Promo - January 2009 - (Page 42)

“PROMO “PROMOLAND” Flame Broiled It seems a stretch, but Burger King is out with a men’s body spray called Flame. The fragrance is billed as a “scent of seduction with a hint of flame-broiled meat.” (I’m not at all sure BK ran enough focus groups with women before launching this one, but the ads are hilarious.) The King is stretched out in front of a roaring fireplace on a bearskin rug wearing nothing but his BK crown. The hide of a mountain lion is strategically draped over his groin. Flame is available for a limited time only. Priced at $3.99, it is sold at Ricky’s retail stores and through the promotional Web site, www.firemeetsdesire.com. At the site, sexy music plays as a man’s voice— deep and meaty— encourages visitors to, “Come on baby, give it a spray.” People who click are taken to a site that shows a romantic scene of candlelight and flowers. This is the company’s first foray into selling a fragrance, but BK may be best served by doing what it knows it does best, serving up burgers—or risk getting burned.—Patricia Odell Special Mission Happy troops embrace John Cena , a World Wrestling Entertainment superstar. It’s an entertainment genre beyond anything that Bob Hope could have conceived for his legendary shows for troops engaged in wars overseas. For the past six years, World Wrestling Entertainment has been staging shows in Iraq and Afghanistan, bringing a cadre of its star wrestlers and “divas” to frontline troops in each country in alternate years. Early last month, 15 WWE entertainers and production people hit more than 20 forward operating bases in Iraq. “You want to do everything you can to support these troops. And the troops love it,” says Geoff Rochester, WWE executive vice president of marketing. This year’s tour climaxed with a live event at a base dubbed Camp Victory. The performance was taped and aired as a “WWE Tribute to the Troops” on NBC last month. WWE has found a vibrant fan base in its tours of 130 military installations in both countries over the past five years, Rochester says. WWE knew it had fans in the military when it began the annual excursions. Its primary mission is simply to support the troops in WWE’s own unique way. “The brand has always had a deep and abiding respect for the military,” Rochester says. The tour is conducted in cooperation with the Armed Forces Entertainment Group. The WWE also expresses its support for U.S. troops on the home front, giving all members of the military free admission to local WWE events. —Richard Tedesco What’s My DSL Line? The tech’s new, but the idea is as old as “You Bet Your Life” or “Let’s Make a Deal.” A Boston-area entrepreneur is streaming a weekly game show over the Web, choosing players from among the audience in his “studio”—i.e., the entire Internet. Eric Friedberg is getting a strong enough response that he’s been able to produce a couple of sponsors: sporting goods retailer Modell’s and the Jolly Time popcorn brand. Friedberg, a partner at Cohen-Friedberg Associates, runs the game show out of a Newton, MA, furniture warehouse, but his viewers know it on the Web site www.ItsEasytoWin.com. They log in 20 minutes before the game goes live, and the first 5,000 people to show up make it into the Web audience. One of them gets to take part in the 20-minute game “State Your Case,” which asks players to guess which state license plate is in one of 40 different suitcases on display, for prizes ranging from $50 to $1,000. The show has attracted a total audience of more than 8,000 since its October debut and draws 200 new viewers for each show. For the eyes it’s bringing to the ads placed on the Easy to Win Web site, apparently that price is right.—Brian Quinton 42 January 2009 / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM / Promo http://www.firemeetsdesire.com http://www.firemeetsdesire.com http://www.ItsEasytoWin.com http://www.promomagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Promo - January 2009

Promo - January 2009 Contents Editor's Note Casual Games Dr. P and the Roses Outside the Cup Geek�Chic Expresa Tu Hispanidad Jump Start Commentary The Show Must Go On Fed Up Q&A: Smart Food Agency Center Resource Center Gray Goes Green Index of Advertisers

Promo - January 2009

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