SAN MATEO, CA and LONDON (March 7, 2002) - THUNDER FACTORY, an integrated marketing and strategic communications firm focused on closing sales and driving revenues for clients, and Octopus, a strategic communications firm based in the UK, today announced a strategic partnership to provide business-focused marketing and communications support to clients in the US and UK. The firm's Web address is www.thunderfactory.com and www.octopuscomms.net

Under the agreement, the two firms will collaborate on providing a full range of integrated marketing and communications services to existing clients, and jointly develop new international client relationships. THUNDER FACTORY and Octopus also plan to represent each other's interests in their respective markets, and conduct joint professional education programs for associates and develop new marketing products and services.

Patrick Di Chiro, founder and CEO of THUNDER FACTORY, commented on the new partnership: "From the beginning, we've placed a high premium on building an international presence for our clients, and Europe is a key piece in the jigsaw to reach that objective. The Octopus team has a strong competency in integrated marketing and communications, and a service philosophy that is consistent with our mission of enabling clients to close sales and drive revenues. We are thrilled to be aligned with Octopus, and to extend our reach through the firm's extraordinarily smart team. We look forward to working closely with them to deliver even more value to clients, and create a lot of business together."

James Cooper, Director and co-Founder, added, "We see the demand for communications consultancy accelerating in the UK and Western Europe in the wake of economic recovery and expansion in the second half of this year. Partnering with THUNDER FACTORY is an important strategic move for us, and reflects our ambition to provide clients with the best levels of communications support and consultancy available, both in Europe, North America and beyond."

THUNDER FACTORY maintains strong practices in several major business sectors, including technology, financial services, branded consumer and lifestyle products, and business services. Octopus has built a strong reputation in the technology and business services sectors.

About THUNDER FACTORY
THUNDER FACTORY is an international marketing company that specializes in closing sales and driving revenues for clients. The firm provides a full range of integrated marketing strategy and communications agency services, including brand strategy and channel development, strategic partnerships, advertising, public relations, direct marketing, online marketing, sales promotions and events marketing. THUNDER FACTORY also offers a range of marketing applications, which leverage the power of technology to streamline, strengthen and accelerate the marketing process and generate stronger results for clients. Based in San Mateo, CA, THUNDER FACTORY has affiliates in New York City, London, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Taiwan and Australia. The firm's Web address is www.thunderfactory.com.

About Octopus
Octopus aims to bridge the gap between strategy and delivery across the communications spectrum, including media, analyst and customer relations, research, copywriting and digital communications. Based in Windsor, Berkshire, Octopus is a new communications consultancy offering a number of inter-changeable communications services for businesses operating in the technology sector. Formed in October 2001, Octopus works with innovative brands at a UK and Pan-European level. More information on Octopus can be found at: www.octopuscomms.net