Mining Space
NEW YORK – Doubleday and Abrams, two heavyweight publishers, have teamed with SoundZone, an Internet-affiliated banner network, to promote John Grisham’s latest best-seller The Street Lawyer and Rolling Stone: the Complete Covers. More than 75 SoundZone affiliates, comprised of a radio station, cable, and newspaper Web sites in the top 30 markets, are participating in the promotion by displaying banners announcing the book giveaways.
The grand prize winner will receive a special edition autographed copy of the Grisham book while 200 runners-up will receive a regular copy of the novel. The Rolling Stone promo is similar.
Once the contestant clicks on the banner, the technical link brings them onto SoundZone’s Web site which contains the details about the giveaways and book availability.
“For the affiliate Web sites, it’s a fantastic and innovative way to sponsor a couple of the hottest books and increase traffic at the same time,” says SoundZone spokesman Stuart Shapiro. For Doubleday and Abrams, “its a cutting edge way to get their books to a hip online audience,” he says.
As of April, 250,000 visitors per month come to SoundZone, which delivers more than 1 million banner impressions per month. SoundZone’s promos last for a month or more and allow affiliates to use their Web sites to promote as well as other outlets including radio, TV, and print. Recent successful SoundZone promos include Putnam Publishers, The Great Sex Weekend, Grammercy Pictures & Mercury Records, The Big Lebowski (grand prize – autographed Brunswick bowling ball and bowling pin) and 100 soundtrack CDs), and Wayne Gretzky VHS video cassettes. Upcoming promos include Anastasia, Home Alone 3 and the Best of John Mellancamp. NAMCO amusement gift certificates are also being offered.
