Coast to Coast Tour Hits the Road to Gear Up for 'The 39th Annual CMA Awards'

Coast to Coast Tour Hits the Road to Gear Up for 'The 39th Annual CMA Awards'

Free Concerts, Live Performances, Prizes Highlight 18-city Tour

CINCINNATI, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Prilosec OTC and the Country Music Association (CMA) today announced the kick-off of a cross country bus tour designed to celebrate the first ever presentation of the CMA Awards in New York City, and to educate consumers about frequent heartburn (FHB). The Prilosec OTC Country Music Tour: Road to the CMA Awards in New York City, will stop in 18 cities across the U.S., featuring live music and top Country Music acts along the way. Prilosec OTC, the number one selling over- the-counter remedy for FHB (heartburn two or more days a week,) is "headlining" the tour to help educate the estimated 50 million Americans who suffer from the condition. The bus tour is likely to encounter both fans and heartburn sufferers along the way -- recent surveys show that people who have FHB say they like Country more than any other music genre.

"We are excited to go on the road with CMA because we know that it's a good way to connect with people," said Clarissa Niese, Prilosec OTC Brand Manager. "Prilosec OTC helps people control their frequent heartburn so they are able to enjoy the activities they love to do with family and friends. Country Music mirrors that sentiment and we look forward to bringing a little bit of fun and education to each of the tour stops."

The Tour: Pulling Into A City Near You

The tour kicks-off in Los Angeles on September 15, featuring hit artist Catherine Britt giving a free concert. The tour will culminate in New York City on November 10, just days before the CMA Awards airs live from Madison Square Garden on November 15 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the CBS Television Network. Other cities on the tour include:

Los Angeles (September 15) St. Louis (October 12) Phoenix (September 20) Indianapolis (October 15) Albuquerque (September 22) Cleveland (October 17) Denver (September 26) Cincinnati (October 18) Kansas City (September 28) Louisville (October 20) Houston (October 1) Atlanta (October 25) City TBA (October 4) Charlotte (October 27) Little Rock (October 6) Philadelphia (November 5) Memphis (October 9) New York City (November 10)

Local Events -- Sing, Learn and Win

Prilosec OTC and the CMA will host events in 18 cities to entertain and educate consumers about FHB while helping build excitement for this year's CMA Awards. At these events, people will have the opportunity to step inside a real tour bus actually used by top country music stars, view an exhibit of past CMA Awards memorabilia, and speak one-on-one with a pharmacist about heartburn. Additionally, consumers in Los Angeles, St. Louis and Philadelphia will be treated to live performances by Country Music acts.

Additionally, visitors are invited to come sing Country karaoke and create a free CD of their performance. For each singer, Prilosec OTC will make a donation to America's Second Harvest -- The Nations Food Bank Network to help with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

In every city, consumers who attend the events and complete a heartburn screener will also have the chance to win prizes, including gift certificates from local retailers and a First Act acoustic guitar signed by four-time CMA Award winner Charlie Daniels. For more information about the tour visit http://www.prilosecotccountry.com/

"We are so thrilled to be partnering with Prilosec OTC to celebrate this year's CMA Awards," said Rick Murray, VP of Strategic Marketing for CMA. "We look forward to bringing the joy of Country Music as well as some heartburn education to people across the country."

The Prilosec OTC Country Connection

The connection is frequent heartburn sufferers are often Country Music fans. A recent survey found that 38 percent of frequent heartburn sufferers choose Country as their top musical choice, versus only 24 percent of people who don't suffer from heartburn at all. In other words, adult frequent heartburn sufferers are 58 percent more likely to put Country Music at the top of their list than are adults who say they don't have heartburn. Prilosec OTC has developed a special website just for Country Music fans (http://www.prilosecotccountry.com/), offering video exclusives and music downloads from Prilosec OTC fans and award winning singer/songwriter, Phil Vassar.

About PRILOSEC OTC

PRILOSEC OTC is the #1 Doctor-* and Pharmacist-** recommended OTC acid reducer, the first of a class of OTC heartburn medicines that works differently from every other over-the-counter heartburn medication. Prilosec OTC is the only OTC that can work for 24 hours with one pill a day, when used as directed for 14 consecutive days, by directly shutting down many acid pumps in your stomach. In the two years since PRILOSEC OTC was launched, it has become the #1 selling OTC acid reducer*** on the market. For more information about PRILOSEC OTC, visit http://www.prilosecotc.com/. PRILOSEC OTC is available over-the-counter through an alliance between P&G and AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca continues to market and sell prescription PRILOSEC.

About Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG)

Two billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the largest and strongest portfolios of trusted, quality brands, including Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Bounty(R), Pringles(R), Folgers(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Actonel(R), Olay(R) and Clairol Nice 'n Easy(R). The P&G community consists of nearly 98,000 employees working in almost 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

About the Country Music Association

The Country Music Association was the first trade organization formed to promote a type of music in 1958. Based in Nashville, CMA currently has more than 5,000 organizational and professional members around the globe representing every facet of the industry from songwriters, to record producers, artists, musicians, talent agents, publicists, radio programmers, music video directors and more. The objectives of CMA are to guide and enhance the development of Country Music throughout the world; to demonstrate it as a viable medium to advertisers, consumers and media; and to provide a unity of purpose for the Country Music industry through its signature events including the CMA Music Festival and CMA Awards.

About America's Second Harvest

America's Second Harvest -- The Nation's Food Bank Network is the nation's largest charitable hunger-relief organization with a Network of more than 200 regional member food banks and food-rescue programs serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The America's Second Harvest Network secures and distributes nearly two billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually. The America's Second Harvest Network supports approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies operating more than 94,000 programs including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, and Kids Cafes. Last year, the America's Second Harvest Network provided food assistance to more than 23 million low-income hungry people in the United States, including more than nine million children and nearly three million seniors. For more on America's Second Harvest, please visit http://www.secondharvest.org.

* NDCHealth, NDC Physician Recommendation Audit (April 2004 - September 2004, Acid Reducer Category). Data on file.

** Based on share of recommendations: Pharmacy Today 2004 OTC Survey, Acid Reducers.

*** Based on dollar sales. AC Nielson FD+ dollar share of heartburn (12/28/03 - 4/23/05).

Source: Procter & Gamble

CONTACT: Crystal W. Harrell, Ph.D., External Relations, P&G Pharmaceutical and Personal Health, +1-513-622-2880; Robyn Finker of Manning Selvage & Lee, +1-212-468-3879, for Procter & Gamble

Web site: http://www.prilosecotccountry.com/ http://www.prilosecotc.com/ http://www.pg.com/ http://www.secondharvest.org/

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