CBS UNVEILS THE FIRST-EVER USE OF VIDEO IN A PRINT ADVERTISEMENT TO PROMOTE THE NETWORK'S NEW FALL PROGRAMMING AND ITS EXCLUSIVE NEW PARTNER, PEPSICO's PEPSI MAX
This Pioneering Promotion Features a Paper-Thin Interactive Video Player Packaged in a Co-Branded Print Ad Spread In Entertainment Weekly's Annual Fall TV Preview Issue
Revolutionary VIPTM (Video in Print) Technology Allows Entertainment Weekly Readers to Sample Previews and Videos of CBS's Monday Night Comedies and the New CBS Dramas Straight from the Printed Page
Additional Co-Branded "Monday to the Max" Campaign Elements Extend to Multiple Platforms
Aug. 19 - CBS announced today an exciting new entertainment marketing breakthrough... the first-ever use of video in a print advertisement. The revolutionary VIP (Video-in-Print) technology, to be packaged in a print ad spread in the Fall TV preview issue of Entertainment Weekly, is the centerpiece of an exclusive partnership between CBS and PepsiCo's Pepsi Max designed to launch the Network's Monday night comedy lineup and new dramas - and to promote Pepsi Max, the first diet cola for men.
For the very first time, readers can watch video content straight from the printed page via a paper-thin interactive video player - featuring five channels of CBS and Pepsi Max content -- to be inserted into CBS/Pepsi Max ads in select copies of Entertainment Weekly's Fall TV preview issue (Sept. 18 issue, on stands Friday, Sept. 11). The newest of CBS's long list of marketing innovations, such as the celebrated promotional eggs, flash drives in print ads and roof-top ads for airplane passengers, this VIP promotion provides an opportunity to sample CBS's new series in a remarkably unique and involving way. Omnicom's OMD, the media agency for CBS and PepsiCo, helped orchestrate the deal.
As Entertainment Weekly readers flip to the "Monday to the Max" CBS/Pepsi Max promotional spread they will be greeted with a specially-produced brief video featuring THE BIG BANG THEORY's Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki, in character as Penny, Sheldon and Leonard. The trio explains how to use the VIP (Video in Print) player - while also chatting about Entertainment Weekly and exchanging some characteristically cutting remarks with each other.
After the introduction, readers can choose from the following five video menu options:
�HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER "The Bro Code" (a video montage of series character Barney Stinson's amusing codes of conduct for "Bros")
�2 � Minutes of TWO AND A HALF MEN plus THE BIG BANG THEORY "Talk Nerdy to Me" (separate video compilations of humorous moments from both shows, the second of which features a musical homage to THE BIG BANG THEORY's male characters' endearingly geeky jargon and pastimes)
�"I'm Good" by Pepsi Max (a funny spot promoting this "first diet cola for men")
�ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE: Preview (a sneak peek of CBS's newest comedy)
�CBS New Fall Dramas: Preview (a sneak peek of NCIS: LA, THE GOOD WIFE and THREE RIVERS)
The ground-breaking VIP player, developed and manufactured by Americhip, Inc., produces high quality video and audio - and is thin and durable enough to withstand the rigors of magazine binding and U.S. mail delivery.
"We're bubbling with excitement over CBS's partnership with Pepsi Max and our first-time ever use of video in a print ad," said George Schweitzer, President, CBS Marketing Group. "Pepsi Max is a great brand and a perfect fit for our Monday night comedies and new dramas. Since we're always thirsty for the newest marketing innovation, we're thrilled to be unveiling the inaugural use of an interactive Video in Print technology in Entertainment Weekly's popular Fall TV preview issue. The best way to sample our terrific new programs is to see previews - and it's never been accomplished in a print ad... until now. EW is the ideal venue for this ground-breaking Video in Print ad, which is entertaining in its own right and is particularly well suited for their media-engaged readership."
"This is an extraordinary way to refresh how we interact with consumers," said Frank Cooper, chief marketing officer, portfolio brands, Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages. "We're constantly seeking new ways to reach and connect with our core audience, and, as part of this groundbreaking alliance, we're utilizing technology that's both surprising and engaging. Most importantly, we're adding value in the right context through a combination of great content and innovative partners. Pepsi Max's �I'm Good' spot plays well with the upbeat, irreverent voice that defines CBS's Monday night comedy lineup - putting it directly into the hands of a key demographic target - readers of Entertainment Weekly's Fall TV preview issue."
"Entertainment Weekly is proud to reveal CBS's fall lineup in such an innovative way," said Time Inc. Style and Entertainment Group President Paul Caine. "The power of Entertainment Weekly's editorial and audience provides the perfect forum for this ad campaign and game changing unit and is another great example of the strength of the print medium."
