GM, Discovery in New Media Partnership for Planet Green

NEW YORK, May 21: General
Motors (GM) has agreed to a multifaceted advertising sponsorship of Discovery
Communications’ Planet Green, a 24-hour eco-lifestyle network that will be
available to 50 million homes beginning June 4.

For GM, the partnership
includes premier sponsorship of Planet Green’s Greensburg, a 13-part docu-series produced by Leonardo
DiCaprio's production company, Appian Way, along with Craig Piligian's Pilgrim
Films & Television. The series chronicles the environment-conscious
rebuilding of a Kansas town following one of the largest tornados in U.S.
history. Included among the stories of rebuilding featured in the series will
be the documentation of the new, environmentally-conscious Dwane Shank Motors
Chevrolet dealership after the Shank family's previous dealership in Greensburg
was destroyed by the tornado. The partnership also includes various vehicle and
program integrations, short-form content and an online component.

GM also donated three
Chevrolet E85 FlexFuel Suburbans to the South Central Community Foundation,
which the foundation allocated for use by the local school. It also provided,
through Discovery, three Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid SUVs and one Silverado FlexFuel
pickup to the Greensburg city administration.

Additionally, the deal
provides GM exclusive automotive sponsorship at the national level. GM is also
one of the first advertisers to sign on for a new production service offered by
Discovery Studios—the full-service production division of Discovery
Communications—which has established a production arm dedicated to the
creation of original, short-form video content. GM will utilize this service as
an extension of its core advertising needs, and beginning in the next two
months, short-form content created for GM by Discovery Studios will air on
Planet Green. The short-form content aims to convey GM's environmental efforts
through the images and voices of key executives and employees.

Furthermore, vehicle and
content integrations in select Planet Green programs and online properties will
complement GM's advertising on the network and introduce viewers and users to
its fuel-efficient vehicles, hybrids and biofuel vehicles. GM's commitment to
Planet Green extends to other platforms, including support for Discovery
Education Live Green Teacher Grants, which was custom-created for GM.

"It's a great way for
GM to educate and inform consumers about all we are doing in the area of
sustainable transportation," said Betsy Lazar, the executive director of
advertising and media operations at GM. "Planet Green programs will
attract consumers who also want to know what GM has to offer in terms of fuel-efficient
cars and trucks, hybrids and alternative-fuel vehicles."

"Advertisers have
long recognized the strength of the Discovery Communications brand, and the
addition of Planet Green to our portfolio of networks provides another
top-notch opportunity to reach target audiences," added Joe Abruzzese, the
president of advertising sales at Discovery Communications. "Our
partnership with GM is a perfect match of two brands relating to a growing
population of eco-conscious viewers and consumers."

—By
Irene Lew