CANNES, France and REDMOND, Washington, June 22 /PRNewswire/ --

- Verizon Wireless customers will have a convenient way to find hotels, 
book rooms and get on-the-go information.

Microsoft Corp. today announced that hotel operator Global Hyatt Corp.
will launch a mobile advertising campaign that leverages Microsoft's mobile
advertising relationship with Verizon Wireless. The mobile advertising
display campaign is designed to drive people to register for the Hyatt Gold
Passport frequent guest rewards program and encourage people to visit Hyatt's
new, fully functional mobile Web site using their mobile phone.

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Under an agreement Microsoft and Verizon Wireless announced in January
2009, the Microsoft(R) Mobile Advertising team manages mobile search and
display advertising across Verizon Wireless' Mobile Web service. Verizon
Wireless customers will now have a faster and more convenient way to find
Hyatt hotels, book rooms, view and change reservations, check in or out,
receive special promotions, and access general information on the go when
using Verizon Wireless' Mobile Web service.

"Microsoft Mobile Advertising provides us with a compelling and scalable
solution that can drive awareness, and encourages people to interact with our
mobile Web site as another channel to register for our rewards program and
reserve a room," said Amy Curtis-McIntyre, senior vice president of Brand
Communications for Global Hyatt Corp. "The powerful combination of
Microsoft's popular destination sites like MSN and Verizon Wireless' Mobile
Web service not only offers exceptional reach to our target audience, but
provides us with an efficient solution to work with both a large publisher
and service provider through one simple platform."

Leading Microsoft's Mobile Advertising efforts is Charles Johnson, who
was appointed as general manager in March to develop and execute the Mobile
Advertising product marketing and partnership strategy.

"Mobile is a critical component of the overall Microsoft Advertising
strategy. We've made significant investments to develop an agnostic platform
that works with any phone, so that advertisers and publishers can reach and
engage in meaningful ways with their target audiences," Johnson said. "By
working with Verizon Wireless, we're executing on our vision to efficiently
provide consumers with enhanced, entertaining and engaging mobile experiences
that are useful to them on the go."

"Mobile is an emerging and growing opportunity for advertisers and
brands," said Richard Williams, executive director for advertising and
digital media at Verizon. "Together with Microsoft, we can provide value as
they work to reach consumers on the go."

To demonstrate the value of mobile advertising, Microsoft conducted a
research study for Toyota in France in preparation for the launch of its IQ
car. The goal of the study was to determine the impact of using a "two screen
versus one" advertising approach in reaching consumers. The findings
indicated that incorporating mobile advertising with online display
advertising provided an increase to Toyota's online presence, driving a 200
percent incremental lift in ad recall and a 40 percent lift in brand recall.
In addition, the synergy between mobile search and mobile display showed
similar results, with mobile display experiencing a 350 percent lift in ad
recall and a 125 percent increase in brand recall through the inclusion of
mobile search ads.

Microsoft Mobile Advertising is active in 12 countries and is an
important component in Microsoft Advertising's strategy and vision to reach
audiences across multiple screens, platforms and devices. Unlike competitive
advertising platforms, Microsoft Advertising offers advertisers access to
tailored advertising campaigns across multiple screens, including PC, games
and TV.

About Microsoft Advertising

Microsoft Advertising provides advertisers and publishers with media,
tools and services designed to drive deep and profitable engagement with
their audiences. This includes a global media network of Microsoft properties
such as MSN, Windows Live, Xbox LIVE, and partner properties such as
Facebook, WSJ.com and Verizon. The Microsoft Advertiser and Publisher Suites
simplify planning and management of campaigns and content, offering a range
of services that help advertisers and publishers untangle the complexities of
digital media and get more out of their marketing and content investments.
Microsoft Advertising makes buying and selling media simple, smart and
cost-effective across media and devices spanning 42 markets and 21 languages.
Visit http://advertising.microsoft.com for more information.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize
their full potential.