• The Mercury News/AP, Tuesday, February 27, 2007 11:45 AM

Procter & Gamble's Pringles brand potato chips is teaming with "American Idol" in the biggest brand promotion of its 37-year history. The effort includes special American Idol Pringles cans and contests that include a video jingles competition that can lead to tickets to the show's finale.

P&G wants to heat up Pringles' 5% annual growth. It recently extended the brand of chips stacked in cans into packages with a "Select" line of flavors, such as sun-dried tomato, cinnamon sweet potato and Szechuan barbecue.

Pringles joins Nestle candy and Dreyer's ice cream among the show's partners. FreemantleMedia, which co-produces and licenses "American Idol," said more partnership deals are in the works. P&G described the deal as a long-term partnership, with promotions continuing past the show finale, such as a Pringles receipts mail-in for "American Idol" school backpacks this summer.

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