Bill and Giuliana Rancic to Ring in New Year's Eve 2011 With NIVEA

NEW YORK, Dec. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- NIVEA has enlisted the help of one of America's most romantic, well-known long-distance couples, TV personalities Bill and Giuliana Rancic, to help revelers across the country prepare to be kissed this year. The celebrity couple will host New Year's Eve atop the NIVEA Kiss platform in the heart of Times Square. In addition, the couple helped NIVEA launch the Kiss the One You Love Contest on Facebook, a viral campaign that aims to bring together couples that may otherwise be kept apart this holiday season, to share their love stories for a chance to join Bill and Giuliana as they host NIVEA's third annual New Year's Eve celebration.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101216/LA18849)

"Bill and I are thrilled to partner with NIVEA and help to bring together these special couples," said Giuliana Rancic. "We started our whirlwind romance long-distance, so we can certainly empathize with anyone who is apart during the holidays. It's important to make the most of the times that you're together and we're so excited that two lucky couples will win the chance to share the most exciting kiss of the year at the epicenter of New Year's Eve celebrations around the world."

"We are thrilled to welcome Bill and Giuliana as our hosts on the NIVEA Kiss Platform for New Year's Eve," said Magnus Jonsson, Vice President, Marketing at Beiersdorf Inc. "There are so many couples across the country and beyond that are separated at this time of year and we are thrilled that through the launch of the Kiss the One You Love Contest, Bill and Giuliana - a couple that started their relationship long-distance – will help to reunite a few lucky couples with powerful love stories while helping America prepare for one of the most important kisses of the year."

Giving Couples A Chance to Reunite for New Year's Eve

Starting December 1st, couples can log onto Facebook.com/NIVEAusa and share their stories of love and how they have been kept apart this holiday season on a personal profile page, complete with a (optional) photo and personal URL. The couple's entry will also be viewable on the main contest page where consumers can view and vote on their favorite love stories.

Added features of NIVEA's Kiss the One You Love Contest application include easy sharing capabilities featuring visuals of the couple so they can rally their friends and family to vote by forwarding their profile as well as posting contest details on personal walls and link to Twitter to capture votes. Voting will come to a close on December 23, 2010 at 11:59 PM and the winning couples will be announced on December 28th via Facebook. To upload your story and vote for your favorite couple, visit Facebook.com/NIVEAusa.

A History Making Performance on the NIVEA Kiss Platform

NIVEA has also joined forces with multi-platinum-selling singer-songwriter Taio Cruz, who will be the first-ever artist to do a live performance of John Lennon's "Imagine" just before the final countdown to midnight on New Year's Eve 2011 on the NIVEA Kiss Platform, located in the heart of Times Square. Millions of people all around the world will experience this memorable moment and connect with one another through the brand's sponsorship of the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration. Following the performance, Taio's version of "Imagine" will be available to download exclusively on iTunes beginning 1/1/11 through 1/31/11 with proceeds benefitting Big Brothers Big Sisters, a nonprofit organization that creates long-lasting, strong relationships that enable children to reach their greatest potential through quality one-to-one mentoring, as part of NIVEA's ongoing relationship with the charity.

NIVEA and New Year's Eve: A Perfect Match

As the official sponsor of the Times Square Alliance New Year's Eve Celebration for the third consecutive year, NIVEA will help prep the lips of thousands of people in Times Square with long-lasting hydration in A Kiss of Smoothness as they prepare for one of the year's most memorable kisses as the clock strikes midnight. In fact, four out of five people found lips kissable and perfectly hydrated with the help of NIVEA.

Throughout the evening, the NIVEA Kiss Platform will feature memorable moments to entertain the crowd. NIVEA will paint Times Square blue creating the signature "sea of blue" featuring New Year's Eve accessories and NIVEA Lip Care products to protect the lips of revelers in Times Square as they prepare to be kissed on New Year's Eve.

About NIVEA

NIVEA is a leading manufacturer of consumer products for skin and beauty care. The NIVEA brand portfolio includes NIVEA, NIVEA Lip Care, NIVEA Body Wash, and NIVEA For Men. For more information on NIVEA, visit our Web site, www.NIVEAusa.com

About Beiersdorf AG

NIVEA is owned by Beiersdorf AG, a leading manufacturer of branded consumer products for skin and beauty care, with over 125 years of experience in research and development, and a strong global presence. The company produces leading international brands such as NIVEA, Eucerin, la prairie, Juvena, Labello, 8x4, Futuro, Florena, Hansaplast/Elastoplast and Tesa. For more information, visit www.beiersdorfusa.com.

SOURCE NIVEA