• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, May 12, 2005

Hoping to tap into the Baby Boomer market, Ameriquest Mortgage Company this week announced it was sponsoring a new tour by the Rolling Stones.

For the initiative, Ameriquest has built the aging rockers a microsite--accessible through the mortgage company's home page--with the tagline "Not Your Average Garage Band." The site, which touts the 2005 tour set to kick off Aug. 21 in Boston, also will host an online sweepstakes, with monthly prizes including show tickets and merchandise.

Ameriquest also plans to award all entrants a free downloadable track. The mortgage company and the Stones are still working out which song will be offered, but Christine Bunch, Ameriquest marketing manager for events and sponsorships, said the title will not be available for download elsewhere on the Internet.

To promote the site, the company is considering buying search terms related to the tour, but hasn't yet decided whether to purchase other online advertising, Bunch said. Ameriquest, which ran ads during the Super Bowl, plans a TV campaign to promote the sponsorship of the tour.

With this effort--Ameriquest's first sponsorship of an entertainment event--the outfit hopes to prove it's "not just the average mortgage company," Bunch said. "Really, it was to get to a different and more broad audience," she said. "The main focus will be on the Baby Boomer generation--those folks who grew up with the Stones and now own homes and have children of their own, but still love rock and roll."