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BET Networks' Explosive Promotional Campaign Heightens Anticipation for THE WIRE Premiere on January 10 at 9:00 P.M. ET/PT
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 -- Spearheading the highly-anticipated
BET premiere of HBO's critically-acclaimed show THE WIRE is an aggressive
advertising campaign sure to draw viewers' attention to its historic debut
on January 10 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. This multi-platform marketing strategy
combines grassroots, off-air and on-air promotions designed to propel the
newly- acquired urban drama in attracting a new viewing audience and to
make it a top program favorite among current BET viewers.
"BET wanted to produce a unique promotional campaign that maintains the
authenticity of the show as well as exudes the 'rawness' that drew millions
of television viewers to its original home on HBO," stated Kelli Lawson,
Executive Vice President of Corporate Marketing. "We were able to
effectively do this through the successful execution of a combined
grassroots, off-air and on-air effort that innovatively touched on the
various urban themes related to the hit show."
BET Networks reached out to the top urban markets, including New York,
Chicago and Los Angeles with an expansive campaign effort that included
strategic radio advertising and promotions; outdoor and transit placement,
including wrapped transit buses, bus shelters, billboards and phone kiosks;
and interactive content placed on a variety of urban and
entertainment-based websites, including banners and polls. The cable
network also sponsored an exciting THE WIRE trivia contest where
participating radio stations gave local listeners clues to the location of
BET-branded crime scenes; and the first ten listeners who reported to each
crime scene to answer all trivia questions correctly would win a BET "The
Wire" gift pack and qualify to win a plasma television.
Coupled with the off-air effort is an innovative on-air campaign that
celebrates the arrival of the gritty crime drama coming to BET while
captivating viewers to the cable network's latest program offering. In
keeping with the gritty images characteristic of THE WIRE, the network
utilized original cast members to recreate the familiar look and feel of
the popular cable show projected in various 15-second and 30-second promos.
Each on-air promo plays on various dramatic themes, such as "Watch Your
Back!" where the original THE WIRE cast members are pictured telling BET
viewers that the word on the street is to tune in to the show in January or
watch your back. Another promo entitled "High Stakes" portrays an
underground poker game with high stakes to be won; as the camera pans on
each player as they bluff and posture with tensions running high, the scene
fades when an aerial shot suddenly reveals the message, "THE WIRE on BET --
tune in on January 9 at 9:00 p.m.".
About BET Networks
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom, Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), is
the leading provider of media and entertainment for African Americans and
consumers of Black culture on a global basis. The primary BET cable network
reaches more than 84 million households according to Nielsen media
research, and can be seen in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.
BET Digital Networks -- BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop -- serve a
broader and more diverse audience than the core network. BET.com is the
number one internet destination for the target audiences. BET Mobile
delivers music, gaming, and video content to the target audiences on
wireless devices across virtually all service providers. BET Event
Productions is a full-scale event management and production company with
festivals and live events spanning the globe. Finally, BET International
delivers BET content to the consumers of Black culture around the world.
SOURCE BET Networks
http://www.bet.com
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