Apparently to Playboy TV, sex and taxes go together. As a way to promote the adult channel as escapism in a month when people are stressed out about the Internal Revenue Service's April 15 income-tax filing deadline, that channel has slated its "Tax Day Sweepstakes."
That promotion, which runs from April 15 through April 30, will be cobranded by DirecTV Inc. and various cable operators across the U.S., said Playboy TV vice president of marketing Dotty Ewing.
This is the first time since 1998 that Playboy TV has offered its tax-themed promotion to the cable industry, although the satellite industry has run each year since 1996.
The grand prize: a trip to Hugh Hefner's Playboy Mansion.
Ewing described the cross-channel spot as "G-rated, but playful."
In addition, the network will send out periodic e-mails to remind cable operators about the promotion.
The network itself won't run any on-air promotion spots for the sweepstakes, but it's urging participating affiliates to run their customizable cross-channel spots heavily as of April 1, she said. Ewing said operators can choose from two offers — a daylong pay-per-view block for 99 cents on April 15 only or a discount on a month-long subscription to the adult channel.
