• by Tanya Gazdik , March 8, 2011

Trojan's Magnum condoms and rap star Ludacris are teaming again in a nationwide search for the best freestyle rap artists in the country.

The second annual Magnum Live Large Project, which will feature rap competitions in four major cities and an online voting competition on YouTube, kicks off nationally following local events in Detroit and San Francisco, and in advance of events in Miami and New York.

The contest is being promoted through radio, print, social media, mobile, online and consumer events, says Bruce Tetreault, group product manager of Magnum condoms, made by Princeton, N.J.-based Church & Dwight. Trojan produces 30 different varieties of condom. Among them are Magnum condoms in a metallic-gold wrapper, which are marketed as being larger than standard condoms.

"Last year, more than 2,000 fans submitted personalized tracks, and over 150,000 people voted," Tetreault tells Marketing Daily. "The contest culminated at the Birthday Bash in Atlanta, where our winner, RC, performed live onstage with Ludacris at his side in front of 18,000 people at Philips Arena."

At each city, local judges will select the top three performers, and then videos of the winners will be posted to youtube.com/MagnumLiveLarge, where people can vote for the best rapper from each city. People who can't make it to the local events will also have the opportunity to compete for a spot on the Magnum Live Large League by uploading their own performance video to youtube.com/MagnumLiveLarge under the Submit tab. The leading vote-getter will join the Magnum Live Large League at Spring Fest in Miami.

These winners will then have the opportunity to appear live onstage alongside Ludacris at the hip-hop concert at Spring Fest in Miami on May 29. Winners will also receive a $5,000 cash prize and a year's supply of Magnum condoms.

This year's project is "bigger and better," with enhanced competition to make the pool of entrants larger, the events larger, and the ultimate payout larger.

"The hip-hop community has always embraced the Magnum brand, and the Magnum Live Large Project is a great way for us to celebrate the people, lifestyles and music that define what it means to live large and use Magnum condoms," Tetreault says.