VH1, Starbucks Launch Hip Hop Honors Sweeps
To build buzz over its upcoming hip-hop award show, VH1 is teaming up with Magic Johnson Starbucks nationwide to launch a sweepstakes that will send one lucky winner to the 2006 VH1 Hip Hop Honors.
Consumers can enter the VH1 Hip Hop Sweepstakes by completing an entry form at any Magic Johnson Starbucks locations in the U.S., including New York, L.A. Chicago, Atlanta, and Detroit.
The top winner will get a trip for two to New York, a pair of VIP all-access passes to the 2006 VH1 Hip Hop Honors, with limousine service and hotel accommodations. The sweepstakes will also send the winner to the red carpet to see hip-hop icons arrive before the show, attend closed-door rehearsals and meet performers and honorees.
VH1 launched the sweepstakes to drive awareness of the show. VH1 Hip Hop Honors, which airs Sept. 26 at 9 p.m. on VH1, honoring some of today’s hottest hip-hop legends, said Brenda Freeman, VP-consumer marketing for VH1. This year’s honorees include Big Daddy Kane, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Ice-T, LL Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa and Notorious B.I.G.
This is the first time Magic Johnson Starbucks have participated with VH1 in a corporate-wide promotion, Freeman said.
“This is part of the brand DNA,” Freeman said of the sweepstakes and show. “We have breadth and depth in music.”
To build further buzz around the show, VH1 kicked off a campaign unveiling ads of the honorees outdoors in New York City. Tune-in bills are posted on New York City subway platforms. In addition, the network plastered pads of “rip away posters” around the city to let consumers take home posters of their favorite hip-hop artists.
The network commissioned artist Kehinde Wiley to paint portraits of each honoree, which are being used in on-air and off-air marketing efforts.
The sweepstakes runs through Sept. 26. Internet materials, TV spots and print ads in Rolling Stone and Vibe support. Los Angeles-based UMCA (Urban Marketing Corporation of America) handles.
At the show, VH1 will crown the best undiscovered hip-hop artist in the country as part of the ongoing 2005 Freestyle 59 King contest. As part of the overall campaign, VH1.com in June kicked off Freestyle 59, an online contest designed to find undiscovered hip-hop talent.
Five finalists have been chosen by a celebrity panel to record a video. In the weeks leading up to the show, viewers can vote online at VH1.com or send a text message for their favorite contestant. Each week, the MC with the least amount of votes will be cut from the competition until one contestant remains. Internet materials support.
The top contestant will get $10,000 and be announced during the VH1 Hip Hop Honors broadcast.
