CAG ConAgra Brands Inc

Pro Series Promotes Skateboarding, BMX Biking, Freestyle Motocross; Fervent Following Among Young Adult Males Underscoring its support for action sports and commitment to bring its edgy new Snap! campaign to a fervent base of young adult males, the meat-snack favorite Slim Jim(R) brand announced it is signing on as Associate Sponsor of the Dew Action Sports Tour, the premier professional series beginning its second year promoting such action sports as skateboarding, BMX biking and freestyle motocross. Slim Jim, a brand of ConAgra Foods Inc., signed a multi-year agreement with the Dew Action Sports Tour, owned by NBC Sports and Live Nation - Motor Sports, with terms undisclosed. In its inaugural 2005 season in five cities, the sports series attracted 41 million television viewers and 230,000 fans at the four-day events. The action sports themselves have attracted 15 million participants to skateboarding and BMX biking and ranks among the top interests of teenagers. "We're thrilled to support the Dew Action Sports Tour--its initial year in 2005 was a spectacular success," said Andrea Porfidio, manager, Marketing for Slim Jim. "The intensity and excitement of this sports series mirrors in so many ways the attitude and feeling consumers associate with the Snap! of a Slim Jim. It's a natural connection for our brand and most avid consumers -- young adult males." The tour provides Slim Jim, as an Associate Sponsor, with a five-month series of professional contests as well as an action sports marketing platform that activates at multiple levels, including onsite, local markets, retail and media. The benefits include integrated promotions, event marketing and access to one-to-one consumer interactions. In addition, the tour enables Slim Jim to leverage its relationship with the most decorated athlete in action sports, BMX legend Dave Mirra, who is beginning his tenth year as a spokesman for the brand and will participate on the tour again this year. The tour also provides a great vehicle for Slim Jim to extend its recently launched Snap! campaign, which features an edgy Fairy Snapmother character that is an iconic representation of the brand, wielding a Giant Slim Jim meat-stick wand. Launched in August, the overall marketing program includes Slim Jim's first TV advertising campaign in three years. "Bringing the Snap! campaign to action sports fans through the Dew Action Sports Tour not only will provide us with added visibility but will increase penetration of Slim Jim meat snacks, already an established snack favorite," said Mike Hargrave, vice president, Sponsorships, ConAgra Foods. "Our involvement with the Dew Action Sports Tour also is an excellent example of ConAgra Foods' overall sponsorship strategy of associating our brands with events and activities that are a good fit with the character and flavor of the meals and snacks our consumers enjoy from those brands." Slim Jim's Dew Action Sports Tour sponsorship builds on the brand's previous support for action sports. In May 2005, it presented the "Vertical Up-Rising" action sports event at the Food Lion Speed Street in Charlotte, N.C., an action sports exhibition that included Mirra and other top action sports athletes and took place on a vertical ramp in the streets of downtown Charlotte. The Dew Action Sports Tour gives professional action sports athletes a chance to compete for the biggest competitive purse in action sports and gain national attention from the largest network television and cable-broadcasting commitment to date. Slim Jim offers an array of seven meat-stick flavors to give fans a variety of great tastes and attitudes to choose from for enjoying their Snap! moments - Original, Pepperoni, Mild, Tabasco, Nacho, Chili and Sweet 'N Spicy, and also meat varieties such as Deli Sticks, Beef 'N Cheese and Jerky. An estimated 533 million Slim Jims are made each year, enough to circle the earth 2.7 times. For more information on Slim Jim, visit www.slimjim.com. About the Dew Action Sports Tour Owned by NBC Universal and Live Nation, the Dew Action Sports Tour debuted in June 2005, and consists of five major, multi-sport events with a cumulative points system, the biggest competitive purse in action sports, and a $1 Million Bonus Pool based upon year-end standings. NBC and USA Network combine for exclusive Dew Action Sports Tour coverage with the largest combined network and cable commitment in action sports. In addition to the primary sports of skateboarding (park and vert), BMX (park, vert, and dirt) and freestyle motocross, each tour stop will feature a unique "specialty comp." At season's end, the Tour will award champions in the six combined disciplines of skateboarding, BMX and freestyle motocross with the Dew Cup. Key lifestyle elements at each Tour event's festival village will include live cutting-edge music, video gaming, and interactive events. About ConAgra Foods ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE:CAG) is one of North America's largest packaged food companies, serving grocery retailers, as well as restaurants and other foodservice establishments. Popular ConAgra Foods consumer brands include: ACT II, Armour, Banquet, Blue Bonnet, Butterball, Chef Boyardee, Cook's, Crunch 'n Munch, DAVID, Eckrich, Egg Beaters, Fleischmann's, Golden Cuisine, Gulden's, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt's, Kid Cuisine, Knott's Berry Farm, La Choy, Lamb Weston, Libby's, Lightlife, Lunch Makers, MaMa Rosa's, Manwich, Marie Callender's, Orville Redenbacher's, PAM, Parkay, Pemmican, Peter Pan, Reddi-wip, Rosarita, Ro*Tel, Slim Jim, Snack Pack, Swiss Miss, Van Camp's, Wesson, Wolf, and many others. For more information, visit us at www.conagrafoods.com.