Emap Signs Smarties For School Tour Sponsorship

Emap Advertising has secured Smarties for a £2 million cross-media advertising deal encompassing every aspect of the media owner’s portfolio for the next year and a half.

The deal sees Smarties sponsoring Emap’s Big City School Tour on all Big City radio stations including Key 103 in Manchester and Radio City in Liverpool. The promotion will invite listeners of each station to vote to see a pop act perform at their school. The school with the most votes per station will then be visited by up-and-coming stars for a private performance.

The School Tour will run for 18 months and will also be promoted through advertorials in Smash Hits!, Sneak and Match, as well as on Emap’s youth websites. The deal was brokered by MindShare’s specialist sponsorship consultancy, Performance SportEnt Worldwide, which will also manage and implement the project.

The move is a natural extension for Smarties, which already sponsors the 4pm-7pm zone on The Box and the 6am-10am zone on The Hits, as well as branded gossip sections in both Smash Hits! and Sneak magazines.

Commenting on the deal, Olivia Wright, cross-media account director for Emap Advertising, said: “We are delighted to be developing and evolving our relationship with Smarties for the third year running. This year’s cross-media campaign continues the Smash Hits! and Box partnership, as well as tapping into new audiences via the Big City school tours, Sneak and The Hits.”

The deal follows calls to restrict the promotion of junk food to children. Earlier this month culture secretary Tessa Jowell rejected calls for such a ban, but said that advertising messages promoting healthy eating should be encouraged (see Advertisers Urged To Use Creativity In Obesity Battle).

Emap: 01733 568 900 www.emap.co.uk

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