Infineon awarded German "Golden Bridge"PR prize

Munich/Frankfurt, September 13, 2002 – On September 12 in Frankfurt, Infineon was presented with the “Goldene Bruecke” (Golden Bridge) PR award by the German Public Relations association DPRG (Deutsche Public Relations Gesellschaft). The jury awarded the bronze prize in the “Communications Design” category to Infineon’s Media Relations team for its impressive presentation of the topic of “wearable electronics” in the media. The jury’s decision fell in favor of the Infineon project because of its imaginative and highly successful interpretation of a complex high-tech topic – namely the integration of electronic functionalities in clothing and textiles.

The PR campaign to promote “wearable electronics” was planned and prepared by two Infineon departments working in close collaboration: Media Relations and Emerging Technologies. Emerging Technologies, a department of Corporate Research & Development at Infineon, deals with future technologies and their feasibility. This time the researchers integrated the functions of a voice-controlled MP3 player in a small 5x5 mm microchip and sealed it inside a washable package. The microelectronics was then connected to external components like microphone, speakers and battery module and prepared for use in various articles of clothing. Students from the German Fashion Academy in Munich designed the handmade creations, ten in all.

Approach adopted by the Media Relations tea

Shortly before the start of the Avantex high-tech clothing fair in Frankfurt, Infineon presented the project to the European daily press and electronics trade press media at a press conference in Munich. At the same time as the event, the website went online at www.wearable-electronics.de, making textual information, images and presentations on the topic available for download. In addition to the press conference arranged by the trade fair corporation, the Media Relations team organized a separate press conference for the textiles trade press at Avantex in order to reach decision-makers of the clothing industry through their specialist media.

In the months that followed, Infineon achieved extensive coverage in many leading European media. Almost all German TV broadcasters took up the topic, some even in their main news programs. Infineon’s Media Relations departments in the USA and Asia used the material to inform the media in their own countries. One highlight was the USA-wide screening of a report from the Tokyo Wearable Electronics press conference in CNN/Fox’s main news broadcast, which led to reports in over 40 more US TV programs. In Germany alone, Infineon succeeded in achieving over 20 million reader contacts.

The “Golden Bridge” PR award

The DPRG inaugurated the German “Golden Bridge” PR award in 1970 to honor PR concepts and communication processes for strategic vision and excellence in the communications design and management categories. This year the German PR award broke all records, with 125 submissions from PR agencies and corporate PR departments.

For further information on wearable electronics visit the website at
www.wearable-electronics.de.

Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions for applications in the wired and wireless communications markets, for security systems and smart cards, for the automotive and industrial sectors, as well as memory products. With a global presence, Infineon operates in the US from San Jose, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore and in Japan from Tokyo. In the fiscal year 2001 (ending September), the company achieved sales of Euro 5.67 billion with about 33,800 employees worldwide. Infineon is listed on the DAX index of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX). Further information is available at www.infineon.com.


D I S C L A I M E R

Infineon and the stylized Infineon Technologies design are trademarks and servicemarks of Infineon Technologies AG. Any other trademarks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners.