Message #82 From:
NewsBot Date: February 15, 2007 07:42:00 AM
PCLN News Priceline.com Delivers The Challenge In The February 18th Episode Of The Apprentice: Los Angeles
NORWALK, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--When the contestants in NBC’s The Apprentice: Los Angeles assemble on Sunday, February 18 to tackle their latest business challenge, they’ll be working with one of the top brands in the Internet space: Priceline.com (Nasdaq:PCLN). Priceline.com joins a list of blue chip companies participating with Donald Trump in this year’s version of the hit show, including The Dial Corporation, Lexus, The Home Depot Center and GNC.
Two of priceline.com’s top executives will be putting aspiring apprentices through their paces. The priceline.com executives are Chris Soder, President, North American Travel, and Brett Keller, Chief Marketing Officer. The Apprentice is the show where individuals compete to eventually win an apprenticeship within Donald Trump’s business empire. Contestants are divided into teams and, each week, they take on a business project assigned to them by Mr. Trump. Depending on how they perform, contestants either make it through to the next week are eliminated from the competition.
Priceline.com was one of the companies chosen by Mr. Trump this season to help him winnow the show’s contestants down to one winning Apprentice. On the 18th, Mssrs. Soder and Keller will present the teams with the challenge of promoting priceline.com’s Name Your Own Price® hotel service. After conferring with the priceline.com executives on how well the contestants did, Mr. Trump will meet with the teams and someone will hear those dreaded words: “You’re fired.”
Priceline.com’s participation on The Apprentice: Los Angeles follows closely on the launch of the company’s new Negotiator advertising campaign starring William Shatner. The campaign focuses on priceline.com’s ability to negotiate superior travel deals on behalf of its customers. Priceline.com also plans to complement its Apprentice appearance with an online contest, scheduled for launch later this week, where visitors can register to win a dream vacation to Los Angeles.
“Priceline.com decided to become an Apprentice sponsor and a participant because our own research found a very close fit between the show’s viewers and our customers,” said Mr. Keller. “Much of the plot revolves around negotiating and deal-making. Apprentice viewers tend to think of themselves as being skilled in that regard, so they are perfect candidates for priceline.com’s lineup of specially negotiated and money saving travel products.”
All show participants are required to maintain strict secrecy until after their segment airs. However, Mr. Soder was able to make a few general comments on the show. “From the moment we arrived, you could appreciate the intensity of the challenge,” he said. “The contestants aren’t given that much time to think about a strategy. It’s all about gut feel and quick execution, while being under the microscope of TV cameras all the time.”
On the topic of working with Mr. Trump, Mr. Keller said, “Contrary to the impression you may get from the show and its frenetic pace, Donald Trump is an excellent listener. He spent time with priceline.com to understand our business and our challenge so he could properly evaluate contestants’ efforts. He also solicited our input on the results. It was an entertaining and rewarding experience working with him.”
About Priceline.com® Incorporated
Priceline.com Incorporated (Nasdaq: PCLN) operates priceline.com, a leading U.S. online travel service for value-conscious leisure travelers, and Priceline Europe, a leading European online hotel reservation service.
In the U.S., priceline.com gives customers more ways to save on their airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, vacation packages and cruises than any other Internet travel service. In addition to getting all the best published prices, leisure travelers can narrow their searches using priceline.com’s TripFilter™ advanced search technology, create packages to save even more money, and take advantage of priceline.com’s famous Name-Your-Own-Price® service, which can deliver the lowest prices available.
Priceline Europe operates one of Europe’s fastest growing hotel reservation services through its Booking.com network of hotel reservation services, Activehotels.com and priceline.co.uk. Priceline Europe operates in 40 countries in 12 languages and offers its customers in Europe and the U.S. access to approximately 25,000 participating European hotels.
Priceline.com also operates the following travel websites: Travelweb.com, Lowestfare.com, RentalCars.com and BreezeNet.com. Priceline.com also has a personal finance service that offers home mortgages, refinancing and home equity loans through an independent licensee. Priceline.com licenses its business model to independent licensees, including priceline mortgage and certain international licensees.
About The Apprentice: Los Angeles
The Apprentice: Los Angeles is produced by Mark Burnett Productions in association with Trump Productions LLC. Mark Burnett, Donald J. Trump and Jay Bienstock are executive producers. Conrad Riggs, Page Feldman and James Canniffe are co-executive producers.
