Lifetime Television and New Vaseline Aloe Fresh Partner for Unprecedented and Exclusive Promotional Campaign in Support of All-New Miniseries
Comprehensive Multi-Platform Program to Include Product Integration, Sweepstakes, On-air, Online, Mobile and Out-of-Home Components
Miniseries Based on Gigi Levangie Grazer's NEW YORK TIMES #1 Best-Selling Book To be Directed by TIMOTHY BUSFIELD from a Teleplay by SUZANNE MARTIN
and Produced by SONY PICTURES TELEVISION
LOS ANGELES, April 7 -- Lifetime Networks and Vaseline Aloe Fresh, a Unilever brand, today announced a partnership to launch a comprehensive, multi-platform promotional campaign in support of the highly anticipated, all-new miniseries Maneater. Under the exclusive agreement, Vaseline Aloe Fresh will be the Presenting Sponsor of the two-part program, starring Sarah Chalke (TV's Scrubs) and set to air May 30 and 31 on Lifetime Television.
Scheduled to begin in mid-April and extend through encore presentations of the miniseries on Lifetime Television and Lifetime Movie Network - cable's top two women's channels - the brand partnership, brokered by Mindshare, will cross every division of Lifetime to maximize consumer awareness of Maneater and the Vaseline Aloe Fresh line of light lotions that leave skin feeling hydrated and refreshed. Campaign elements include the following:
Multiple product integrations of Vaseline Aloe Fresh into the miniseries.
Custom, co-branded promotional spots running on-Network, off-Network and on the radio.
Original branded-content vignettes starring Chalke and featuring Vaseline Aloe Fresh.
Viral online promotions in the form of e-cards and massive e-mail blasts.
Targeted advertising on top entertainment, women's and gossip sites.
Extensive out-of-home buys and mall signage in 15 markets, including New York and Los Angeles.
Broad print media, including major weekly celebrity and lifestyle magazines and daily publications.
Comprehensive public relations outreach.
In the miniseries, lead character Clarissa (Chalke) maintains a list of rules to live by, a set of tenets she uses as a guide for her life. To thread this theme throughout the summer, Lifetime and Vaseline Aloe Fresh have created a promotion entitled "The Rules for Skin Season" intended to highlight the many fun ways consumers celebrate the lighthearted nature of the summer. The promotion includes branded content vignettes featuring Chalke in short, comedic videos that illustrate some of "The Rules for Skin Season." It also speaks to the product's key benefit of being light and fresh on skin, especially during the summer months when consumers do not want their skin to feel heavy or sticky.
The promotion also includes a national sweepstakes* offering consumers a chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip for four to a Florida Keys beach house, as well as secondary prizes of Vaseline Aloe Fresh products awarded weekly. The sweepstakes will kick-off on May 1, 2009, at www.rulesforskinseason.com and be hosted by myLifetime.com. It will be promoted on-air, in print, online, through mobile channels and with free-standing inserts in newspapers nationwide. The sweepstakes site will also house a dedicated online community where visitors can share skin care advice with others. Winners will be announced in late summer.
"This deal represents a groundbreaking promotional initiative for Lifetime, and the Network is thrilled to have Unilever/Vaseline Aloe Fresh as the Presenting Sponsor and marketing partner for Maneater," said Debbie Richman, Lifetime Networks' Executive Vice President, Ad Sales. "Our partnership is a perfect match, and it has been exciting working with Unilever to identify and develop the multi-platform components that support both the miniseries and Vaseline Aloe Fresh. Now more than ever, advertisers are seeking compelling new methods to showcase their products in non-traditional ways. Maneater and Vaseline Aloe Fresh speak to the same woman and share common ground in that both are light, fun and celebratory in nature. As a leading brand, Lifetime is uniquely positioned to provide marketers with meaningful ways to connect with today's busy woman."
