McDonald's Corp. has appointed entertainment marketing and promotions agency RPMC to activate its sponsorship of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Under the agreement, the Calabasas, CA-based agency will manage McDonald's Player Escort Program, a competition in which 1,408 kids ages six through ten from 35 countries get a chance to play the fields with some of the world's best soccer players. Close to 50 countries will be involved in the program, said Murray Schwartz, co-founder and partner, RPMC.

In-restaurant promotions for the program are scheduled to begin in February and vary by country, Murray said. Some McDonald's restaurants will offer scratch-off tickets, while others will run essay contests, Murray said. Winners get a trip for two (a child and his /her guardian) to the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

"There's nothing like the World Cup," Schwartz said. "It's a life changing experience. We want to make it the right activation for [McDonald's] investment in the World Cup."

In addition, RPMC will manage McDonald's ticketing needs for 30,000 people through an agency designed intranet site. The site allows McDonald's restaurant owners throughout the world to request tickets, develop itineraries and create their own travel and hospitality programs for customer and corporate guests. RPMC will also handle the worldwide hospitality needs for McDonald's executives and VIP clients.

"The World Cup is a hugely exciting event for McDonald's, our guests and employees," said Johan Jervoe, VP-marketing for McDonald's Germany and head of sports for McDonald's Europe, in a statement. "We have worked with RPMC on a range of projects over the last four years, and we are confident that RPMC has the creativity, planning skills and international reach to create a magic end-to-end experience for all McDonald's guests."

McDonald's selected RPMC to help leverage its sponsorship of the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan.

Last month, McDonald's announced it would sponsor the 2006 FIFA World Cup with a global sponsorship to include ticket giveaways, online games and new product offerings (Xtra Dec. 13), in-store P-O-P, print ads and TV spots and radio spots support.