ABC Drops Wallets, Cash for Knights Premiere
ABC usually is going to great lengths to promote its latest comedy Knights of Prosperity: It’s dropping wallets.
On Dec. 26, the network will drop thousands of wallets in random locations in10 markets to build buzz around its new show, which premieres Jan. 3. Each wallet will contain a Knights of Prosperity membership card, a faux claim check for a platinum watch, and a jet and chopper membership card. A note from one of the Knights congratulates people for finding the wallet and drives them to join the exclusive group by watching the show.
Wallet-finders can also send a text message (found on the bottom of the note) to JOIN1 to 94444 to receive a recorded message from Eugene, or one of the show’s other five stars. It will invite recipients to attend the group’s first “meeting,” the show’s premiere.
Through Dec. 23, street teams will be randomly handing out receipts more than a foot long asking mall customers if they dropped it. Baffled customers will find extravagant charges of the rock star life with more than $30 million worth of purchases, including a yacht, pool and home theatre system.
Thirteen Virgin Megastores will place the same receipts in bags in eight markets from Dec. 26 through Jan. 3.
“It’s a tongue-and-cheek rip on the extravaganza of being somebody rich and famous,” said Darren Schillace, vice president, advertising and marketing, ABC Entertainment.
The Knights of Prosperity tells the tale of six average Joes who want a piece of fortune. It follows them as they prepare the heist of all time—robbing Mick Jagger’s Central Park West apartment.
“It’s is a tough name for a show,” Schillace said. “We have to explain who the characters are and what they are up to. The best way to do its is to have a lot of fun with the show. At end of the day, we want eyeballs on our TV show.”
That’s not all. Radio promotions running next week in 10 to 15 markets will drive people to join The Knights for a chance to win show-themed merchandise and Visa gift cards. Grand-prize winners in four markets will put their skills to the ultimate test: To see if they are worthy for membership. The four will vie for a chance to win big by grabbing cash in a booth at malls on Dec. 30.
One shopper in each of the four markets (New Jersey, Los Angeles, Dallas and Minneapolis) will also win a chance to grab money from the cash booth.
“The whole idea is to excite people to get a piece of their dream,” Schillace said.
An official membership certificate and card can be downloaded from JointheKnights.com. The site also lets visitors watch a recruitment video, print a poster and make their own Knights of Prosperity T-shirt.
As part of the promotion, street teams will also hand out thousands of show-themed T-shirts and beanies. Wild postings and branded pizza box tops also support the effort.
ABC isn’t the first marketer to run a wallet-drop promotion. Back in 2000, GE Financial Assurance dropped 500 wallets in 12 markets to promote its then-new online services. Street teams quietly dropped the wallets, which held instant-win game cards worth up to $100,000. When a passerby picked up a wallet, the brand rep came forward to explain GE and the instant-win game. The “Tossed & Found” campaign drew heavy coverage from local news outlets and won the top PRO Award of 2001 for Ryan Partnership.
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