Spreading Goodwill TO PROMOTE the DVD release of “The Perfect Storm,” Warner Home Video launched a viral e-mail campaign for which it will donate 5 cents to the American Red Cross for each message sent. The video arrived on store shelves Nov. 14.
Warner Bros.’ goal is to raise $50,000 – the equivalent of 1 million viral e-mail messages.
The Red Cross was chosen because when the actual storm hit in 1991, the organization was heavily involved in relief efforts.
“The movie did well and Warner Bros. wants to give back to the agency that made the difference in that storm,” says Jeff Schline, marketing manager for @Once, the Portland, OR-based company that handled the campaign.
Warner Bros. also plans to give $25,000 each to the Coast Guard and Air National Guard.
The “Tell a Friend” campaign, which ran for the first two weeks of November but was still being sent to recipients’ friends at press time, featured technology that enabled the e-mails to reflect the film’s special effects. The e-mail messages displayed action frames from the movie with portions of the soundtrack – sent by streaming audio – blaring in the background. “One of the neat things about e-mail is that you can deliver rich media to a user on a desktop,” Schline says.
Each message also included a link to a Web page where recipients can enter up to three e-mail addresses of friends they think would like to receive the “Perfect Storm” transmission. Before they send the messages on, people may write personal notes to their friends. Recipients can also choose to receive future Warner Bros. promotions or sign up for a free newsletter.
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