College Students Spend $200 Billion Per Year

Rochester, NY—July 29, 2002— The most recent findings from the 360 Youth/Harris Interactive College Explorer Study demonstrate the significant power of the U.S. college market, with spending at nearly $200 billion dollars a year. It is a large and influential market, with over 15.6 million students, and is a vital segment for marketers concerned with serving the needs of young consumers.

The national study, fielded online by Harris Interactive^® during the Spring 2002 semester, measured spending among college students aged 18 – 30, a group that represents 72% of all college students. The sample included all types of students (full-time, part-time, 2-year, 4-year, graduate) and looked at a broad range of consumer behaviors and category buying habits. The study covered a wide spectrum of areas, including technology, entertainment, travel, transportation, telecommunications, personal care products, financial services, snack foods and beverages.

"College students are faced with a whole range of life decisions, including a lot of first-time purchase decisions. It‘s an important time for marketers to connect with this demographic group, reaching them as they establish life-long buying patterns and loyalties," comments Derek White, Executive Vice President, 360 Youth, Inc., an Alloy company.

According to the study, college students spend an average of $287 a month on discretionary items (spending on anything other than tuition, room/board, rent/mortgage, books/school fees). A good portion of that discretionary spending is on beverages and snack foods, with total spending on those categories projected at $11.4 billion per year.

Including weekend days, college students average 11 hours per day of unscheduled time (when they’re not sleeping, working, studying or attending class). It is not surprising then, that spending on entertainment and leisure activities represents a significant portion of discretionary spending.

Technology, and, therefore, spending on technology, plays a central role in the lives of college students. With 93% accessing the Internet, college students are the most connected segment of the population. Ninety-two percent (92%) own a computer, and 13% say they plan to buy one in the next year. Cell phone ownership is at 69%, with 18% of students planning to buy one in the next year. Fifteen percent (15%) of college students say they are among the first to buy a new technology device or gadget, and another 53% say they are likely to buy one after seeing others try it. Only 32% say they tend to wait a long time before purchasing a new technology.

Car ownership is another important consumer behavior among this group. Whether they live on or off campus, 80% of college students have a vehicle for their personal use. Seventy-one percent (71%) of those that have a car either own it individually or jointly with a spouse, with only 29% using a car owned by a parent or other relative. Seventeen percent (17%) of students say they plan to buy a vehicle before the end of 2002.

Summing up the importance of the college market, John Geraci, Vice President of Youth Research at Harris Interactive, points out that "The college consumer is easily overlooked since most information sources that marketers rely on for tracking consumer behavior tend to under-represent college students. However, it is a consumer group that marketers should recognize as offering substantial opportunity. Connecting with consumers during the college years can pay great dividends, both now and well into the future."

The 360 Youth/Harris Interactive College Explorer^TM Outlook Study is an online college survey from 360 Youth, Inc. and Harris Interactive. The study covers a variety of topics about the 18-30 year old college market, from market power and influence, technology adoption and attitudes, to category penetration and spending.

This is the only syndicated study of college students that is conducted among all types of students in the key 18-24 and 25-30 year-old age groups. The study is conducted online twice yearly (fall and spring semesters) completing a minimum of 6,000 interviews annually with both college students (2 year/4 year, full-time/part-time, undergraduate/graduate) and 18-24 year-olds not enrolled in college. Data in this release were collected in April 2002. Complete data from this study are available on a subscription basis.

360 Youth, Inc., the media and marketing arm of Alloy, Inc. (nasdaq:ALOY), integrates the assets and experience of the largest and strongest college and teen marketing companies including MarketSource Corporation, CASS Communications, Alloy, Y-Access, Market Place Media, and others to provide sales and marketing solutions targeting young adults. 360 Youth services over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies through a comprehensive mix of media and promotional programs encompassing school based wall media, campus newspapers, catalogs, event and field marketing, websites, sampling programs, and research. 360 Youth’s extensive knowledge of this demographic and effective programs deliver targeted messages to the young adult population while attracting this audience through a wide range of partnerships that extend to popular social centers and destinations. For more information on 360 Youth, an Alloy Inc. company, please visit our website at www.360youth.com. For more information on 360 Youth’s parent company, Alloy, Inc., please visit www.alloy.com

Harris Interactive (www.harrisinteractive.com) is a worldwide market research and consulting firm best known for The Harris Poll^® and its pioneering use of the Internet to conduct scientifically accurate market research. We combine the power of unique methodologies and technology with international expertise in predictive, custom and strategic research. Headquartered in Rochester, NY, with offices across the United States, in the United Kingdom, in Japan and a global network of local market and opinion research firms, the Company conducts international research with fluency in multiple languages. EOE M/F/D/V

To become a member of the Harris Poll Online^SM and be invited to participate in future online surveys, visit www.harrispollonline.com.