News Release

Ritz Cracker Fun-alysis Looks at the Impact of Fun in America

East Hanover, NJ - December 27, 2007 - The next time someone tells you to be a little more serious, remind them that having fun is no joke, it's actually fundamental to the way we all live. According to a new survey from Ritz crackers, the brand that's always "Open for Fun," fun plays a crucial role in all aspects of our lives.

The Ritz Cracker Fun-alysis, a survey of consumers nationwide conducted by TSC, a division of Yankelovich Inc., reveals that we're a society built on a foundation of fun. According to the Ritz Cracker Fun-alysis, the average American spends six hours a day having at least a little fun (nearly one in five Americans average 10+ hours a day); 83 percent say they do something fun every day, and 63 percent say they are having more fun now than ever before. And who's having the most fun? Redheads, Republicans, people over 62 years old, and married people are leading the charge in the frontier of fun.

The Ritz Cracker Fun-alysis found that it's not all about "fun and games," it's actually all about fun and life:

• 87 percent of people think that fun is an important quality when choosing a spouse. Not only that, 84 percent of people would rather marry someone who is a lot of fun than someone who has a lot of money
• 84 percent believe having fun can add years to your life - (on average saying it adds 10 years!)
• 79 percent say fun influences where they live
• 77 percent of those employed say the ability to have fun is an important part of choosing a job
• While 58 percent of American think money is more important than fun, 42 percent still say having fun at work is more important than making good money
• 74 percent agree either strongly or somewhat that the ability to have fun is an important quality in a Presidential candidate

While Americans are clearly already having fun, they also intend to make 2008 the most fun yet, with 82 percent of people planning on having even more fun in 2008 than they had in 2007. And to ring in the New Year, a whopping 88 percent would prefer to spend New Year's Eve going out with friends, while only nine percent would prefer to go out partying with celebrities if given the choice.

"People everywhere enjoy Ritz crackers and make them a part of everything from big parties to small celebrations and every day fun experiences," said Jim Low, Senior Brand Manager for Ritz crackers. "Because so many people associate our brand with fun, we thought it would be interesting to find out how much impact fun actually it has on the way people live."

The Fun-ographics of Fun
They say that as you get older you get wiser, but it seems you may also have more fun. The Ritz Cracker Fun-alysis found that 43 percent of people age 62+ say they have a lot of fun every day, versus 32 percent of people in the "Echo Boomer" generation (ages 18-28).

People also appear to be very grounded in their approach to fun. The Ritz Cracker Fun-alysis found that 77 percent of people say that spending time with family and friends is their favorite way of having fun. Even more, 45 percent said "a night in" was more fun than a night out, while two-thirds (67 percent) of Americans say that staying in touch with old friends is more fun than meeting someone new. The Fun-alysis also found that 36 percent of people chose where they live as the most fun place to be, ahead of Las Vegas (30 percent), New York (19 percent), Los Angeles (8 percent) and Chicago (7 percent).

The Road to the "Fun House"
If there is one thing the 2008 U.S. Presidential candidates shouldn't forget, it's that they ought to have some fun out there on the campaign trail! The Ritz Cracker Fun-alysis found that 74 percent of respondents agreed strongly or somewhat think that the ability to have fun is an important quality in a presidential candidate. But there appears to be a lot of ground that the candidates need to cover on the fun factor, because while 55 percent of those surveyed thought a politician was more fun than a root canal, the Fun-alysis nevertheless found that 39 percent of Americans think that having a root canal is more fun than a politician.

When asked which Presidential candidate would be the most fun to be around, Americans voted this way:

Interestingly, men and women, Democrats and Republicans alike, all agree that Rudy Giuliani would be the most fun Republican Presidential candidate to be around. Hillary Clinton was chosen as the most fun Democratic candidate among women, with 33 percent of the vote, higher for women than any other Democratic candidate. Incidentally, the Ritz Cracker Fun-alysis also found that 42 percent of Republicans said they have a lot fun each day, compared to 35 percent of Democrats.

Work, Money, and Fun
Work seems to be a great place to get your fill of fun. Eighty-four (84) percent of those surveyed that are employed say they have a lot of fun at work, which could be because a whopping 69 percent of full and part-time employees agree that their boss is fun. The Ritz Cracker Fun-alysis also found that 77 percent of employed people say the ability to have fun is an important part of choosing a job. But at the end of the day 54 percent of people ranked making good money more important than having fun at work (42 percent).

While money doesn't buy happiness, it apparently doesn't buy fun either. When asked, "which do you think most contributes to having fun?", "being in a good relationship" led the way (42 percent of respondents), followed by "good health" (38 percent) and "a good job" (8 percent), with "having a lot of money" trailing the pack (6 percent). Interestingly, "Echo Boomers" (ages 18-28) equate money with fun more than any other age group - 48 percent listed "money" as a 10 on a "fun" scale of 1 to 10, compared with 26 percent of Baby Boomers and 21 percent of Gen-Xers.

And what talk of money would be complete without talking about taxes, which evidently is a sore spot for some - according to the Ritz Cracker Fun-alysis, 22 percent of people would choose dying as more fun than paying taxes!

Show Me the Money…Not the Fun
The Ritz Cracker Fun-alysis found that almost one quarter (23 percent) of Americans believe that no professional athlete would play just for fun, without being paid. Amazingly, only 8 percent of Americans thought that more than half of all professional athletes would play just for the fun of it. But that might say more about us than about athletes - the Ritz Cracker Fun-alysis also found that 7 out of 10 Americans would have more fun giving away $10,000 than receiving $100.

For more information on the results of the Ritz Cracker Fun-alysis or to take your own mini survey of fun, log on to www.ritzcrackers.com/openforfun.

About Ritz "Open for Fun"
The Ritz cracker brand is launching an exciting new "Open for Fun" campaign, an integrated marketing program that extends beyond the tangible features of Ritz and expresses the underlying relationship - a relationship based on fun - that so many people share with the brand. The multifaceted, integrated campaign includes vibrant and playful TV spots, print ads, outdoor postings, dynamic light projections and in-store promotions, as well as an all-new "Open for Fun" Web site.

Survey Methodology
A telephone questionnaire of approximately 15 minutes in length was fielded. The questionnaire was fielded in November, 2007. A total of 1,000 interviews were conducted. Findings in this report have a margin of error of +/-3.1%.

About TSC/Yankelovich
The Segmentation Company (TSC), a division of Yankelovich is an industry leader in creating custom, needs-based segmentation services that drive marketing strategy and improve results.

Contact:
Laurie Guzzinati
Kraft Foods
Laurie.Guzzinati@kraft.com
973-503-4671

Allison Greco
Brie Mesagaes
Coyne PR
agreco@coynepr.com
973-316-1665

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About Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods is one of the world's largest food and beverage companies with annual revenues of more than $34 billion. For more than 100 years, Kraft has offered consumers delicious and wholesome foods that fit the way they live. Kraft markets a broad portfolio of iconic brands in 155 countries, including six brands with revenue of more than $1 billion, such as Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings; Oscar Mayer meats; Philadelphia cream cheese; Nabisco cookies and crackers; Jacobs coffees and Milka chocolates. Kraft became a fully independent company on March 30, 2007, and is listed in the Standard and Poor's 100 and 500 indexes. The company also is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the Ethibel Sustainability Index. For more information, visit the company's website at www.kraft.com.