De Beers to counter `The Blood Diamond`
The De Beers Group, the Johannesburg-based diamond mining and trading company, has announced plans to spend $15 million dollars to counter any potential bad press from the release of 'The Blood Diamond,' the Mining Journal reports.
Slated for a January 2007 release, the Warner Brothers film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a man involved in a diamond smuggling ring. According to reports, the film depicts the exploitation of diamond miners in Sierra Leone and the plot implies that "conflict diamonds," or diamonds used to fund the ongoing civil wars in Africa, are still prevalent. This contradicts the stance in the Diamond Industry that the problem has been eliminated. However, with the promotion of the film beginning during the holiday season, the $15 million will go towards an education campaign touting "conflict free diamonds" in TV, print and online channels in an attempt to counter a public backlash.
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'Star Wars' named the Overall Best License of the Year by Trade Group
According to a Lucasfilm press release, the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA) named the Star Wars franchise the Overall Best License of the Year.
LIMA presents the "best in show" award at their Licensing International Show annually to a property "that has had a significant and profound impact on the licensing community at retail and in the general marketplace during the previous calendar year." Star Wars also won top honors as the number one entertainment license of the year in the Boys Toy, Movie-based Video Game, and Licensed Publishing categories. According to Lucasfilm, Star Wars-themed merchandise generated over $3 billion in revenue from all channels in 2005.
The previous Overall Best License went to 'Spiderman 2.' The LIMA awards have been presented annually since 1984.
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Twentieth Century Fox Promotes 'Night Watch' DVD Release with Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Twentieth Century Fox has partnered with Buzztone, a New York-based youth marketing agency, to conduct an online promotional scavenger hunt for the home video release of 'Night Watch.'
According to a joint press release, fans choose between "the forces of darkness or light" and then are tasked to find lost objects scattered across the web. Clues have been hidden on a wide slate of niche horror websites, including MonstersandCritics.com, HorrorFind.com, Bloody-Disgusting.com, and FemmeFatales.com, among others. In addition to a $2500 dollar grand prize for the top scavenger, Fox is also offering DVD players and horror DVDs as additional prizes.
A disappointment for Fox during its theatrical run, the film earned a meager $1.5 million during its U.S. release. However, the film is among the most successful releases of all time in its native Russia, earning more than $30 million.
The 'Night Watch' DVD hit stores on June 20th, but fans have until July 20th to participate in the promotion. You can visit the promotional site at buzztone.com/nightwatch.
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Echo Bridge Launches R-Rated Viral Game for 'Beer League'
Indie distributor Echo Bridge Entertainment recently launched an "adults-only" pinball game to promote their upcoming theatrical release of their comedy 'Beer League', according to Adotas.com.
Created by Soap Agency, an Australia-based interactive firm, the game features graphics and content matching the movie's racy themes. The film, with a production budget of $2.8 million according to IMDB Pro, stars Artie Lange (The Howard Stern Show, Mad TV) as an unemployed slacker who inspires his softball teammates to improve so they can remain in the local league. In the tradition of "New Dude Cinema," the film is liberally laced with gross-out humor and sexual innuendo, and Soap's effort matches the tone by peppering the game with "unsafe for work" action to boost its viral appeal.
'Beer League' is slated for a limited release on September 15, 2006.
Try the 'Beer League' Viral Pinball Game here (not safe for work)
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DVD Burn-on-demand Kiosks a Low Priority For Retailers
Despite numerous speculative articles in the mainstream press, installing DVD burn-on-demand kiosks is currently a low priority for retailers, according to Tech News World.
Unlike rental kiosk companies like Red Box and DVDXpress, which have placed machines in fast food restaurants and drugstores, penetration for burn-on-demand is nonexistent despite the ever-increasing competition for DVD shelf space at retail.
The rental kiosk model has no outstanding rights issues and has a successful three-year track record in the United States. In contrast, burn-on-demand kiosks have numerous unresolved rights management and technological issues, and have no proven business model. However, recent studio concessions on DRM issues may signal that retailers will soon be able to offer a breadth of selection comparable to what online retailers currently provide.
Technorati tags:DVD marketing
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Twentieth Century Fox Pushes U.K. 'Garfield' Release with User Generated Content
According to Digital Bulletin, Twentieth Century Fox is launching a viral site that will use user-generated content to promote the U.K. release of 'Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties.'
Located at worldwidewhiskers.com, the site enables users to create a special "cat profile," which allows the user to pick attributes like color, food favorites, and pastimes. Users can then scour the globe to find other "cat buddies" that share similar interests.
The site, which is available in nine languages, was designed by Substance, a U.K. based interactive agency. 'Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties' is slated to open in the U.K. on August 18th. The film has grossed $11.05 million since its U.S. release on June 16th.
Technorati tags:movie marketing, Garfield, viral marketing
Via Digital Bulletin
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