Citigroup Unveils New Tagline in Brand Campaign Launch and Expands Brand Message to Europe, Latin America and Japan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 11, 2002

Editor’s note: This press release was issued by Merkley Newman Harty|Partners, announcing Citigroup’s new TV ad campaign to debut during the Master’s golf tournament.

Citigroup Unveils New Tagline in Brand Campaign Launch and Expands Brand Message to Europe, Latin America and Japan

New York, NY — Today Citigroup further evolves its bold leadership message and extends that message to a global audience. Beginning Thursday, April 11, Citigroup’s new brand campaign will air on the Master’s golf tournament, not only in the United States, but also, for the first time, in Europe, Latin America and Japan, and with a new tagline -- “This is Citigroup.”

The world’s largest financial company, which operates in 102 countries, in 128 currencies and for more than 100 years as a global company, highlights its 44th year of sponsorship for the Masters through a global campaign that showcases the unparalleled capabilities of this vast and unique business.

	“Umbrella”

	“We Were There”

	“Some Of Us Need”

	“We Live Here”

	“Stability”

	Click Here to View Print Ads

Shot in 17 cities, in eight countries on five continents, the campaign features a series of five moving and beautiful television spots along with four complementary print executions from Citigroup’s advertising agency Merkley Newman Harty|Partners (MNH|P), New York. The advertising challenge was to communicate the multiple parts of the Citigroup story (a diverse product portfolio, global reach, deep roots and stability) in a singular, powerful message.

Each ad emphasizes one or more core strengths that, bound together with the new tagline, tell the complete Citigroup story. Each commercial concludes with a compelling fact, followed by the simple yet definitive, “This is Citigroup.” This clear and consistent theme not only appears in every ad but also in other corporate vehicles such as the cover of Citigroup’s 2001 annual report and on the company’s web site (www.citigroup.com), which was relaunched in conjunction with the campaign.

The first execution, “Umbrella” (:30) sets the tone for the campaign. The spot speaks to not only global reach but also a diverse portfolio of products, through striking, vibrant visuals from around the world and voiceovers of “It’s a life insurance policy in Hong Kong,” and “It’s a corporate merger in Warsaw.”

The next spot, “We Were There” (:30), demonstrates Citigroup’s deep global roots showing elderly people from different countries, and how Citigroup was “in Japan before he was born,” and was “in Brazil before he entered pre-school.”

Continuing with arresting cinematography, “Some Of Us Need” (:30) depicts different people from different lands, however each with different needs. The spot takes us from a glistening financial district in London (“Some of us need to merge companies on different sides of the ocean”) to a small cabin in Vermont (“Some of us need to buy groceries”) among others.

The spot “We Live Here” (:30) illustrates Citigroup’s worldwide presence through images from around the globe, but it also demonstrates Citigroup’s commitment to local communities, which reaches far beyond a token office in a foreign city -- Citigroup employees help build local communities on every continent.

Lastly, “Stability” (:30) recognizes that “on one continent there’s instability, on another there’s growth” and “one economy matures while another is just emerging.” Citigroup has a unique role in the global marketplace as a beacon of stability and strength in an ever-changing world. In other words, “In 102 countries, millions of people depend on the strength and resources of one company.”

In the United States, the television ads debut nationally April 11 on USA Network and CBS, on the Masters (which runs through April 14). In Japan, the spots will run during the Masters broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting Systems, and in Latin America on ESPN International. Finally, in Europe, the spots will run on CNBC. The spots will be translated into Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese. The four print ads will appear in the Masters program guide which is distributed at the event.

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Citigroup (NYSE: C), the preeminent global financial services company with some 200 million customer accounts in more than 100 countries, provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, insurance, securities brokerage, and asset management. Major brand names under Citigroup’s trademark red umbrella include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Smith Barney, Banamex, and Travelers. Additional information may be found at: www.citigroup.com.

Merkley Newman Harty|Partners (www.mnh.com) is a leading full-service advertising agency. Founded in 1993, MNH|P has more than $430 million in billings and more than 230 employees in its New York headquarters. Additional clients include: Mercedes-Benz USA, Fila and Pfizer’s Lipitor. MNH|P is a part of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), a leading global marketing and communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.