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Wednesday December 8, 1:54 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
General Magic Names Young & Rubicam myTalk Advertising Agency of Record TSI Communications Worldwide Public Relations Also Chosen to Promote Company's Services
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 8, 1999--General Magic(TM) (Nasdaq:GMGC - news) today announced that it has selected Young & Rubicam, Inc. (Y&R) as the advertising agency of record for its myTalk(TM) free consumer Web service.
The company also announced that TSI Communications Worldwide has been chosen as the company's public relations partner.
The myTalk service, launched in June 1999, provides consumers with free, voice-activated access to email and voicemail over the phone as well as a Web inbox for managing messages by computer. The service also lets members make free quick calls anywhere in the United States.
''Our search criteria for an ad partner required not just creativity but a strong track record of strategic positioning success to help us meet our leadership goals for myTalk,'' said Buck Krawczyk, vice president, Communications and Branding for General Magic. ''Y&R has clearly shown those capabilities in the marketplace, and their enthusiasm for the myTalk service made the decision that much easier.
''TSI Communications has extensive experience with Internet start-ups, and their excellent relationships with key consumer, business and technical media will help us continue to expand awareness of the value of the myTalk service,'' he added.
General Magic expects the first advertisements resulting from its new relationship with Y&R (www.yandr.com) to appear in the first quarter of 2000. The company is teaming with Y&R's San Francisco office, which has been expanding its presence in the technology and Internet space with nearly two-thirds of its staff now supporting high-tech clients.
General Magic is working with TSI Communications' (www.tsicomm.com) Digital Consumer Group, headquartered in New York City with an office in South San Francisco. TSI Communications has represented hundreds of entrepreneurial start-ups as well as intrapreneurial blue-chip companies. The firm has received many public relations awards, including the 1998 Gold CIPRA Award for its work with IBM on the Deep Blue chess challenge special event.
The myTalk Service: A Better Way to Work with Personal
Information
The myTalk service makes it easy for anyone to stay connected with family, friends and colleagues. The free email, voicemail and ''quick call'' feature -- free two-minute calls anywhere in the U.S. are accessed from a toll-free number. When a computer is available, email and voicemail messages can be checked from the www.mytalk.com Web site. The service also offers pager alerts for important messages and the ability to forward email from compatible email accounts into myTalk so those messages can also be heard over the phone.
Members don't have to push buttons or memorize commands while on the phone with myTalk; they just have to talk. Because of General Magic's unique voice technology, called magicTalk(TM), members are able to interact with the service as if they were speaking with a friend. The service's intelligent voice personality listens, responds back, and follows members' commands, all with a pleasant and helpful attitude.
To perform tasks while on the phone with myTalk, for example, members can say, ''Play it, please,'' ''Send a reply,'' or ''Dial a number.'' The service responds back with comments such as ''Got it. Your message has been sent.'' To hear a myTalk audio demo, click on generalmagic.com.
About General Magic
General Magic offers voice-enabled services and technology that make communication and access to information easy and convenient. The company's innovative, patent-pending magicTalk voice interface lets people interact with information using their own words, as if they were talking to another person. For more information, visit www.generalmagic.com. Investors with questions may call Shareholder Communications at 877/245-6973.
Note to Editors: General Magic, magicTalk and myTalk are trademarks of General Magic, Inc., which may be registered in some jurisdictions.
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