Xbox 360 in six-figure sponsorship deal with Cartoon Network

The sponsorship starts this week and will run until April 2012. It will promote games such as 'Kinect Sports: Season Two', 'Kinect Disneyland Adventures' and 'Kinect Star Wars', to be released in spring 2012.

Turner Media Innovations, Turner Broadcasting's ad sales arm, has created a series of TV spots to promote the sponsorship and viewers will be given the chance to win Xbox 360 prize.

The competition spots will air between 8am and 10am every Saturday morning and will ask viewers to name the correct Kinect action movement being made in different scenes in order to win prizes for the next nine weeks.

The TV spots will ask viewers to submit their answers via a bespoke microsite and winners will be announced in TV spots later the same day, the first time Cartoon Network has used a live competition mechanic in this way.

The microsite (at www.cartoonnetwork.co.uk/kinect) will also host a series of mini games that will introduce families to Kinect and its games and give them additional chances to win prizes.

Stephen McGill, director of Xbox and entertainment for Microsoft UK, said: "We know from the success we achieved last year that Cartoon Network is a great fit with our family audience.

"This year's campaign will extend our conversation with Cartoon Network viewers by bringing the Kinect for Xbox 360 story to life in a new and exciting way."

The deal was planned and bought by UM London. Rory Behrman, ideation director at UM London, said: "This Cartoon Network deal is the third in Xbox's multi-million pound partnership strategy, created by UM London’s Ideation team.

"This deal alongside others we are running with Sky and Disney, really showcases the innovative approach that Xbox takes to its marketing plans and really provides consumers with a rewarding experience when they engage."

Follow Maisie McCabe on Twitter @MaisieMcCabe

This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk