JAGUAR, MSN GO ON TOUR WITH JANET JACKSON

Ford Motor Co.’s Jaguar, Mahwah, NJ, hit the road this month as sponsor of singer Janet Jackson’s All For You World Tour 2001, while Redmond, WA-based Microsoft Corp. logged on as exclusive online sponsor. The tour runs through mid-October.

Jaguar’s new X-Type model will be featured along with Jackson in a video that opens each performance, and will be displayed at each venue. The brand also gets title billing, arena signage, and inclusion in all tour advertising, promotion, and publicity. A radio overlay will offer the car for a two-year lease.

Jaguar’s first tour sponsorship, the deal “is a powerful statement of our intentions to become more accessible to a new generation,” says Jaguar North America vp-marketing Michelle Cervantez. The tour is produced by New York City-based Clear Channel Entertainment (formerly SFX, Inc.).

Meanwhile, The Microsoft Network Internet service will activate via music.msn.com by providing access to Jackson interviews, live chats, and behind-the-scenes tour footage. A Listen to Win on MSN promotion will support, offering a chance to meet the star during the tour’s Paris stop.

MSN will also introduce a co-branded ISP service called Janet on MSN that will provide standard services with special content and graphics. MSN rival America Online, Vienna, VA, is currently sponsoring Madonna’s Drowned Out tour.