"Hispanic is hip. Latin culture has become mainstream," remarks Neil Katz, President of Liz Claiborne Cosmetics. "It is a powerful new trend that we believe is a natural way to connect with a diverse audience of 18-34 year olds. Liz Claiborne is the first to acknowledge this trend in the fragrance category. There is a tremendous affinity for the sensuality and the confidence expressed in Latin culture - a fun, sexy attitude that has great validity to the young people of Gen-X."

The time is right for an American corporation such as Liz Claiborne to acknowledge the influence of this rapidly growing population group (segment growth is estimated at 85% between 2001 and 2030). The rising popularity of Latino style is demonstrated in music, sports, film and fashion...Latin music sales climbed 25% in 2000 (although the overall market dropped by 3%), Salsa has replaced ketchup as the favorite condiment in the U.S.A., and the no. 1 imported beer in this country comes from Mexico.

"Mambo is part of the cultural shift toward all things Latin," Neil Katz adds. "We believe that with Mambo we will capture the imagination of department store fragrance consumers. Mambo is a fragrance that taps into the attitude of the music people are listening to like Ricky Martin, the glamour of the personalities they are watching like Jennifer Lopez or Penelope Cruz and the colorful, revealing fashions they are wearing on the streets of cities from LA to Miami. "

Fashion has adopted the sexy Latin look -- it's on the runways from Paris to New York as well as the pages of influential lifestyle magazines from Vogue to Latina. Forecasters estimate that Latin street fashion, the new apparel of choice for urban youth, is on its way to becoming a $2.5 billion industry.

Latin is a feeling that will be expressed in the $20 million promotion and advertising campaign running September through December 2001. Created by Avrett, Free & Ginsberg, the campaign will specifically address the impact of the hottest psychographic of Generation-X. Print ads will break in September women's, men's and dual audience magazines in the U.S. The Mambo TV commercial will air starting in late August in English, Spanish and Spanglish versions.

"The appeal of Mambo transcends ethnicities. The Latin dance beat of the Mambo TV commercial will be readily understood," observes Art Spiro, VP Marketing, Liz Claiborne Fragrances. "Mambo makes the statement that Latin culture is authentic and alluring -- it is the new aspirational category."

Sue Hochman, VP Sales, Liz Claiborne Fragrances, explains further, "With this launch, Liz Claiborne is making a cutting edge statement in recognizing the integration of Latin culture into everyday life -- it's a fragrance for everyone."