Jun 5, 2008 6:03 AM, PROMO Xtra, By Amy Johannes

International House of Pancakes (IHOP) is teaming up with Minor League Baseball to celebrate its upcoming 50th birthday via a cross-country summer road tour.

IHOP is running a branded RV cross country to promote is new pancake flavors and national sweepstakes.

International House of Pancakes (IHOP) is teaming up with Minor League Baseball to celebrate its upcoming 50^th birthday via a cross-country summer road tour.

An IHOP-branded recreation vehicle is hitting the road to visit 61 baseball games nationwide through September. Under the Discover America Tour, the company will offer giveaways, including branded baseball cards featuring its nine new pancake flavors with a buy one, get one free coupon for a Discover America combo meal. The Most Valuable Pancake mascot will give away T-shirts and organize games for attendees.

The tour is part of IHOP’s 50^th birthday celebration, which it will mark in July. People can track the tour online at www.ihopdiscoveramerica.com. The first wave will make stops at Jacksonville, FL, Charleston, SC, Durham, NC, Norfolk, VA, Richmond, VA, Trenton, NJ, Pawtucket, RI, and Toldeo, OH.

At its restaurants, IHOP will offer nine new pancake flavors through the summer. Three new flavors will be featured each month. Customers have the chance to vote for their favorite via an online sweepstakes at www.ihopdiscoveramerica.com through Sept. 7. People can also enter by playing the 50 State Quiz by choosing a state and answering correctly three trivia questions about it.

Three grand-prize winners will receive a weekend trip to New York, Los Angeles or Chicago. Three first-prize winners will each receive a Minor League Baseball gift basket and 150 second-prize winners will each receive a $50 IHOP gift card.

P-O-P materials in restaurants, TV spots, online marketing and PR support the campaign. Fieldstone Promotion is handling the tour and partnership with Minor League Baseball. Norm Marshal Associates is in charge of the Web site and Manning Selvage & Lee oversee PR.

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