eTAGZ and Sierra Online Partner in Cross Marketing Drink Lid Promotion for FreeStyle...

eTAGZ and Sierra Online Partner in Cross Marketing Drink Lid Promotion for
FreeStyle Street Basketball Online Video Game

SEATTLE, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Soon the U.S. will enter into the annual
frenzy that grips our national sports psyche: college basketball tournament
season. Millions of rabid fans will follow their favorite teams' progress in
sports bars, arenas, on living room TV's and online. So how can an
enterprising retailer get into the game?
With soda, a video game, and a tournament of its own-using a cup lid as a
"mobile" billboard.
"The team at ampm looked at one of its best customer bases, the on-the-go
young adult between 18 and 24," said Jackson Weaver, CEO of eTAGZ. "What does
that group love besides fast snacks and soda? Sports and online games. A
basketball promotion is natural."
Enter eTAGZ, the company that holds the patent for the digital hang tag, a
CD-ROM that contains rich media content. Partnering with Sierra Online, a
division of Vivendi Games, eTAGZ will distribute one million copies of
FreeStyle Street Basketball(TM), a fast-paced massively multiplayer online PC
basketball game, which will be attached to drink lids and given away by ampm
with 44 ounce soft drinks. Lids will be available in a prominently-positioned
point of purchase display.
"One million games may sound like a lot," notes Weaver. "But keep in mind
that ampm's 911 stores sold enough soda last year to fill the Rose Bowl -
without ice!" The eTAGZ will have additional entertaining content from other
retailers and manufacturers specific to this demographic.
Featured on CNBC's Innovations, eTAGZ has been a party to many such
partnerings, notably the recent release of a line of Rocaware denims with an
eTAGZ of Rihanna's latest hit, Umbrella, attached. An upcoming promotion for
Heelys, manufacturer of wheeled footwear, partners Sierra Online's
Switchball(TM) game with Heelys' latest shoe design for gamers.
To top off the ampm promotion, ampm will co-sponsor an online tournament
of FreeStyle Street Basketball toward the end of March when so many eyes are
following basketball. Sixty-four three-person teams will compete for
significant prizes over a two-week period. For more information about
FreeStyle Street Basketball, visit the official Web site at
www.FreeStyleStreetBasketball.com
"We're all very excited about this promotion," said Weaver. "It gives
added value to ampm's customers, exposes them to other products that they
would enjoy, it's interactive and fun, and ties into a sports fanatic's
favorite time of year. What's not to love?"
ampm is owned and operated by BP. For further information, visit their
website www.ampm.com
About eTAGZ
eTAGZ - the Digital Hang Tag Company - is a Seattle-based firm that holds
the patent on the "digital hang tag." eTAGZ are any digital media (CDs, DVD,
etc) that contain rich media content for consumers -- everything from video
and games to music and promotions -- to drive consumers deeper into a
product's branding and create co-marketing platforms that are targeted and
track-able.
About FreeStyle Street Basketball
FreeStyle Street Basketball is rated E for Everyone. Its easy-to-learn
controls allow players to master every move, from simple shots to crazy
alleyoop dunks, using just four keys. Gamers can play 1-on-1, 2-on-2 or 3-on-
3 street basketball online against people from around the country. The game
boasts an exclusive soundtrack featuring Lloyd Banks, Young Hot Rod and Sha
Money XL and clothing and gear from Marc Ecko Enterprises and Elwood. The
globally popular FreeStyle Street Basketball has more than 30 million players
in Asia.
About Sierra Online
Sierra Online, a division of Vivendi Games, creates and publishes quality
short- and mid-session, casual online games for all viable gaming platforms.
Sierra Online's titles include award-winning Xbox(R) LIVE Arcade games Assault
Heroes(TM) and Switchball(TM), in addition to 3D Ultra(TM) Minigolf
Adventures, available for Xbox LIVE Arcade and Windows PC, and FreeStyle
Street Basketball(TM), an online Windows-based PC game from leading Korean
developer JC Entertainment, Inc. The division is also developing a variety of
other Xbox LIVE Arcade and Windows-based PC online games targeting the mass-
market audience.
Contact: Michelle Tennant
Wasabi Publicity, Inc.
828-749-3200
828-817-4034 (after hours)
Photos & online press kit: www.etagz.presskit247.com
michelle@publicityresults.com

SOURCE eTAGZ

Michelle Tennant, Wasabi Publicity, Inc., +1-828-749-3200, +1-828-817-4034
(after hours), michelle@publicityresults.com