CHAMPCAR/CART: Cotter Group Lands FedEx Account

HARRISBURG, N.C. (April 27, 1999) -- FedEx, known for its speed and reliability, has selected Cotter Group to handle its Championship Auto Racing Teams mobile marketing unit.

The FedEx show car provides a dynamic representation of the FedEx Championship Series sponsorship, and will effectively communicate the brand attributes that link FedEx to CART, the fastest racing series in the world. The FedEx show car also allows customers to "touch and feel" the FedEx Championship Series beyond the race track and will be a valuable marketing tool for FedEx business units.

Federal Express, the world's largest express transportation company, provides reliable and time-definite transportation of more than three million items to 210 countries each working day. Federal Express employs more than 145,000 people and has more than 44,400 drop-off locations, 624 aircraft and 42,800 vehicles in its integrated global network.

Scott Douglass, a native of Jamestown, N.C., has been chosen as the Cotter Group account executive for FedEx. He is responsible for scheduling appearances and coordinating travel details. Douglass holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has been employed at Cotter Group for two years in its promotions department.

Ray Miller will serve as the on-site representative for the CART FedEx Championship Series mobile marketing unit. The Concord, N.C., native joins the account with two years of promotions service at Cotter Group and 20-plus years of transportation sales experience. Miller will transport and set up the mobile marketing unit and talk to visitors about the FedEx Championship Series. Douglass and Miller will travel to the Federal Express headquarters in Memphis, Tenn., for corporate training.

"This account will take us to the next level. We've proven ourselves in NASCAR mobile marketing and now we're ready to move into CART," said Mark Ethridge, president of Cotter Group. "This is a great beginning to a potential long-term relationship."

Opened in 1988 by two public relations professionals, Cotter Group has grown into a 60-person, full-service marketing communications agency. Specializing in public relations, publicity, event management, mobile marketing, promotions, sponsorship coordination and publishing, Cotter Group strives to develop seamless marketing programs to promote its motor sports clients.