Ford, General Mills team for 'Box Tops for Education'

It sounds like the oldest promotion going, the idea of mailing in cereal box tops for rewards. But General Mills, working with Ford, has dispensed with the mail and given the box-tops idea an online twist -- and it's making some serious money for schools.

It's called Box Tops for Education, a promotion that earns money for schools when parents take a Ford for a test drive. The goal of the latest drive, which starts today and last two months, is $1 million.

Rather than the good ol' days of mailing in box tops, participants can do it all online. Now, they are called "eBoxTops."

"This is just another example of us going local and grassroots," says Jim Farley, a Ford group vice president. "It's a modern program in that it is so local and so authentic."

During the two-month "Ford Drives Box Tops" Sweepstakes, Ford will provide sweepstakes winners with eBoxTops, which will be automatically credited to the school of their choice. To earn credits for schools, participants can earn credits one of three ways:

• They can request a brochure online.
• They can watch product videos on the program website.
• They can buy a new Ford or Lincoln during October and November.

The box-tops thing isn't Ford's only schools initiative. Through the first nine months of this year, Ford has donated $1.8 million to U.S. schools through its Drive One 4 UR School program. During the first four years of the program combined, the program generated $5.5 million.