iC Group - In The News

Hormel Foods Corporation Woos Chili-Lovers with Stagg® Chili Chuckwagon online game

January, 2004— Los Angeles, CA.

Hormel Foods Corporation recently engaged agency of record Kalis & Associates and online promotions provider IC Group Inc. to help increase consumer demand for STAGG® Chili with an online Chili Chuckwagon Challenge that offers the chance to win a range of prizes including $100,000 cash.

The Chili Chuckwagon Challenge is located at www.staggchili.com and www.chililovers.com. Consumers access the game by obtaining a UPC code from any STAGG® Chili product. Once on the web site, players must uncover three matching chuckwagons stacked with cans of STAGG® Chili on an interactive online game board. Players are eligible to win $100,000 cash or a variety of secondary prizes including Plasma TV's, entertainment centers, Dual brand electronics, and mountain bikes. Entrants are also automatically entered in a Sweepstakes for the chance to win a 2004 Mazda RX8.

"Our mandate is to simply get more people to try STAGG® Chili," says Larry Raskin, Senior Product Manager for Hormel Foods Corporation. "We felt the fun of an online game and an exciting prize list would be a great way to help stimulate sales and trial of STAGG® Chili."

Tom Hall, Director of Client Service for Kalis & Associates, says "A web-based contest appeals to an important demographic for our brand and provides opportunities for us to learn more about STAGG® Chili customers via data collection. We expect the brand to build a strong relationship with this group of customers."

The online Chili Chuckwagon Challenge, consisting of up to 3 million game plays, runs until April 30, 2004. Kalis & Associates is handling the marketing and advertising of the game, IC Group is handling the online game design, development and hosting as well as prize fulfillment and insurance services.

STAGG® Chili is a premium-priced brand offering a total of 12 different varieties of high-quality canned chili products. Made in Stockton, California it is sold at grocery, club and drug stores throughout the western United States, with distribution also in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.

About Kalis & Associates
Kalis & Associates is a full service advertising agency located in West Los Angeles. It has been the agency of record for STAGG® Chili in the United States since 1997. This year the agency began working on the STAGG® Chili account in Australia. Kalis & Associates specialize in packaged goods and multi-unit retailing. Other clients include the Amazing Goop line of household adhesives, Wetzels Pretzels, Beal Bank, Homestore.com, and the Maria's Italian Kitchen restaurant chain.

About IC Group Inc - www.icgroupinc.com
IC Group Inc., providers of promotion risk management, specialty insurance and online technology, deliver and integrate on and offline incentive-based programs to enhance overall brand marketing strategies. Working in partnership with agencies around the world, IC Group enables household name companies such as McDonald's, PepsiCo, Kraft, Monsanto, 3M and Hallmark to deliver unique incentives while providing safeguards against costly promotion error and budget overruns.

Contact:
Julia Bilous, Marketing/Public Relations
IC Group Inc.
(800) 575-5590

Tom Hall Director of Client Service
Kalis & Associates
310-459-4499