Beaches Get ‘Wicked’ with Premiums, Buzz
Something wicked is brewing on New York and New Jersey beaches.
In an effort to generate buzz around the Broadway hit Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz, brand ambassadors are hitting the sand to dole out Wicked-branded premiums. Street teams will give Wicked-branded hand fans and green zinc oxide to thousands of New York and New Jersey beachgoers.
The campaign, which kicked off in July, runs through Sept. 4. A schedule of the beach visits is available at WickedTheMusical.com. USM&P, Marina Del Rey, CA and ipsh!, San Francisco, divisions of The Marketing Arm, handle the effort with Serino Coyne, New York City.
The goal is to “keep the brand top of mind with consumers,” said Arthur Kaplan, director of business development for USM&P. Wicked follows the story of two different girls who meet in Oz and develop a friendship, only to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.
The beach effort dovetails with a larger program, Wicked Day, to celebrate the third anniversary of Wicked’s Broadway run this fall. On Oct. 29, USM&P and Serino Coyne will launch a Wicked Day street fair outside Gershwin Theater in New York City, with interactive games, Wicked food and drinks and a singing contest.
Before the big event, Serino Coyne will rollout a Be Wicked Singing Contest this fall in which fans sing songs from Wicked for a chance to win tickets to the show and compete in the contest grand finals. Fans can send in a DVD or VHS recording of their Wicked song performance. Consumers vote on the top 10 candidates in four designated regions to determine the finalists, who will perform live at Wicked Day in October. Contest details are available at Wicked-Week.com/contest. USM&P will assist in the contest.
