Press Release: SoapCity; Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.
July 17, 2002
CULVER CITY, CA -- Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. and SoapCity, Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment's premiere soap
opera destination, have forged a relationship to bring soap operas and their fans together via online and live
promotions.
This comprehensive marketing effort will reach millions of loyal Harrah's customers online and through live events.
One such event will be SoapCity LIVE!, a soap opera convention to be held November 2-3 at the Harrah's- operated
Showboat: The Mardi Gras Casino on the boardwalk in Atlantic City. SoapCity LIVE! will give thousands of soap opera
fans the opportunity to meet and mingle with the stars of their favorite shows. The two-day event includes activities
ranging from museum-quality fashion and memorabilia exhibits to opportunities to perform next to TV's top daytime
talent.
The marketing agreement maximizes a variety of promotional platforms. The Harrah's brand will receive aggressive
promotion and visibility throughout the SoapCity networks' rapidly growing family of digital properties. SoapCity
and Harrah's soon will launch a promotion that offers members of the casino operator's Total Rewards® nationwide
player-card program discounts on all purchases at the SoapCity Store, the on-line boutique that boasts a bevy of
soap opera-related gifts. Harrah's activities and offers also will be periodically promoted through SoapCity's
targeted e-newsletter distributed weekly to registered members of the SoapCity community.
"The glamour and excitement of Harrah's adds an important new dimension to SoapCity's offerings," said
Mary Coller, VP and GM of SoapCity. "And Showboat: The Mardi Gras Casino presents an ideal venue for the celebration
of our first SoapCity LIVE! event. The cross-promotional opportunities are endless."
According to Harrah's Senior V.P., Marketing, Rich Mirman, "We know many of our customers are Soap Opera fans
and we are excited to work with the premier online soap opera site to bring the soap opera experience alive at
our casinos."
For Harrah's, the Soap City relationship is the latest in a series of strategic alliances that connect the brand
and its formidable customer base of more than 25 million casino players to products and services that reward and
encourage loyalty to Harrah's.
SoapCity's first-ever convention is being produced in partnership with Creation Entertainment. Since its founding
in 1971, the Glendale, California- based company has presented more than 1,000 fan gatherings throughout the U.S.
and Canada, including Star Trek conventions (for Paramount Pictures), official Xena: Warrior Princess conventions
(Studios USA), official X-Files conventions (20th Century Fox) and MuppetFest! (The Jim Henson Company).
SoapCity, The Soap Opera Capital of the World®, located at www.soapcity.com and AOL Keyword: "SoapCity",
is Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment's premiere soap opera destination and the exclusive soap content provider
to Yahoo! TV. With more than 2 million unique users a month, the site provides extensive coverage updated daily
for all daytime dramas. In addition, the SoapCity Network includes official websites for top soap talent as well
for the shows The Young and the Restless, Days of our Lives, The Bold and the Beautiful, Guiding Light and As the
World Turns. SoapCity is driven by a fan-based community eager to connect with their favorite shows.
Founded more than 60 years ago, Harrah's Entertainment has the largest casino distribution in the U.S., operating
25 properties nationwide, primarily under the Harrah's brand name. Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building
loyalty and value with its target customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products,
unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership.
SOURCE: SoapCity; Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.