London, 18 July 2006 – Napster today announced the launch of a major consumer promotion in partnership with Strongbow, the UK’s leading cider from Scottish & Newcastle UK. The nationwide on-pack promotion will offer Strongbow customers a free month-long subscription to the Napster service – worth £9.95 – which will enable them to listen to their choice of music from over 2 million tracks and enjoy exclusive live sessions, advert-free radio stations and dedicated playlists. Strongbow drinkers will also be given the chance to win permanent Napster downloads as part of the deal, which is scheduled to run throughout the summer of 2006.

The promotional activity will run in both on-trade and take-home sectors, including grocery stores, off-licenses and over 6,000 bars across the UK. Along with the opportunity to enjoy Napster, Strongbow drinkers could also be in with a chance of winning exclusive ‘Golden Passes’, supplied by Ticketmaster, which offer £1,000 worth of live entertainment.

“Scottish & Newcastle is an excellent marketing partner for us because we share similar brand values and is also well known for its involvement on the UK music festival scene,” said Leanne Sharman, VP & UK general manager of Napster.
                                                                                          
Richard Glover, customer activation manager at Scottish & Newcastle, said: “Strongbow is the no. 1 cider in the UK in a reinvigorated and fast growing category. Whilst campaigns to date have been successful, we needed to build brand equity through a consistent promotional platform and better integration with our ATL proposition. Our Napster partnership really gives us credibility in this arena and underpins Strongbow’s positioning in terms of facilitating good times with friends.”

…ends