HALLMARK CHANNEL LAUNCHES TWO NATIONAL MARKETING CAMPAIGNS TO SUPPORT MAJOR ANNUAL HOLIDAY PRESENCE
Campaign for Academy Award�-Winning �March of the Penguins� Launches
Network�s Holiday Season and Second Campaign for
Four Original Holiday Movies
To support its aggressive and entertaining slate of holiday programming
Hallmark Channel has designed two national integrated marketing campaigns. The first
will promote the network�s U.S. television premiere of �March of the Penguins,� and the
second will support the channel�s popular Original holiday movies.
This year�s holiday Original movie premieres include: �The Christmas Card,�
starring Ed Asner, Saturday, December 2; �What I Did for Love,� starring Jeremy London
and Sally Struthers, Saturday, December 9; and �Love�s Abiding Joy,� starring Logan
Bartholomew and Dorie Barton, Saturday, December 16. In addition, a special encore
presentation of the network�s highest-ever-rated Original movie, �Meet the Santas,�
starring Steve Guttenberg and Crystal Bernard, will air on Saturday, December 23. The
movies will each air at 9 p.m., ET/PT.
�Holiday time is a major season for the Hallmark Channel and this year�s goal is
to drive awareness to our U.S. television premiere of �March of the Penguins,� which will
launch us into a blockbuster holiday season,� said Laura Masse, Senior Vice President,
Marketing, Hallmark Channel. ��Penguins� will serve as the network�s launch pad to
attract new and existing viewers to this year�s original holiday movies and to promote
our upcoming original movies in the first quarter.�
The national marketing campaign designed to support �March of the Penguins� is
part of an integrated effort composed of several distinct layers designed to reach
affiliates and viewers and will run from November 1 to 25. The campaign includes: onair
media; an off-air national advertising campaign; online presence at
www.HallmarkChannel.com and www.Hallmark.com; the network�s largest-ever local ad
sales promotion; local affiliate outreach via cross channel spots; and in-store at over
4,000 participating Hallmark Gold Crown� stores via point-of-purchase displays and a
special holiday viewing guide, including a discount offer for Hallmark�s �Very Merry Trio�
plush.
In addition, the �March of the Penguins� marketing campaign will feature the
network�s largest-ever exclusive, branded, online offering available to its top distribution
partners. To facilitate this, the network will provide an online tool kit that provides a
fast track from their websites to the Hallmark Channel website. This highly-engaging
microsite features: behind-the-scenes audio and video footage from the movie; details
on cast and crew; the interactive game, �March with the Penguins�; downloads; and
pages specifically designed to bring families together for viewing the film�s U.S.
television premiere exclusively on Hallmark Channel.
�We designed the �March of the Penguins� microsite with our loyal viewers and
affiliate partners in mind,� said Janice Arouh, Senior Vice President, Network Distribution
& Service, Hallmark Channel. �Leading this additive initiative with the U.S. Television
premiere is a peek into differentiated affiliate support to come. We want to work sideby-
side with our partners to spotlight the site�s entertainment and educational value. We
want every family in America to engage the brand and our affiliate�s robust broadband
offerings -- all of which are best served via a high-speed connection.�
The second national marketing campaign is aimed at building awareness for the
network�s four original holiday movies. This campaign will also begin on November 1
and will continue to run through the holiday season, ending on December 25. It
includes: on-air media; an off-air national advertising campaign for �The Christmas
Card�; online presence at www.HallmarkChannel.com and www.Hallmark.com; Hallmark
Channel�s fifth annual national �Hollywood Holiday Sweepstakes�; and in-store at over
4,000 participating Hallmark Gold Crown� stores via point-of-purchase displays and
take-one flyer�s featuring tune-in information and a customized message from the
network�s local distribution partner.
Hallmark Channel�s fifth annual �Hollywood Holiday Sweepstakes� is a national
watch-and-win and shop-and-win sweepstakes that supports the channel�s original
holiday programming. This year, affiliates representing a record-breaking 61 million
subscriber homes have signed up to participate in the promotion. Four (4) grand prizes
will be awarded, featuring a five-day, four-night trip for two to Los Angeles, including
hotel and airfare, a walk-on role in an upcoming Hallmark Channel Original movie and
$25,000 cash. Ten (10) first-place prizes of $10,000 cash will be awarded, and one
thousand (1,000) second-place winners will receive a Hallmark Holiday Ornament
collection. In addition, exclusive DVD 3-packs of Hallmark Channel Original movies will
be awarded in all local participating markets.
In closing, Laura Masse added: �This year�s holiday marketing presence will
really help us spread the word about the great programming on Hallmark Channel. The
microsite and our presence in over 4,000 Hallmark Gold Crown stores is invaluable to
our affiliates because it enables them to reach local consumers in a way that no other
network can offer them.�
Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-
hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment
programming to a national audience of 75 million subscribers. The top tier program
service is distributed through more than 5,300 cable systems and communities as well
as direct-to-home satellite services across the country. Hallmark Channel consistently
ranks among the top 10 ad-supported cable networks in Total Day and Prime Time
household ratings. Crown Media also operates a second 24-hour linear channel,
Hallmark Movie Channel.
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