WEB PREVIEW FOR PIRELLI TYRES NEW ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

Milan, 26 January 2000

Pirelli has chosen the Internet for the world premi�re of its new international tyre advertising campaign. Beginning Thursday, 27 January, visitors to the website www.pirelli.com can enjoy the exclusive on-line showing (in both AVI and MOV formats) of the commercial produced by Armando Testa agency for Pirelli’s Tyres Sector.

The new Pirelli commercial will be aired on Italian TV networks starting on Sunday, 30 January, and later on television in 27 countries of primary interest to the Group. The campaign will also involve the automotive press around the globe, with images depicting the setting of the spot.

The ad projects the spectator into a situation typical of the western movies: a buffalo stampede. The starring role - this time without the support of famous spokespeople performing in the past like Ronaldo, Marie Jo Per�c, Carl Lewis or Sharon Stone - is a tyre: the new-generation P6000 Powergy, combining high performance with maximum safety, comfort and a tangible reduction in fuel consumption.

After months of preparation, the commercial was filmed entirely in the United States, at the beginning of last December, on two highly picturesque locations - Twin Mountain in California and the Moab Valley of Utah - by an international film crew directed by Thed Lenssen, famed fashion photographer and author of important commercials. Lenssen was assisted by two Academy Award winners: Alle Hall, the special effects wizard awarded two Oscar gold for Forrest Gump, and the sound designer Dane A. Davis (The Matrix, The Abyss). The spot, in fact, reproduces the actual sounds of tyres in motion, processed to create a highly effective soundtrack. The director of photography is Harris Savides, who, among others, has worked with Madonna, David Bowie and the Rolling Stones.

During the shooting an entertaining backstage film was shot to reveal the secrets of the complex work behind the spot, which required the use of thousands of tyres. Internet surfers visiting the www.pirelli.com site from 27 January can also get an exclusive showing of this film by streaming it directly on their personal computer screens without having to download it to hard disk.

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