Enchanting Times

If Ardea Beverage has its way, grocery shoppers will be on the hunt next month for a can of soda that can be exchanged for a family vacation.

The company has partnered with The Walt Disney Co. in what’s being billed as a “magical” promotion surrounding the release of Disney’s “Enchanted.”

The Find the Magic Can game begins on Oct. 15.

Eight special cans of Airforce Nutrisoda, one for each flavor, will be hidden among 600,000 six-packs. Each can is gifted with the ability to send a family of four to a European castle adventure or on another adventure anywhere Northwest Airlines flies in the U.S.

Whether winners of the big prize or not, shoppers still get a chance to be rewarded for their purchase. On-pack codes direct consumers to www.nutrisoda.com where they can enter to win one of 1,000 pairs of tickets to the film.

And that’s not the only incentive.

“We’re a fairly new brand so this is a really big part of creating not just awareness, but also value in terms of the enchanted six-pack, which is priced to offer six cans for the price of four,” says Maile Buker, vice president of marketing and strategy for Ardea Beverage.

Large-scale displays with pole signs and some viral marketing will support the campaign. E-mail blasts will be sent to the company’s database of 10,000 subscribers via its monthly newsletter the Good Soda Times.

Nutrisoda, attractive to women ages 25 to 54, is a beverage enhanced with vitamins and minerals.

“We’re really targeting those women who are the “gate-keeper” shoppers for the family,” Buker says.

“Enchanted,” which opens Nov. 21, stars Patrick Dempsey, Amy Adams, Susan Sarandon and James Marsden. The story follows the journey of Princess Giselle as she is banished by an evil queen from her magical kingdom to the harshly contrasting streets of present-day Manhattan.

Find the Magic Can is one component of a larger marketing strategy that includes in-store marketing, sampling, guerrilla and some TV and radio ads.

Next up is a culinary contest where people will be asked to send in recipes that use Nutrisoda as an ingredient.

“We will also be looking to do more on the street level, especially as we push out onto the West Coast,” Buker says.

CAMPAIGN INDEX

SEARS

Sears Football Challenge

Sears is set to launch a challenge tied to the football season. Customers who sign up to participate receive five players at random from the roster of NFL players. Each week they can add one player. If the top five players have the highest combined score you could win prizes. People can enter at www.Sears.com starting Sept. 12.

Agency: In-house

HUNGRY-MAN

Fill ‘er Up Sweepstakes

Pinnacle Food Group’s Hungry-Man frozen dinners brand is out with a stock car racing-themed sweepstakes offering more than $40,000 in prizes. People can enter for a chance to win a three-day trip to Miami for a Nov. 18 race, two pit passes and $500. Lesser prizes include DLP HDTV TVs and Hall of Fame Racing apparel and coozies. Registration is at www.hungry-man.com/sweeps. Online marketing supports the sweepstakes, which runs through Sept. 30.

Agency: LaunchPad Media

ACUVUE

Back-to-School Sweeps

Acuvue Brand Contact Lenses has teamed up with multi-platinum teen artist JoJo to introduce Hampton High — an interactive TV and web-based drama series about the trials and tribulations as teens head back to school. The sweeps winners will receive $2,000 MasterCard gift cards, gift certificates for an Apple iPhone and green iPod Nanos.

Production Company: Go Go Luckey Productions

Sweeps Administrator: ePrize

BASKIN-ROBBINS

Cake-a-Day Sweepstakes

Baskin-Robbins’ new promotion offers the chance to win an ice cream cake of choice. The campaign also promotes a new offering: Fudge Crunch Cake. People who sign up for its birthday club receive a free scoop of ice cream on their birthday and a discount off an ice cream cake. To date, more than 1.2 million members have registered at www.BaskinRobbins.com.

Agency: In-house