• by Aaron Baar , July 1, 2008

It may only be July 1, but it's never too soon to be thinking about back-to-school. Kimberly-Clark is already on the promotional bandwagon, with a new sweepstakes tied into the Box Tops for Education program.

Through on-package labeling and point-of-purchase signage, the Neenah, Wisc.-based company is encouraging consumers to sign up for a sweepstakes in which their school will get 100,000 Box Top labels (the equivalent of $10,000) and a concert featuring recording artist Jordan Pruitt.

"Schools are continually challenged to fund the technology, textbooks, equipment and many programs that students need," said Kimberly-Clark Director of Consumer Promotion Marketing Laura Keely in a statement. "As a proud partner with Box Tops for Education, Kimberly-Clark is committed to providing parents with effective tools to raise funds for their children's classrooms. This promotion offers a chance to earn even more for their schools."

The promotion will be touted through the in-store and on-pack promotions as well as online. Parents can register for the sweepstakes either through tear-pad forms available in stores or online through Sept. 15. The winner will be chosen in late September.

While this is the first such promotion for Kimberly-Clark, other companies have created promotions touting performances by tween-friendly artists for struggling schools. For the past two years, retailer OfficeMax has created a reality-type program, "Schooled," that set up kids for a staged prank that later would be revealed as a private concert. Artists Jesse McCartney and Fall Out Boy have been participants in that promotion.

"It's making it more relevant for their audiences and the consumer you're trying to go after," company representative Joey Mooring tells Marketing Daily, in regard to using these artists in their marketing platforms. "[This program] is relevant to moms and dads when they're in the stores with their kids, who will see the signage and say 'Mom, Dad, wouldn't it be great if?'"

Box Tops for Education is a program administered by General Mills in which schools receive money in exchange for proof-of-purchase of certain products, most of which come from General Mills. Kimberly-Clark has been a part of the program for several years, according to Mooring.