PRODUCTS & PROMOTIONS 2002-09-02

DINOSAUR BACKPACKS AND MORE

- "The Land Before Time: Journey to Big Water," a video from Universal Studios Home Video releasing Dec. 10, will be supported by a bevy of promotions, including a mail-in offer for a free "Land Before Time" backpack. Postage and handling is extra. Other tie-in promotions for the DVD and VHS release, which is the ninth for the dinosaur franchise, include a Kids Meal Program at Sbarro, The Italian Eatery, discount coupons for the video inside a "Land Before Time" video game from Jumpstart Educational Software for Kids, and an offer of a free trial music class at Gymboree Play Music Centers.

Audio Books And Cereal MINNEAPOLIS -- First came DVDs on cereal boxes and now audio CD books. In a first for the audio publishing industry, General Mills here will package the audio book CD version of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey, from Simon & Schuster Audio, which is a part of Viacom, New York, on its Oatmeal Raisin Crisp and Basic 4 cereal boxes. The promotion is available starting this month and runs through December. Other General Mills cereal brands will offer a free, mail-in offer of Simon & Schuster titles, including Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson, A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar, The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko, First Things First by Covey, and Cronkite Remembers by Walter Cronkite.

Fighting Against West Nile

JACKSON, Wis. -- WPC Brands, manufacturer of Repel insect repellent, recently donated more than 11,000 cans of its mosquito-deterring product to the Louisiana Department of Education to help fight the West Nile virus outbreak. The repellent was distributed to Louisiana schools to be applied to school children prior to recess. WPC's donation is in response to a request from Louisiana Congressman John Cooksey to help make sure that Louisiana's school children are protected from the mosquito-borne disease. "Since the West Nile outbreak, we have been working continuously to ensure that everyone has the much-needed protection," said Jim Burt, president, WPC Brands.