Sponsors Jump on Board for This Summer’s Warped Tour
Business & Entertainment Editors
SANTA MONICA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 29, 2001
LAUNCH Media Inc. (Nasdaq: LAUN) today announced sponsors for this summer’s Warped Tour.
As in previous years, Vans Inc. is the title sponsor, and joining the tour for the first time is Target Stores as presenting sponsor. This summer’s festival — The Vans Warped Tour ’01(TM), presented by Target Stores — features a diverse line-up of popular artists including 311, AFI, Alien Ant Farm, Kool Keith, Less Than Jake, New Found Glory, Pennywise, Rancid and Rollins Band.
LAUNCH announced the acquisition of the Warped Tour in 2000. The Warped Tour was conceived in 1995 as a summer camp on wheels, where great music, extreme athletes and skate/surf lifestyles co-mingle and thrive. Historically, the tour has entertained more than 400,000 fans each summer.
In addition to Target, new sponsors Norelco, Zana Di Jeans and Pontiac Vibe are joining returning sponsors PlayStation(R) 2, Yoo-Hoo and Right Guard Xtreme Sport (RGXS), among others.
LAUNCH has expanded offline and online integrated packages to complement the excitement and action of the Warped Tour experience. Vans Inc. returns this year with an on-site presence and will spearhead the amateur skate attraction.
Other partners will take advantage of on-site opportunities to reach the fans, and many will provide the attractions and promotions that create the energy of the festival.
A long-standing LAUNCH advertiser, Target is not only participating in this summer’s tour, but is also the presenting sponsor of the Warped Inside ’01 Spring and Warped Inside ’01 Fall Tours. At this summer’s festival, Target will host an on-site tent with product giveaways and a wheel of fortune, where concertgoers can take their chances to win prizes.
Additionally, Target will provide Reverse Day Care, a new element of the tour where kids can drop off their parents while they cruise the action of the festival. The tour has always been family-friendly; this new element will be offered to make the day more comfortable for the parents who escort their kids to the tour.
As an added bonus, a special “Warped Are They Now” CD sampler, which features bands that have previously been on the Warped Tour, will be made available exclusively at all Target Stores.
“The Warped Tour is a perfect opportunity for Target to reach out to our younger guests with everything from up-and-coming cutting-edge bands to our new Mossimo collection, great Target product giveaways, and the exclusive Warped Tour CD available in stores,” said Michael Francis, senior vice president, marketing, Target Corporation.
A six-year veteran participant on the Warped Tour, Sony Computer Entertainment America has expanded their presence this year at the tour, not only with a PlayStation(R) 2 booth on-site at the shows, but with a new promotion called Breakfast at the Warped Tour.
Breakfast at the Warped Tour, is a multi-level promotion in major markets across the country, where radio stations will invite contest winners and their guests to have breakfast with the bands and compete in a PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system “Challenge.”
The “Challenge” will provide fans the opportunity to interact with their favorite bands and athletes, while playing the hottest new PlayStation 2 videogames. The tour will feature a dedicated PlayStation 2 tent where attendees will be able to sample a wide variety of incredible PlayStation 2 games.
Pontiac Vibe, an all-new sporty crossover vehicle, joins this summer’s Warped Tour as the official automotive sponsor, supporting one of the most popular attractions on the tour, the Moto-XXX Freestyle Jump, where the hottest young Supercross riders do jumps off a custom-made ramp. Concertgoers will also get an early glimpse of the Pontiac Vibe, which will be available in showrooms in early 2002, and they will have the opportunity to participate in the “What Color is Your Vibe?” color naming contest submitting their ideas for names of the Vibe colors.
For every submission a donation will be made to My Friends Place Charity. At the end of the Warped Tour, five “finalist color names” will be chosen from all the submissions, and then consumers will vote on the final name. Consumers whose names are chosen will be offered a wide range of exciting prizes, offering cool experiences such as a trip to cooking school in Paris, a trip to Las Vegas, or a Home Entertainment package (51″ TV, DVD/CD player, sound system, film and CD library).
“The Warped Tour has always been a great venue for partners to reach an exciting, cross-section of music and sports fans alike,” said Spence McClung, EVP, Advertising Sales and Business Development for LAUNCH. “With our partners, LAUNCH has created versatile offline and online promotions that allow them to maximize their reach to a very elusive demographic, while enhancing the integrity and vibe of the tour.”
About LAUNCH
Headquartered in Santa Monica, LAUNCH Media Inc. is a media company dedicated to creating the premier Internet music site, LAUNCH.com, by providing music fans with the broadest array of music and music-related editorial content. LAUNCH.com houses the Web’s largest music video collection, available streamed on-demand or in pre-programmed channel formats.
Additionally, LAUNCH.com offers music customization with LAUNCHcast, an intelligent music service that enables members to design their own streaming music station with high quality audio or video.
About Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation(R) and PS one(TM) game console and PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system.
The PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system is set to revolutionize the home entertainment market, offering the most compelling interactive content and the capability to be used as a network terminal in the coming broadband era.
Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. markets the PS one game console and PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for the PS one game console and the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system for the North American market.
Based in Foster City, Calif., Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. serves as headquarters for all North American operations and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
About Target Stores
Minneapolis-based Target Stores serves guests at 991 stores in 46 states nationwide by delivering today’s best retail trends at affordable prices. Whether visiting a Target store or shopping online at target.com, guests enjoy a fun and convenient shopping experience with access to thousands of unique and highly differentiated items.
The largest division of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT), Target Stores gives back more than $1 million a week to its local communities through grants and special programs. Since opening its first store in 1962, Target has partnered with nonprofit organizations, guests and team members to help meet community needs.
About Vans Inc.
Vans Inc. is a leading branded lifestyle company for the youth market. Vans reaches its 10 to 24 year-old target consumers through the sponsorship of Core Sports(TM), such as skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing and wakeboarding, and through major entertainment events and venues, such as the VANS Triple Crown(TM) Series, the VANS Warped Tour(TM), the VANS World Amateur Skateboarding Championships, the world’s largest VANS skateparks, and the VANS High Cascade Snowboard Camp(TM), located on Mt. Hood.
The company operates 131 retail stores in the U.S. and Europe, and designs, markets and distributes active-casual footwear, clothing and accessories, performance footwear for Core Sports(TM), snowboard boots, step-in snowboard boot bindings, and outerwear worldwide. Vans’ Internet address is www.vans.com.
Note: PlayStation and the PlayStation logo, PS one and PS2 are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
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