"We are very happy to have identified Lifetime's Maneater as an exciting property to launch new Vaseline Aloe Fresh," said Srini Sripada, Marketing Director, Unilever Skin Care. "Our goal is to communicate the light, refreshing sensory benefits of the line, and we believe that Maneater is a great way to do that, as it represents Lifetime's kick-off to the summer season and has a fun, fresh storyline. We are confident that Lifetime's integrated platform will be a powerful way to launch the new product line."
ABOUT MANEATER
Beautiful, fashionable and fun, Clarissa Alpert (Chalke) is a shallow socialite whose speed dial is a veritable Rolodex of Hollywood power players. Staring her 32nd birthday directly in the eyes (even though she will admit only to being 28), the spoiled daddy's girl is in a panic because she is still single. Clarissa, though, always gets what she wants - even if he's Aaron Mason, the hottest new producer in town. With the help of her family and friends, Clarissa sets into motion an elaborate plan to lasso the dashing filmmaker who will, she hopes, be the man to put a ring on her finger.
Maneater is produced by Sony Pictures Television for Lifetime Television. Suzanne Martin (Hot Properties, Spellbound), Gigi Levangie Grazer (The Starter Wife) and Stephanie Davis for 3 Arts Entertainment (The Starter Wife, The 51st State) are executive producers of the teleplay adapted from Levangie Grazer's novel by two-time Emmy(R) Award winner Martin. The miniseries is directed by actor/director Timothy Busfield (Damages, Lipstick Jungle, Las Vegas). Busfield and Jocelyn Freid also co-executive produce.
ABOUT VASELINE
Vaseline products are manufactured by Unilever (NYSE: UL, UN), one of the world's largest consumer products companies. With a 135-year heritage as America's most trusted healthy skin expert and more than 30 years as a leading hand and body lotion, the Vaseline brand delivers products that meet the specific needs of consumers, no matter their life stage or lifestyle. The Vaseline Aloe Fresh line includes Vaseline Aloe Fresh Hydrating Lotion, Vaseline Aloe Fresh Protecting Lotion with SPF, and Vaseline Aloe Fresh Moisturizing Gel. All products in the line are designed to be light and leave skin feeling hydrated and refreshed. In addition to the Vaseline Lotions, the Vaseline family of products also features a complete line of Vaseline Petroleum Jelly, bath products and lip balm products. All Vaseline products can be purchased at drug stores nationwide. For more information, visit www.vaseline.com.
ABOUT UNILEVER
Unilever's mission is to add vitality to life. We meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life. Each day, around the world, consumers make 160 million decisions to purchase Unilever products.
In the United States, the portfolio includes major brand icons such as: Axe, Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Hellmann's, Klondike, Knorr, Lipton, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Suave, Sunsilk and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever employs nearly 12,000 people in both the United States and Puerto Rico - generating nearly $10 billion in sales in 2008. For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com.
ABOUT SONY PICTURES TELEVISION
Sony Pictures Television is one of the television industry's leading content providers. It produces and distributes programming in every genre, including series, telefilms, theatrical releases and family entertainment for network and cable television, as well as first-run and off-network series for syndication. With more than 25 programs on the air, SPT boasts a program slate that includes the top-rated daytime dramas and game shows, landmark off-network series, original animated series and critically acclaimed primetime dramas, comedies and telefilms. SPT also owns one-half of cable channel GSN and is a partner in FEARnet, the premier horror/thriller website and VOD service. Sony Pictures Television oversees all of Sony Pictures Entertainment's (SPE) domestic digital distribution efforts across all electronically delivered platforms, including the internet and mobile. Sony Pictures Television, advertiser sales, is one of the premiere national advertising sales companies, handling the commercial inventory in SPT syndicated series as well as in all of SPE's digital businesses in the United States, for Sony Music Entertainment and for the Tennis Channel, and is part owner of national media sales company ITN Networks, Inc. SPT (www.sonypicturestelevision.com) is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company.
ABOUT LIFETIME TELEVISION
Lifetime is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, Lifetime is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. Lifetime Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women and Lifetime Digital (including myLifetime.com) are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.
*No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Sweepstakes ends 11:59:59 p.m. (ET) on July 15, 2009. For official rules go to www.rulesforskinseason.com.
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