NOW THAT THE MUSHY flowers-and-candy Mother’s Day season has passed, it’s time to break out the power tools for Father’s Day. The Hallmark Channel is hosting an online instant-win game dangling an 18-foot Sea Ray speedboat and trailer as grand prize.
A week’s worth of father-themed programming supports and on June 15 (Father’s Day) the network will reveal a secret game phrase during its original movie The King and Queen of Moonlight Bay starring Tim Matheson in a story about an estranged father and daughter who reunite. Viewers then go to hallmarkchannel.com within the next week to play the Hangin’ With Dad game. Secondary prizes include a trip to Hawaii for four, a dream workshop filled with supplies from Ace Hardware and 100 gift cards from Oak Brook, IL-based Ace. Information on the program is being touted at hallmarkchannel.com, on the channel, in the 4,300 Hallmark Gold Crown shops and in Ace stores.
And no one said you have to bring dad if you win that trip to Hawaii. “The beauty of the program is that it’s not just for dad, but anyone can win and they know instantly when they play online,” says Andy Karofsky, VP — marketing at the Hallmark Channel.
Concept One, Westport, CT, handles the promotion for Los Angeles-based Hallmark.
Nickelodeon, New York City, has secured more than $100 million in promotional support for the first movie combining two of its TV series. Rugrats Go Wild, featuring characters from The Rugrats and The Wild Thornberries, opens June 13. From June 2 to June 29, Miami, FL-based Burger King sponsors an Odorama promotion that packs 20 million scratch-and-sniff cards into kids’ meals to match numbered scenes in the film. Chicago-based Quaker Cereals unleashed a limited-edition Rugrats Go Wild Capn’ Crunch Berries cereal and is carrying a sweeps across 50 million packages offering trips to the Embassy Suites hotel in Puerto Rico. Embassy Suites, Memphis, TN, is also offering Nick Summer Trip Packs featuring a gift for children when families check in at Embassy hotels through Sept. 28. Elsewhere, Omaha, NE-based ConAgra Foods’ Kid Cuisine has six themed packages and two limited-edition meals with film characters. On June 2, Kid Cuisine kicks off a sweeps awarding a trip to Jamaica, while Sunkist Growers offers the chance to win a $20,000 summer safari. Englewood Cliffs, NJ-based Unilever Bestfoods’ Skippy will offer Rugrats Go Wild bobbleheads during June and July with two UPCs. Paramount Pictures distributes the film.
Fuji Photo Film USA and Century 21 Real Estate are ready to play ball. Fuji, Valhalla, NY, has launched its sixth annual Fujifilm Photo Days. Through Aug. 30, selected fans will get early admission to 22 big league ballparks to participate in a photo shoot with players and coaches. New to the program this year is the addition of Fujifilm Photo Days at minor league ballparks and a mascot called Foto. Advanced Marketing Services, Port Chester, NY, handles. Meanwhile, Century 21 Real Estate Corp., Parsippany, NJ, is launching its fifth consecutive Century 21 Home Run Derby All-Star Sweepstakes. Consumers can enter at any participating Century 21 office or visit century21.com. Eight finalists will be matched with eight major league baseball players participating in the All-Star Game Home Run Derby on July 14. The eight finalists will travel to the All-Star Game and the finalist matched with the winner of the Home Run Derby will receive $250,000 toward a new house.
Coca-Cola Co. plays with packaging for a handful of brands this summer. First up is a Powerade tie-in with Matrix: Reloaded, with a special Matrix flavor and bottles in stores through June. TV and print ads and P-O-P displays support. Powerade rolls out promotional packaging touting its National Hot Rod Association sponsorship. NHRA fans voted online for their favorite package design. The winning label appears in stores through the summer racing season. Nestea, a Coke brand, puts Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle on collectible cans in 12-packs, timed to the film’s June 27 release. Separately, Vanilla Coke and Cherry Coke get hip label makeovers for summer. Atlanta-based Coke played with packaging in the first quarter when it sampled Coca-Cola Classic in slim 8.4-ounce cans as part of its Coca-Cola “Real” campaign (March PROMO).
As a part of a three-year licensing deal with the World Triathlon Corp., Chicago-based Unilever’s Degree has renamed five of its SKUs Degree Ironman Protection deodorant. Degree is sponsoring the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii in October and the six events that lead up to it. Chicago-based Unilever worked with The Active Sports Marketing Group to recruit 140 triathletes at its Web site active.com to serve as brand ambassadors. The athletes will compete and train in Degree uniforms. Active Sports Marketing Group is the marketing arm of The Active Network in La Jolla, CA, and is working with Degree’s AOR Chicago-based 141 Worldwide on the program.
Brown & Williamson Tobacco has teamed with PageMaster Corp., Westlake Village, CA, to offer its KOOL cigarette buyers the chance to redeem coupons for an alphanumeric pager. The promotion is heralded on packs and cartons (through June), direct mail, P-O-P displays and national print ads. Coupons can be redeemed for a $150 Motorola Talkabout 2-Way or a $70 Motorola 1-Way pager. 141 Worldwide, New York City, handles for Louisville, KY-based Brown & Williamson.
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines’ customers using its online check-in service will earn a chance to win a trip to Hawaii. Delta SkyMiles members who check in at delta.com have a chance at round trip airfare for two and a six-night stay at the W Honolulu Diamond Head in Waikiki. The promotion, Timeless Hawaii Sweepstakes runs through June 27. Responsys, Palo Alto, CA, handles.
Hasbro, Pawtucket, RI, is celebrating the Easy-Bake Oven’s 40th anniversary with a Baker of the Year Contest. Through Aug. 31, kids ages eight to 12 submit their favorite recipe using one or more Easy-Bake brand mixes. Information is at easybake.com. The winner gets a $5,000 savings bond and a two-year supply of Easy-Bake bake sets. Plus, the executive chef at New York City’s Four Seasons Hotel will name an original dish on the children’s menu after the amateur baker. Four runners-up score $1,000 savings bond and a one-year supply of Easy-Bake sets. Five finalists receive a trip to New York City and a package of Hasbro toys and games. This is the third Baker of the Year contest. The winner will be announced in October.
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