HSN and Kraft Foods Form Strategic Alliance to Create Integrated Experience in the Kitchen

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., March 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- HSN, a leading interactive multichannel retailer, today announced a multi-year partnership with Kraft Foods, the world's second largest food company.  A first collaboration between HSN and a Consumer Products Goods company, the program will combine innovative content and commerce across multiple platforms and will allow consumers to purchase HSN cooking products on Kraftfoods.com's recipe pages while enabling them to access Kraft Foods content on HSN.com and other HSN distribution channels. The initiative is designed to offer people compelling food ideas, quality cookware products and a richer experience in the kitchen.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20070214/CLW048LOGO-b )

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110310/FL62856LOGO  )

"This partnership further deepens the relationship with our customers by providing them more of what they love about HSN – great experiences and great brands," said Bill Brand, EVP of Marketing, Programming and Business Development for HSN.  "We are also excited to introduce new customers to HSN through this initiative while reinforcing our leadership position in the kitchen category."  

"This partnership is truly unique as it led us to the development of a groundbreaking business model, marrying highly relevant content with interactive shopping and creating multimedia platforms for new product launches," said Julie Fleischer, Director, Consumer Relationship Marketing Content Strategy and Integration at Kraft Foods. "It will enable us to expand and deepen our consumer engagement with exclusive recipes and brand programs."

Kraft Foods and HSN plan to leverage all of their distribution channels to reach their significant combined consumer bases. Kraftfoods.com is one of the top 20 Consumer Products Goods Company food and cooking sites. HSN is available in approximately 96 million homes in the U.S. Its web site - hsn.com - is a top-ten trafficked e-commerce site and has approximately a quarter of a million unique users every day. Both companies also have robust mobile and social platforms.

Beginning March 15, the Kraft Store on kraftfoods.com will be "powered by HSN" and will showcase HSN cooking-related products from its experts such as Todd English, Wolfgang Puck and Emeril Lagasse.  HSN.com will soon start integrating Kraft Foods recipes on product pages in the kitchen category.  Other plans include featuring Kraft Foods products in HSN programming; developing cooking video that connects Kraft Foods recipe content with key HSN products for the kitchen and leveraging the video across multiple platforms. The partnership is also leveraging the Kraft Foods portfolio, with a number of power brands developing innovative multiplatform marketing programs with HSN:

*   On March 12, Philadelphia Cooking Creme, one of Kraft Foods' biggest product launches in 2011, will partner with renown chef and restaurateur Todd English and HSN for a unique multi-channel social experience. Todd English will appear LIVE on HSN at 6pm EST and 10pm EST showcasing his GreenPan™ cookware as well as cooking recipes featuring Philadelphia Cooking Creme. On the same day, over 10,000 homes across the U.S. – a  record number for an event coordinated by the company House Party – will be hosting a "Philly Dinnertime Dilemma House Party."  And, for the first time ever in House Party's history, a true convergence of the two experiences will be brought to life as Todd English chats LIVE with home cooks via SKYPE.

*   Maxwell House International and HSN have combined for a year-long partnership that integrates Maxwell House International into HSN programming, HSN.com and multi-channel interactive games. HSN consumers are encouraged to take a moment in their day to enjoy a cup of Maxwell House International coffee while shopping on HSN. During the month of March - International Women's Month - Maxwell House International will sponsor an interactive game on HSN.com that offers HSN customers the opportunity to win HSN and Maxwell House International coupons and prizes.

About HSN

Headquartered in St. Petersburg, FL, HSN is a leading interactive multichannel retailer, offering a curated assortment of exclusive products and top brand names to its customers. HSN incorporates experts, entertainment, inspiration, solutions, tips and ideas to provide an entirely unique shopping experience. At HSN, customers find exceptional selections in Health & Beauty (e.g. M. Asam, Carol's Daughter, Coty, FranBrand, FusionBeauty, Andrew Lessman's Procaps, Lancome, Perlier, Serious Skin Care, Wei East, ybf Beauty); Jewelry (e.g. Heidi Daus, Grayce by Molly Sims, R.J. Graziano, IMAN Global Chic, michaeLisa, Noir, Amedeo Scognamiglio, Tori Spelling, Signature Statement Serena Williams); Home/Lifestyle (e.g. Nate Berkus, Bissell, Colin Cowie, Dyson, Todd English, GreenPan with Thermolon, Emeril Lagasse, Joy Mangano, MoMA Design Store, Wolfgang Puck); Fashion/Accessories (e.g. American Glamour Badgley Mischka, Curations with Stefani Greenfield, Sam Edelman, Loulou de la Falaise, Chi by Carlos Falchi, Diane Gilman, "Timeless" by Naeem Khan, Adrienne Landau, Sharif); and Electronics.

A leader in transactional innovation, HSN is the only retailer offering live streaming video on three screens: TV network, which broadcasts live to 95 million households in the US in HD 24/7; hsn.com, which ranks in the top 30 of the top 500 internet retailers and features more than 16,000 product videos; and mobile. HSN, founded 33 years ago as the first shopping network, is an operating segment of HSN, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSNI).

About Kraft Foods

Northfield, Ill.-based Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) is a global snacks powerhouse with an unrivaled portfolio of brands people love.  Proudly marketing delicious biscuits, confectionery, beverages, cheese, grocery products and convenient meals in approximately 170 countries, Kraft Foods had 2010 revenue of $49.2 billion, more than half of which was earned outside North America.  Eleven of the company's iconic brands -- including Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oreo, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia and Trident -- generate revenue of more than $1 billion annually, and 40 have been loved for more than a century.  A leader in innovation, marketing, health & wellness and sustainability, Kraft Foods is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor's 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index.  For more information, visit www.kraftfoodscompany.com and www.facebook.com/kraftfoodscorporate.

SOURCE HSN