Iron Jawed Angels
Brand: HBO
Agency: Civic Entertainment
Actions speak louder than documentaries. HBO built awareness for its show about suffragettes with voter-registration rallies and screenings in 30 cities; those who registered the most voters won trips to the Democratic or Republican convention. Tie-ins with Avon, Rock the Vote, 87 universities and high schools and 163 grassroots groups spread the message.
Behind the Scenes of ‘The Matrix: Reloaded’
Brand: Cadillac (General Motors)
Agency: ARC North America
Free ride? Hardly. Warner Bros. used two Cadillacs for Matrix’s climactic chase scene, so GM rode along with behind-the-scenes footage and excruciating detail on that one scene for 18- to 24-year-old Matrixphiles. GM scored 48 million unique visits; 4.4 million clicked through to Cadillac.com, double expectations.
Find Rosie and Win
Brand: Electrasol (Reckitt Benkiser)
Agency: EastWest Creative
Here’s the backstory: Dishwasher detergent Gelpacs are so convenient they could replace the Jetsons’ maid Rosie. An in-pack sweeps put character magnets in each pack; five Rosie magnets were each worth a home-entertainment center. TV and FSIs tout “Dishwashing for the 21st Century,” with a Gelpac zooming around like Jetsons’ spaceship. Sales doubled in the first weeks, and 45% of winning game pieces were redeemed (double expectations). Clever use of Jetsons (owned by Cartoon Network, but not airing) got other marketers interested in licensing the property.
Nintendo Fusion Tour
Brand: Nintendo of America
Agency: U.S. Concepts
Nintendo made its own kind of music with a 25-city tour starring hard rockers Evanescence and four up-and-coming bands. Dance-club design put Nintendo characters in lights and kept fans standing — all the better to play videogames during jams. More than 85,000 attended (97% capacity), with 53,250 game demos. Clear Channel Worldwide set venues and bands; ticket sales helped pay for the gig. Cheap trick.
Samsung DigitAll Matrix
Brand: Samsung
Agencies: NMA Entertainment & Marketing, Cheil Communications Samsung’s first-ever global film tie-in centered on a limited-edition Matrix cell phone modeled after The Matrix: Reloaded’s key prop. TV spots (shot by assistant director James McTeigue) touted five Samsung products; screenings worldwide hosted Samsung staffers. Samsung spent more than $100 million on Matrix: Reloaded activities. In Korea, Cheil handled theater ticket and gas giveaways to Samsung users, and invitation-only screenings.
Best Overall Past Winners
2003 Spider-Man, Sony Pictures/Columbia TriStar
2002 Shrek, DreamWorks SKG
2001 How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Universal Pictures
2000 Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, New Line Cinema
1999 (no Best Overall was awarded in EMMA’s first year)
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