Verizon Pumps Out Pirates Content for V-Cast Customers
Verizon Wireless has a chest full of interactive promotions tied to the theatrical release of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, including a sweeps, mobile game and downloads. The film hits screens next week.
Subscribers to Verizon’s V Cast music service can watch video on their phones of Captain Jack Sparrow’s adventures in the film’s trailers and in select scenes; they can also view interviews with the stars of the film, as well as footage from the movie’s red carpet premiere. Customers can purchase and download ringtones, ringback tones and wallpaper of the at Verizonwireless.com/pirates through their phones.
“Our V Cast service is a terrific product for the buzz-hungry audience who want to be the first to know what’s going on,” said Rich Levy, director of brand and integrated marketing, Verizon. “[The promotion] is our way of allowing the buzz-hungry to live the movie.”
The company has also launched a mobile-game version of the Pirates movie and its soundtrack for customers to download onto V Cast phones. The mobile game costs $2.49 for monthly access.
V Cast customers come with the expectation that they’re going to get new and innovative content on their wireless phones, Levy said. “This… lets them begin enjoying the movie even before they get to the movie theater,” he added.
A Create Your Own Adventure sweeps gives away 50,000 prizes to Verizon’s customers. To enter, customers send a text message with the word “DEAD” to 3323. Thereafter, users play a text-messaging game tied to the movie, which includes word puzzles, trivia, riddles and paths customers must choose to move ahead. Each answer (correct or not) is an additional entry into the sweeps, which ends Aug. 1. The grand-prize winner will receive a five-day, four-night trip for two to the world premiere of the third installment of Pirates of the Caribbean next spring. Two first-prize winners receive a seven-day, six-night trip for two to the Caribbean and 30 second-prize winners will win mobile phones. Vibes Media, Chicago, created the SMS game and handles the sweeps.
So far, “This has been the most successful text sweepstakes ever,” Levy said. He did not disclose participation numbers, but said: “We’ve seen extremely high volume and reception among our customers.”
TV, print and in-theater ads, Web banners and Verizon in-store promotional material support. McCann-Erickson Worldwide, Inc., New York City, created TV ads, in-cinema ads and in-store materials; Draft, New York City, and First Marketing, Fort Lauderdale, FL, handles direct marketing to Verizon customers; Atlanta-based Moxie Interactive handles online media and electronic customer relationship marketing.
In Walt Disney Pictures’ sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly reunite in an all-new epic tale chronicling the further misadventures of Captain Jack Sparrow who takes to the high seas. The movie opens July 7.
Verizon is just one among numerous marketers that have ties to Pirates including, McDonald’s, Masterfoods (M&M’s) and Volvo (PROMO Xtra, June 29, 2006).
Verizon Wireless serves 53 million voice and data customers. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone.
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