P&G Takes Over Yahoo! With NFL Sweepstakes

Procter & Gamble plans to take over the home pages of Yahoo, ESPN, and several other Web sites today to promote its Prilosec OTC heartburn medication. The takeovers are part of a push to promote Prilosec’s “NFL Season of a Lifetime” sweepstakes, which ties in with the brand’s sponsorship of the National Football League.

The 24-hour marketing blitz, dubbed “purple day” as a reference to the product’s packaging, was planned by P&G’s interactive marketing agency imc2. The multi-site campaign will put the brand in front of potential buyers on sports, entertainment and lifestyle sites, mainly in the form of home page takeovers and other prominent home page placements.

“The units are going to be very visual, and will definitely break through the clutter,” promised Steve Minichini, VP of media at imc2, and managing director of the agency’s New York office. “The goal is to put people in the right mindset to get them ready to buy.”

Minichini likened the broad-based Web buy to buying a :30 spot on television, in that it will accumulate audience quickly, within a day in this case. He said that unlike TV ads, the online ads will give consumers the ability to interact with the brand in a more meaningful way.

“This event is unlike any other form of communication because we instantly capture the consumer’s attention — and as a result, the brand will receive an immediate response,” Minichini said.

Consumers can enter the “Season of a Lifetime” sweepstakes for a chance to win a year of travel, accommodations, and tickets to their favorite NFL team’s games next year, as well as the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl.

The campaign will include an ongoing Web marketing component, along with an offline media plan that includes television, magazines, national and regional radio and in-store promotions.