HBO Leads Campaign for Military Care Packages
HBO is mounting a campaign to send care packages to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan tied to its original miniseries “Generation Kill” about the Iraq invasion.
After screenings the miniseries with veterans and active duty soldiers earlier this year, HBO representatives canvassed them to determine what sorts of things troops in the field needed. The network then recruited eight corporate partners for its “Troop Drive” for deliveries—everything from socks and razor blades to DVDs, CDs, video games and calling cards—for the armed forces serving in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
“Generation Kill,” a seven-part miniseries, premieres on Sunday night. It’s based on the book by Evan Wright, who served with the U.S. Marines First Reconnaissance Battalion, which was among the initial wave of troops in the Iraq invasion. The show follows the highly trained Marines of the First Recon special operations unit through the first 40 days of the Iraq War.
Supporters are encouraged to go to www.genkilltroopdrive.com to select items for the packages. HBO and its partners will foot the cost of the goods selected.
Items to be included in the drive are AT&T calling cards, Band-Aid bandages, BenGay moist heat patches, Blender Magazine, Degree deodorant, Duracell batteries, HBO Video, Jack Link’s beef jerky, Johnson & Johnson first aid kits, Lever 2000, Vaseline, Lipton powdered tea mix, Maxim magazine, Neosporin antibiotic ointment, Penguin’s Tom Clancy novels, Purell hand sanitizers, Random House books, Sports Illustrated, Subpop “Flight of the Concords” soundtrack and Vaseline lip therapy and lotions.
Corporate sponsors Alpha Media Group, AT&T, Duracell, Jack Link’s Beef Jerky, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Co., Penguin Group USA, Random House, Time Warner and Unilever are aiding the effort.
“The campaign was conceived out of a desire to mirror the authenticity portrayed in the miniseries,” Zach Enterlin, HBO vice president of advertising and promotion said. “Access to various items and supplies is a theme that is addressed throughout the miniseries.”
HBO plans to plug the campaign online and on air with banners reading, “Join the Generation Kill Troop Drive at HBO.com.”
“Generation Kill” concludes its initial run on August 24. The HBO relief effort runs through Sept. 7. Civic Entertainment Group created the program, oversees the partnerships and executed the campaign.
