Ken Greenberg, Edge Communications, Inc., (818) 591-1173
[email protected]
Tamairah Woodward, USWeb Corporation, (310) 815-1177, ext 341
[email protected]
Hard Rock Cafe Partners With USWeb To Debut Internet Strategies, Launch hardrock.com
Comprehensive Music-Oriented Site Extends Brand and Supports New Ventures
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - November 18, 1998 - USWeb Corporation (Nasdaq: USWB), a leading strategic Internet services firm, today announced a partnership with Hard Rock Cafe to implement its comprehensive Internet strategy following the launch of Hard Rock's website. USWeb's Entertainment and Media Practice has provided strategic consulting and technology expertise to build hardrock.com, the Orlando company's first Internet site, which goes live today.
The new site serves as a center of community and commerce for Hard Rock's holdings, aggregating online and offline activities ranging from music news and special events, to visitor incentives, unique merchandise and rock photography. The project supports Hard Rock's ambitious international worldwide effort to expand its business and extend its core brand. The company's Internet presence will serve as an enabling platform for a variety of new ventures and as a means of tying together its geographically-dispersed enterprises.
"With USWeb, we are able to capture the energy and excitement of our cafes, hotels, music memorabilia and performance venues," said Jim Berk, President and CEO for Hard Rock Cafe International, Inc. "Our presence online is fundamental to the ongoing, aggressive expansion of our business, as we pursue new initiatives as a full-scale entertainment and leisure company. We've built our Internet strategy on our own timetable, and USWeb's expertise can deliver our strategy. The new site makes a powerful statement about extending our core business to the Internet in compelling, creative ways."
"Increasingly, companies are turning to the Internet to help reshape their businesses, embracing the Net's ability to deliver bottom-line benefits," said Toby Corey, President and COO, USWeb. "Hard Rock is the kind of company -- really, a company within a much larger community -- for which the Internet exists. Hardrock.com brings the online medium to life for all the company's audiences and markets, which is why this engagement is a watershed on all three levels: strategic, creative and technological."
For hardrock.com, USWeb drew upon its electronic commerce and music industry expertise to create a diverse, dynamic site that places a premium on fast information access and inviting design. Developing in Apple's powerful WebObjects middleware technology, USWeb created a rich set of tools for instant publishing and self-maintenance, enabling Hard Rock to manage its own site with minimal effort. USWeb also conducted audience development activities prior to the launch, in the form of online promotions and community/fan messaging.
"Hard Rock Cafe is a cultural phenomenon that combines an exceptional reverence for music with high-profile recreational properties and a growing catalog of merchandise, all backed by a powerful global brand name," said Nick Rothenberg, managing partner and leader of USWeb's Entertainment and Media Practice. "This unique personality makes Hard Rock ideally suited to the online medium, where entertainment, community and commerce can be so tightly linked. Our work with the company has sought to translate Hard Rock's brand to the Internet while helping to reinforce the brand online and off, literally all over the planet."
USWeb's Entertainment & Media Practice offers broad and deep expertise in all aspects of Internet technologies, strategic consulting, Internet design and development, and sophisticated Internet systems integration. With headquarters in Los Angeles, the Entertainment & Media Practice serves organizations in music, film, broadcasting and publishing, from USWeb's offices worldwide. In entertainment and media, USWeb's client base includes record labels Atlantic, Elektra, EMI, Epic Records, Interscope, Mercury, Polygram, and Virgin; broadcasters NBC, ABC, CBS, and the BBC; and such diverse entities as The 70th Annual Academy Awards, Blues Traveler, Paramount Pictures, Radio City Music Hall, San Francisco Ballet, Harrah's, Times Mirror, Warner/Chappell, ARTISTdirect, DirecTV, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Oakland A's, and America Online.
About Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe International, Inc., owns and/or franchises a worldwide network of 97 Hard Rock Cafes in 33 countries. Hard Rock has expanded into television with the Hard Rock Live weekly music series on VH1, a Hard Rock Records music label, Hard Rock Live performance venues, Hard Rock Hotels, Hard Rock Beer, packaged foods with the Hard Rock Cafe All Natural Veggie Burger, and a website at www.hardrock.com. Hard Rock Cafe has also announced an alliance with the National Basketball Association to create the exclusive NBA restaurant concept.
About USWeb Corporation
USWeb Corporation (Nasdaq: USWB) is a leading strategic Internet services firm helping clients achieve their revenue, profit, market share, and customer loyalty objectives through Internet strategies and systems. USWeb partners with a diverse and prominent portfolio of clients, from medium-size organizations to Fortune 100 corporations. The Company, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, recently announced that it intends to merge with CKS Group, Inc. pending regulatory and stockholder approval. Additional information about USWeb Corporation is available by calling (408) 987-3200.