“American idol” is television’s No. 1 series. So it makes sense that TV Guide would piggyback on the show’s popularity.
This summer, the magazine is co-sponsoring the 53-city American Idols Live Tour with Oscar Mayer, Kellogg’s Pop Tarts and State Farm.
The concerts feature performances by the TV show’s 10 finalists. It kicked off July 6 in Sunrise, FL. The final stop will be Sept. 22 in Manchester, N.H.
At each concert, Gemstar-TV Guide International is distributing a free copy of the latest issue of the magazine wrapped with an 18-page guide providing exclusive information about the newly discovered singers. Attendees may also get their photo taken on a TV Guide Idol Tour “red carpet” backdrop. After the show, fans can retrieve photos from www.tvguide.com/idoltour.
The magazine’s Web site is a running a tie-in sweepstakes offering the chance to win “American Idol” posters autographed by season 6 contestants. The promotion runs through Sept. 30.
Meanwhile, Oscar Mayer drafted Elliott Yamin, a finalist in the shows fifth season, for some star power to encourage entrants to sing their version of the company’s classic hot dog jingle. The top winner gets to appear in a TV spot. Three grand-prize winners also get trips for two to the season 7 finale in 2008 in Los Angeles.
The brand’s Weinermobile is touring the country to host auditions for the contest, which runs through October.
Pop Tarts, the presenting tour sponsor, is streaming 15 Webisodes from the concerts, offering fresh content and behind-the-scenes footage at www.poptarts.com.
Specially marked packages of Pop Tarts include a token good for an exclusive “American Idol” T-shirt signed by the top 10 finalists. People who mail in four tokens, or one token and $4.99, will receive the offer. This is the sixth year Pop Tarts has sponsored the tour.
State Farm is sponsoring the tour for the second year.
Network
