Contest Asks Consumers to Create New Verse to Iconic Jingle; Grand Prize Includes Truckload of Seafood for Winner’s Neighborhood Food Bank

SAN DIEGO – August 5, 2008 – Ask any Mermaid you happen to see – what brand is asking consumers to get creative?  Chicken of the Sea!

Beginning Aug. 1, Chicken of the Sea International is asking people if they have what it takes to become a star by creating the newest verse of the company’s famous, catchy jingle.  The Mermaid Jingle Jam, an online and interactive contest, is giving consumers the opportunity to come up with their own 30- to 90-second jingle that incorporates Chicken of the Sea’s original lyrics and the contestant’s verse into a new format – a music video. Prizes include iPod shuffles® for the first 100 valid entries, $10 iTunes® Gift Cards for the next 50 valid entries and a celebrity-style trip to Universal Studios Hollywood for the grand-prize winner, complete with a behind-the-scenes tour, airfare, hotel and dinner at a Hollywood hotspot.

Created as an extension of the Twice a Week for Better Health campaign that launched last October – a partnership with national hunger relief organization America’s Second Harvest – the Mermaid Jingle Jam is further spreading the news about the healthfulness of seafood, while offering consumers a creative way to get involved and help stop hunger in their neighborhoods. In addition to being awarded a Hollywood dream vacation, the grand-prize winner’s local America’s Second Harvest food bank will receive a truckload of Chicken of the Sea seafood.

“The Mermaid Jingle Jam is our way of inviting consumers to become a part of Chicken of the Sea’s history by recreating our well-recognized jingle,” said John Sawyer, Chicken of the Sea’s senior vice president of sales and marketing.  “Not only is this contest fun and interactive, but it is also allowing us to educate the public on the benefits of seafood and the need for all people to have access to healthy protein options.”

Participants will be asked to upload a video that incorporates the original Chicken of the Sea jingle, as well as their new verse, which should include four key themes focusing on health, convenience, quality of life and dietary requirements.  Semi-finalists will be selected by a panel of sponsor judges, followed by public voting for finalists and a grand-prize winner. 

All participants must be registered Mermaid Club members and meet all eligibility requirements to enter.  Those who wish to find out more about the contest or enter a video should visit www.ChickenOfTheSea.com or www.MermaidJingleJam.com.  For information on Chicken of the Sea and the nutritional qualities of seafood, including why it is important to include fish in the diet twice a week, please visit www.TwiceAWeekForBetterHealth.com.

A seafood category leader, Chicken of the Sea provides a variety of shelf-stable seafood products, including tuna, salmon, crab, shrimp, oysters, clams, mackerel and sardines.  The Chicken of the Sea brand and famous Mermaid icon are among the most recognized brands in America.

America's Second Harvest — The Nation's Food Bank Network — is the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through its network of more than 200 member food banks, America's Second Harvest annually provides assistance to more than 25 million people in need, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each year, America's Second Harvest secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of food and grocery products to support feeding programs at approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs and Kids Cafes. To learn more, please visit www.secondharvest.org.

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