Somebody pinch me — I’m having entirely too much fun. Not only have I spent the last month immersed in dozens and dozens of the best promotion campaigns created during the past year, but now I get to put on a pretty dress and hand out prizes! In Hollywood! My Vanna wannabe impulses are fulfilled at last.
Okay, seriously, it has been tremendously exciting to see the quality and quantity of participation we’ve had in the fifth annual Entertainment Media Marketing Awards (EMMA) program. I appreciate the thought and effort that went into each of the entries we received. As you read the descriptions of this year’s top campaigns (starting on page 51), you’ll understand why the judges were so impressed by the winners in each of the seven categories. And we chose the best overall campaign for its knockout results — not because it featured a sensitive hunk in a skinsuit, honest. I’ll admit, however, Spidey sure dresses up our cover. Many thanks to Creative Director Richard Zoehrer and Production Director Lucia Coccoli for effectively adapting the Stan Lee original (via the folks at Sony Pictures/Columbia TriStar).
I also appreciate the opportunity provided by the Promotion Marketing Association to present this year’s EMMAs during the Star Power conference, held May 21-22 in Los Angeles. This is the fourth year PROMO has teamed up with the PMA for this event (see page 67 for details), and we are happy to fit right in with this mix of glamour and business.
ENTERTAINMENT IS JUST ONE of many industries playing to a global audience. More brands now are recognizing new opportunities in markets around the world, and finding better ways to promote products within them. Our in-depth profile of Allied Domecq and the worldwide re-launch it is staging of the Malibu Rum brand it acquired last year is a case study in adapting marketing to accomodate cultural nuances. Developed over six months by Senior Editor Betsy Spethmann, the story takes you into the process AD followed with agency 141 Worldwide as it brought together local constituencies for a global effort. Once they’ve finished launching Malibu Rum, maybe they could turn over their tool box to the United Nations….
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