• by Aaron Baar , September 30, 2009

Since launching last year, Frito-Lay's True North snack brand has encouraged people to find and follow their passion (or their "true north"). The brand has expanded that mission with Reader's Digest.

True North has signed on as the exclusive sponsor of the magazine's "Make It Matter" Day, a national volunteer day of reading, writing and support of literacy and education. The Make It Matter Day, Oct. 3 -- which will involve more than 100 events in select schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs and libraries across the country -- is part of the magazine's "Make It Matter" program, which helps charitable organizations that people feel passionate about, through publicity and donations.

"Their company and their position is that they stand for a singular passion in life," says Elaine Alimonti, vice president for marketing and sales development for Reader's Digest Community. "We didn't custom-make the [Make It Matter] program for them, but it's almost as if we did. The alignment is very close."

As sponsor of the program, True North has had a presence on all Make It Matter communications, from emails to running banner ads on the program's dedicated microsite, www.rd.com/make-it-matter-make-a-difference. True North will also have a presence at some of the Make It Matter Day events, Alimonti says.

More than 37 million people voted on the causes to be supported for the inaugural Make It Matter Day. The magazine hopes to make the day an annual event, although the causes may change based on voting results, Alimonti says.

"We're always reaching out to companies that are in sync with our brand and our messaging," she says.