Advo Sells Marketing Force Subsidiary to Spar

Advo Sells Marketing Force Subsidiary to Spar

WINDSOR, Conn., March 5, 1996 - ADVO, Inc. (NYSE:AD) announcedtoday that it has sold its Marketing Force subsidiary in an asset saleto The SPAR Group.

ADVO had previously announced the treatment of Marketing Force asa discontinued operation for financial reporting purposes. Thedetermination of whether any adjustment is required to the estimatedLoss on Disposal of Discontinued Operations filed with ADVO's firstfiscal quarter 10-Q, will be determined prior to the filing of ADVO'ssecond quarter 10-Q in May.

The SPAR Group, a privately held marketing services companyheadquartered in Tarrytown, New York, will combine its operationswith Marketing Force's. Bob Brown, CEO of SPAR, said, "The joiningof these two major marketing service companies will allow forenhanced client services, improved field execution, and efficiency thatwill benefit clients and retailers alike."

Robert Kamerschen, CEO of ADVO, agreed that, "This is a matchingof complementary skills that will put the excellent Marketing Forceorganization on the path that we had originally envisioned for it. ADVOwill now focus on the growth and strengthening of its core business."SPAR Group has a broad array of services including merchandising,information and research. They provide sales enhancing activitiesacross most all retail trade classe including grocery, massmerchandise, drug, department and specialty stores.

ADVO is the nation's largest full-service direct marketing servicescompany with annual revenues in excess of $1 billion. ADVOspecializes in shared and solo direct mail services, to providecustomized Microtargeting¨ solutions for its clients' needs. TheCompany's Mailbox Values¨ branded shared mail program isdistributed nationally to over 61 million households weekly. ADVOalso offers limited transportation services. It has 20 productionfacilities and 70 sales offices nationwide. ADVO's corporateheadquarters are located at One Univac Lane, Windsor, CT 06095

CONTACT:
     David M. Stigler
     Senior Vice President
     ADVO, Inc. 
     (860) 285-6120

     Lowell W. Robinson
     Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
     ADVO, Inc.
     (860) 285-6101
     Bill Bartels
     Senior Vice President
     The SPAR Group
     (914) 332-4100