• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, September 7, 2006

CBS and Classmates.com are teaming up to promote the network's new series "The Class," by allowing Classmates.com's 40 million members to interact with the show's characters for a chance to win prizes.

Premiering Sept. 18, "The Class" focuses on a group of eight twenty-somethings from the same third-grade class who reconnect after 20 years.

Through its partnership with CBS, Classmates.com will allow anyone who joins the site to sign on as alumni of the show's fictional Woodman School and invite characters to join their own affiliate groups on Classmates.com. They can also receive messages from characters about show updates and behind-the-scenes news.

Paying members of Classmates.com will also be able to initiate sending e-mails and online voice mail message to show characters.

All site members will have access to character profiles and photos and videos featuring interviews with actors and others connected to "The Class." By adding personal friends and cast members to their network pages, participants also gain the chance to win a trip for two to Hollywood to attend a taping of the show and meet the cast. They will also be eligible to win prizes including a laptop computer, digital camera, or television.

"Introducing over 40 million Classmates.com members to "The Class" and its colorful characters gives CBS a terrific opportunity to engage consumers with the show," said George Schweitzer, president of CBS Marketing Group, in a statement.

For its part, Classmates.com is hoping its tie-up with "The Class" will encourage fans of the show to use the site to get back in touch with their own former schoolmates. Lately, the decade-old social networking site has faced heightened competition from fast-growing upstarts such as MySpace.com and Facebook.

In addition to the promotion on Classmates.com, CBS has also started running promotional TV spots for "The Class" that direct viewers to the Classmates.com site to learn more about the show and to "find your friends."

The two companies will also begin running co-branded banner ads on major third-party sites that link to the new "Class" section on Classmates.com. Current Classmates.com members who click on the ads will be directed instead to their welcome page with photos of "Class" characters and links to show-related content on the site.