop City(R). Mascots from Duke University, University of Kentucky, University of North Carolina and other NCAA Basketball programs, along with Monster's signature mascot, Trumpasaurus, will take part in this bracket-style competition. Hosted by CBS Sports' Bill Raftery, the competition will feature a challenging obstacle course with a balance beam, vault, trampoline jump, and dribbling and skateboard tracks, testing each mascot's agility, style and poise. As the field narrows, the final four mascots will compete head to head to determine who earns the coveted honor of 2005 "Monster Mascot Challenge" Champion. B-roll footage will be available following the event.

  • Monster Squads

    Helping spread the Monster brand throughout St. Louis during Final Four weekend, Monster Squads will be dressed in green Monster basketball uniforms and virtually impossible to miss. Squad members will be giving out Monster "credentials" that can be used to redeem prizes at the Monster Fan Zone, the Monster Clubhouse at NCAA Hoop City(R), and the Monster Locker Room at Union Station.

    "Monster's 2005 NCAA marketing program is designed to continue to bring the Monster brand to people who have their sights on advancing their career, in particular the entry-level job seeker. Like the NCAA, Monster is committed to encouraging student-athletes to reach for greatness in the classroom, on the court or field, and in whatever job they choose to pursue after college," said Brad Baker, Chief Product and Marketing Officer, Monster. "Our work with the NCAA over the last two years, including the launch of NCAA CareerCoach(TM), embodies this goal and we continue collaborating to support career and athletic achievements."

    "Preparing student-athletes for future career opportunities while they are pursuing a college degree is a shared goal of Monster and the NCAA," said Peter Davis, Associate Director of Brand Management and Licensing, NCAA. "Monster has developed a great program that will help guide our student-athletes toward their post-collegiate aspirations. We are excited to continue our work with our teammates at Monster as they continue their commitment to and support of collegiate student-athletes."

    In addition, as an official Corporate Partner, Monster is also honoring students who reach for greatness in the classroom by offering four $2,500 Monster Scholarships to coincide with the 2005 NCAA Final Four. The program is being run through FastWeb, a division of Monster Campus, and the leading scholarship search site for students. For contest details, please visit http://scholars.monster.com/.

    About Monster

    Monster is the leading global online careers property. A division of Monster Worldwide (NASDAQ: MNST), Monster works for everyone by connecting quality job seekers at all levels with leading employers across all industries. Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Maynard, Mass., Monster has 25 local language and content sites in 23 countries worldwide. More information is available at http://www.monster.com/ or by calling 1-800-MONSTER. To learn more about Monster's industry-leading employer products and services, please visit http://recruiter.monster.com.

    About the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)

    The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit Association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletics opportunities for more than 360,000 student-athletes annually at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 49,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA Championships in Division I, II and III sports. For more information, go to http://www.ncaa.org/.

    NCAA, Final Four, Sweet Sixteen and Road to the Final Four are licensed by or trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

    Special Note: Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for historical information contained herein, the statements made in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding Monster Worldwide, Inc.'s strategic direction, prospects and future results. Certain factors, including factors outside of Monster Worldwide's control, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward- looking statements, including economic and other conditions in the markets in which Monster Worldwide operates, risks associated with acquisitions, competition, seasonality and the other risks discussed in Monster Worldwide's Form 10-K and other filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which discussions are incorporated in this release by reference.

    (1) www.stlloc.org

    CONTACT: Monster
    Kevin Mullins, 978-461-8751
    kevin.mullins@monster.com
    or
    Weber Shandwick Worldwide
    Kerry Parke, 617-520-7019
    kparke@webershandwick.com

    SOURCE: Monster