Sagwa puts its pawprint on back-to-school with Applebee’s

Pouncing on the back-to-school season as the purrfect time to plug Sagwa the Chinese Siamese Cat’s new video and book extensions, Sesame Workshop and CinéGroupe have lined up a long-running promotion with family-friendly restaurant chain Applebee’s in the U.S. From July 29 to November 3, four million Sagwa activity books and promotional cups will be distributed to kids dining in the chain’s 1,300-plus restaurants. The activity books will also feature a coupon offer for one of two new Sagwa home videos (Cat Nights, Flights & Delights and Feline Frenzy) being released along with a DVD called Sagwa’s Storybook World by Warner Bros. on July 30.

Scholastic will tap into the buzz generated by the Applebee’s promo when it releases two new Sagwa books in October. Both Beginning Reader titles, Acrobat Cats and Princess Sheegwa will be based on episodes of the same names. Seven additional titles are slated to launch in February 2003.

Nick’s boy genius lures the family holiday crowd to Embassy Suites

Hoping that an of-the-moment Nick character will entice vacationing families this summer, Embassy Suites Hotels is offering a special Jimmy Neutron-branded weekend package from May 30 to September 29. Available at more than 165 hotels in the continental U.S., Puerto Rico and Latin America, the Nickelodeon Summer Trip Pack includes a grab bag of cool freebies for kids ages three to 14, including a reusable rocket-shaped camera, a pair of two-way undercover sunglasses and a plush toy version of Jimmy’s faithful robot dog Goddard. The offer also includes a spacious two-room suite, a cooked-to-order breakfast each morning and a manager’s reception with snacks each evening.

BrandGames and Marinela kick off World Cup with a CD-ROM offer

Mexican snack cake brand Marinela (owned by baked goods manufacturer Grupo Bimbo) and youth marketing company BrandGames are tapping into the popularity of World Cup soccer with a grocery store premium promotion that breaks new digital ground in Mexico. With the purchase of two boxes of the popular snack cakes, which sell roughly 10 million units a week in Mexico, consumers will get a free CD-ROM that pits the brand’s cast of characters–including the Pingüinos (penguins) and Lors the Caveman–against the Mexican soccer team. The promo marks the first time an interactive game has been offered as a premium in Mexico, as well as upping the quality ante for the country’s other premium players. With a retail value of US$20, the Marinela disk is costing the snack cake company under US$1 per unit.