"We're thrilled to launch our patented VIPTM technology with advertisers like CBS and Pepsi," says Americhip, Inc. CEO Tim Clegg. "This is exactly the type of application we had in mind when we developed this technology."
In addition to the VIP promotion, the CBS/Pepsi Max "Monday to the Max" campaign also encompasses client-integrated on-air, online and outdoor promotions and several events. Elements include:
?? An array of Network "Monday to the Max" promotional spots, some of which will include a "Thirsty for Comedy?!" tag
?? A Los Angeles-based premiere party event with celebrities from CBS's Monday comedies joined by a mix of stars from the Network's additional primetime series
?? A cbs.com Pepsi Max-branded microsite featuring interviews and red carpet excitement from the premiere party, a "Monday to the Max" comedy trivia game and a social viewing room for CBS's primetime series
?? Screenings of the ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE pilot at select college campuses.
CBS's Monday night comedy block premieres Monday, Sept. 21 and features the hit series HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, TWO AND A HALF MEN, THE BIG BANG THEORY and the new comedy series ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE.
About CBS Corporation:
CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS) is a mass media company with constituent parts that reach back to the beginnings of the broadcast industry, as well as newer businesses that operate on the leading edge of the media industry. The Company, through its many and varied operations, combines broad reach with well-positioned local businesses, all of which provide it with an extensive distribution network by which it serves audiences and advertisers in all 50 states and key international markets. It has operations in virtually every field of media and entertainment, including broadcast television (CBS and The CW - a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment), cable television (Showtime Networks and CBS College Sports Network), local television (CBS Television Stations), television production and syndication (CBS Television Studios and CBS Television Distribution), radio (CBS Radio), advertising on out-of-home media (CBS Outdoor), publishing (Simon & Schuster), interactive media (CBS Interactive), music (CBS Records), licensing and merchandising (CBS Consumer Products), video/DVD (CBS Home Entertainment) and motion pictures (CBS Films). For more information, log on to http://www.cbscorporation.com/.
About Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages:
The Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages (PCNAB) portfolio features market-leading liquid refreshment beverages, including the Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist and Mug trademarks in the carbonated soft drink category and the Aquafina and SoBe trademarks in the non-carbonated arena. PCNAB also produces and markets North America's best-selling ready-to-drink iced teas and coffees, respectively, via joint ventures with Lipton and Starbucks. Please visit http://www.pepsiproductfacts.com/ for additional information. PCNAB is a division of PepsiCo, which offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 18 different product lines that each generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade - also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in over 200 countries. With more than $43 billion in 2008 revenues, PepsiCo employs 198,000 people who are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. For more information, please visit file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/OLK63/UrlBlockedError.aspx.
About Entertainment Weekly:
Entertainment Weekly helps reader have fun. It is your all-access pass to Hollywood's most creative minds and most fascinating stars. The print weekly was introduced by Time Inc. in 1990 and is America's leading consumer magazine in the entertainment category, with a guaranteed circulation rate base of 1.813 million and an audience of 10.7 million loyal, engaged fans. It is a winner of four National Magazine Awards (two for General Excellence, one for Design and one for Special Interest) and was named one of AdWeek's 2008 Magazine Brand Leaders. Entertainment Weekly is the first to know about the best (and worst) in entertainment, and with sharp insight and a trusted voice, EW keeps readers plugged into pop culture. This is where buzz begins.
About Americhip, Inc.:
Americhip, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, is the nation's leader in the design, development and manufacture of video, audio and lighted microchip products and dimensional print for publishing, packaging, direct mail, shopper marketing, premiums and specialty gift cards. The company has earned a reputation as an innovative partner who can help Fortune 500 companies reach and engage their target audiences in a wholly unique manner.
Americhip has sales offices in New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Detroit, Las Vegas, London, and Munich, and manufacturing facilities in California, Mexico and China. For more information about Americhip, call 888/702-3382 or visit us at www.americhip.com.
About OMD:
With more than 140 offices in 80 countries, OMD is the largest and most innovative media communications specialist in the world, delivering breakthrough marketing strategies for many of the world's most successful and well-known brands, including Pepsi and CBS. With its newly launched Ignition Factory intelligence arm, OMD is taking the combination of influence and insight to a whole new level, powering innovative ideas for today's increasingly complex, consumer-controlled media world. Named Most Creative Agency in the World by The Gunn Report for Media for four consecutive years, and 2008 Global Media Agency of the Year by Adweek, OMD is a unit of OmnicomMediaGroup, the media services division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC).
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