Public Voting Open to Pick New (RED) Product to Fight AIDS in Africa

Winning Team to Be Announced May 10th

NEW YORK – April 19, 2010 –
Across the U.S., entries have been created and posted for “Pearson Presents the (RED) Challenge,” through which Principles of Marketing students have the opportunity to help fight AIDS in Africa. Starting today, the voting is now open to the public to help select the top ten entries.

Sponsored by Pearson, the authors of Marketing: Real People, Real Choices – Michael R. Solomon, Greg W. Marshall, Elnora W. Stuart – and (RED), the contest asked Principles of Marketing students to create their own marketing plans for a product targeted to college students that would fit into the (RED) product line and that would help raise awareness of and drive contributions to (RED)’s mission to help fight AIDS in Africa. Participating students pitched their proposed products in short videos, submitted to and now viewable on the contest’s Facebook site, apps.facebook.com/redcontest/contests/19255.

The public can now view and vote on the video entries through April 25th, to select the top ten submissions, which will then be reviewed by (RED) representatives. The Grand Prize winning team will be announced on May 10th, and the winning students and their professor will be flown to New York to present their submission to the (RED) team.

About Pearson
Pearson (NYSE:PSO), the global leader in education, teacher training, education technology and school solutions, provides innovative print and digital education materials for preK through college, student information systems and learning management systems, teacher professional development, career certification programs, and testing and assessment products that set the standard for the industry.

About (RED)™and (PRODUCT) RED™
(RED)’s primary objective is to engage the private sector in raising awareness and funds for the Global Fund, to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. Companies whose products take on the (PRODUCT) RED mark contribute a significant percentage of the sales or portion of the profits from that product to the Global Fund to help finance AIDS programs in Africa, with an emphasis on the health of women and children. Current partners are: American Express (U.K. only), Apple, Bugaboo, Converse, Gap, Emporio Armani, FLOWE(RED) (U.K. only), Hallmark (US only), Dell, Nike, and Starbucks. Since its launch in the Spring of 2006, $140 million has been generated by (RED) partners and events for the Global Fund. (RED) money is at work in Swaziland, Rwanda, Ghana, and Lesotho and supports programs that have reached more than 5 million people. For more information, visit www.joinred.com.

About The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
The Global Fund is a unique global public/private partnership dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. This partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities represents a new approach to international health financing. The Global Fund works in close collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral organizations to supplement existing efforts dealing with the three diseases.

Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has become the dominant financier of programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, with approved funding of US$ 19.3 billion in 144 countries. To date, programs supported by the Global Fund have averted more than 4.9 million deaths through providing AIDS treatment for 2.5 million people, TB treatment for 6 million people, and by the distribution of 104 million insecticide-treated bed nets for the prevention of malaria worldwide. The Global Fund provides nearly a quarter of all international financing for AIDS globally, as well as three-fifths for TB and malaria. (RED)™ is the Global Fund’s largest private sector contributor. For more information visit www.theglobalfund.org.

Contact:
Susan Aspey
Pearson
susan.aspey@pearson.com
800.745.8489

Across the U.S., entries have been created and posted for “Pearson Presents the (RED) Challenge,” through which Principles of Marketing students have the opportunity to help fight AIDS in Africa. Starting today, the voting is now open to the public to help select the top ten entries.

Sponsored by Pearson, the authors of Marketing: Real People, Real Choices – Michael R. Solomon, Greg W. Marshall, Elnora W. Stuart – and (RED), the contest asked Principles of Marketing students to create their own marketing plans for a product targeted to college students that would fit into the (RED) product line and that would help raise awareness of and drive contributions to (RED)’s mission to help fight AIDS in Africa. Participating students pitched their proposed products in short videos, submitted to and now viewable on the contest’s Facebook site, apps.facebook.com/redcontest/contests/19255.

The public can now view and vote on the video entries through April 25th, to select the top ten submissions, which will then be reviewed by (RED) representatives. The Grand Prize winning team will be announced on May 10th, and the winning students and their professor will be flown to New York to present their submission to the (RED) team.

About Pearson
Pearson (NYSE:PSO), the global leader in education, teacher training, education technology and school solutions, provides innovative print and digital education materials for preK through college, student information systems and learning management systems, teacher professional development, career certification programs, and testing and assessment products that set the standard for the industry.

About (RED)™and (PRODUCT) RED™
(RED)’s primary objective is to engage the private sector in raising awareness and funds for the Global Fund, to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. Companies whose products take on the (PRODUCT) RED mark contribute a significant percentage of the sales or portion of the profits from that product to the Global Fund to help finance AIDS programs in Africa, with an emphasis on the health of women and children. Current partners are: American Express (U.K. only), Apple, Bugaboo, Converse, Gap, Emporio Armani, FLOWE(RED) (U.K. only), Hallmark (US only), Dell, Nike, and Starbucks. Since its launch in the Spring of 2006, $140 million has been generated by (RED) partners and events for the Global Fund. (RED) money is at work in Swaziland, Rwanda, Ghana, and Lesotho and supports programs that have reached more than 5 million people. For more information, visit www.joinred.com.

About The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
The Global Fund is a unique global public/private partnership dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. This partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities represents a new approach to international health financing. The Global Fund works in close collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral organizations to supplement existing efforts dealing with the three diseases.

Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has become the dominant financier of programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, with approved funding of US$ 19.3 billion in 144 countries. To date, programs supported by the Global Fund have averted more than 4.9 million deaths through providing AIDS treatment for 2.5 million people, TB treatment for 6 million people, and by the distribution of 104 million insecticide-treated bed nets for the prevention of malaria worldwide. The Global Fund provides nearly a quarter of all international financing for AIDS globally, as well as three-fifths for TB and malaria. (RED)™ is the Global Fund’s largest private sector contributor. For more information visit www.theglobalfund.org.

Contact:
Susan Aspey
Pearson
susan.aspey@pearson.com
800.745.8489