The tie-up is worth three times the amount that the now-defunct Vizzavi brand paid to sponsor the original series of 'Pop Idol'. It will be used to promote a range of Nestle products believed to include Kit Kat, Aero and Double Cream.
Billed as the biggest sponsorship yet signed for a single series on UK television, the deal will gain massive publicity when the series is broadcast in ITV's prime-time schedule later this year. The first series of 'Pop Idol' averaged 7.4m viewers, a 37% share, while the final attracted 13.1m, a 57% share.
A range of promotional activity is planned to support the sponsorship, including on-pack, in-store and online campaigns, which bring the series to life for UK consumers., Special edition confectionery may also be developed by Nestle to mark the sponsorship.
In the past, Nestle Rowntree marketing director Andrew Harrison has criticised TV companies for failing to sell their medium well enough, claiming that supermarkets have replaced TV as the delivery channel for mass audiences.
Harrison will be pinning his hopes on the success of 'Pop Idol' as an integrated communications platform for the Nestle brand portfolio.
Nestle Rowntree's previous sponsorships include Quality Street's tie-up with ITV's blockbuster movies and Yorkie's link-up with the FA Premier League.
The sponsorship strategy was engineered by M&C Saatchi and brokered by BroadMind, the sponsorship division of MindShare.
Granada Media and 19 Entertainment, the company backed by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller and owner of the rights to 'Pop Idol', were also involved in the negotiations.
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