• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, September 3, 2008

News Corp.'s MySpace and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures have teamed up to market the theatrical release of "High School Musical 3."

The promotion, "HSM3 School Spirit Contest," aims to find the high school whose students can best showcase their inner Wildcat. The brand hits theaters for the first time on Oct. 24. The previous two movies ran only on the Disney channel.

Seniors at one lucky school could win a "magical" celebration for the 2009 graduating class. The winning school receives a senior trip for 300 students and 30 chaperones, including roundtrip coach airfare, either to Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort, hotel accommodations for two nights, airport and hotel transfers in the destination city, admission to the theme park, Disney gift cards to cover meals, and admission to the Disney Grad Nite event.

The Disney Grad Nite aims to host the hottest live music and amped-up theme park attractions to help grads celebrate. The winning school also receives a "HSM3" celebrity pep rally starring Natasha Bedingfield with special guest Menudo.

The promotion markets the movie to school-age kids by engaging them in a series of tasks that tap into typical MySpace behavior such as uploading photos, changing status, connecting with friends and building a community. "We also bring out an inner Wildcat pride," says Angela Courtin, MySpace SVP marketing, entertainment and content. "The promotion gets them to participate by bringing their community online, so it's not just one person in the school, but rather a collective group."

Courtin says it's the largest movie promotion MySpace has done, although the online social network has had a long history of partnering to market and promote Disney flicks such as the "Pirates of the Caribbean" brand.

MySpace will host the contest at www.myspace.com/hsm3, which runs through Nov. 3. Participants can earn points for their school by logging on to the film's official MySpace profile, completing online tasks, and voting via text message. The site also gives "official representatives" the opportunity to opt-out their school from the contest.

For schools that participate, Disney gives students multiple ways to earn spirit points. They can use a mobile phone to text the high school keyword to short code 36789. Individual keywords for schools are found at www.hsm3spirit.com. Each mobile vote is worth 30 points. Participants receive an SMS confirmation message via text after each successful mobile vote, along with a message marketing Disney products and services.

Students can earn points by uploading user-generated content such as videos and photos. Each is worth an assigned point value. Those who add the "HSM3" Community as a "Friend" on their MySpace profile page earn 500 points. Earn five points per friend by forwarding the "HSM3" Community to a friend. Submitting a video that expresses school spirit earns students points, too. The theme must relate to the "High School Musical" brand.