Dallas - March 7, 2002 - Pugh and Company, creators of web-centered marketing programs and Phastlink, an Internet solutions firm were honored by the Dallas-Ft. Worth Interactive Marketing Association (DFWIMA) for having created the most effective e-mail marketing campaign of 2001. The DFWIMA's second annual excellence in interactive marketing awards banquet, which was held on March 5, recognized metroplex agencies and companies for the best online campaigns and projects of the year.Pugh and Phastlink were honored for their rich-media e-marketing promotion created for Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). The DART "East Meets West" e-mail campaign was chosen because of the superior results generated from the campaign in addition to the agency's innovative execution. Entries were judged on the basis of the marketer displaying the best use of email in a marketing program that compelled recipients to a desired action. Effectiveness was measured by comparing results to previous efforts, industry standards and initial campaign goals. Pugh and Phastlink created the dynamic e-mail campaign, using advanced web technology, including Flash animation and sound with MP3 streaming. The first of the two-part virtual campaign was delivered to 7,332 permission-based e-mail recipients. The message was delivered as a "personal" invitation to each recipient, which generated the following results:

• Eighty-six percent of the messages were opened
• Seventy-four percent of the recipients watched the entire promotion
• Forty-six percent of those who watched the promotion went to the DART website for further information about the promotion;
• Thirty-seven percent of the recipients "opted-in" for future email promotions;
• Nearly 500 new impressions were created and captured from viral marketing;
• More than 11,900 people rode the Trinity Railway Express, the subject of the email campaign, on the day of the promotion.

Phastlink provides comprehensive computer consulting and Internet solutions for small to mid-size companies. The firm specializes in Internet application development, web design and hosting, e-mail services, e-commerce and business to business transactions, as well as LAN/WAN network integration. Please visit Phastlink's website at www.phastlink.com to learn more about the company.

Pugh and Company offers more than 25 years of creative communications. Today, the agency specializes in Web-centered design, transforming static Web strategies into interactive experiences that educate, entertain, and effectively sell products and services. To learn more about Pugh's capabilities, please visit the agency's Website at www.pughandco.com.