Muppets Facebook Fan-A-Thon

Have you seen the Muppets Facebook Fan-A-Thon campaign yet? Head over to The Disney Blog to read my post about this amazing online promotion! Don’t forget to “Like!”

Companies Team Up to Fight Bullying

I really like this bit of information.

A few children’s entertainment companies, including Cartoon Network and Sesame Workshop, have teamed up with Barnes & Noble and Simon & Schuster for National Bullying Prevention Month. In a campaign called Stop Bullying: Speak Up, the companies will sponsor certain anti-bullying books and merchandise to be displayed in stores across the country. According to this article on KidScreen, 57% of children today get bullied in school. This is an incredibly high number, and it makes me very sad that so many young people get crushed during such an important growing period. I appreciate the effort made (regardless of the underlying financial benefits for these companies) by these children’s entertainment companies to spread the word about anti-bullying. I hope it serves as an inspiration and motivation for kids to stand up for themselves, or for parents to pay attention to the way their kids are treating others. Either way, they are standing up for the people who sometimes need it most, and for that, I thank them.

Image from Kidscreen.

Visit StopBullyingSpeakUp.com to help support the cause.

Freddie From “iCarly” Blogs About Latest Episode

Screen shot from http://www.icarly.com/iBlogs/index.html

For those of you who are not familiar with the super-awesome Nickelodeon show iCarly…well, I pity you. Basically, it is a HI-larious show about three high schoolers, Carly, Sam, and Freddie (and Gibby, in this season), who own a popular web show called “iCarly” (duh). Entering it’s 5th season, iCarly has not lost any of it’s originality or humor. In fact, I think the show has only gotten riper with age. Not to mention, Carly’s older brother, Spencer, has also gotten infinitely cuter over the years, which is an obvious plus. But it is an incredibly funny show, and I have faith that it will continue to be one for many seasons to come.

Anyways, because a great deal of the plot revolves around blogging and online content, the show has a really unique web presence. For example, each of the characters have blogs, where they report on or recap incidents that happen on the show, or they talk about something completely random. (Randomness, for your information, is a very prevalent theme of iCarly.) Well, during last week’s new episode, we found out that Sam, who recently started dating Freddie, had changed his application answers to the N.E.R.D. (New Electronic Research and Development) Camp, something he desperately wanted to attend, months before they were a couple. While the answers were funny, they disqualified him as a worthwhile candidate, which was incredibly disappointing and frustrating to the young techie.

So, what did he do? He blogged about it, of course! As a bit of a blog nerd, I really appreciate this gesture, as I think it completely ties the young audience in with the show. He even posted the alternative answers that Sam submitted! You’ve got to admit, the answers are pretty funny. Here they are:

N.E.R.D. Camp Application

Your Name:
Freddie Fishtickler Benson

Name of School You Attend:
St. Robert’s School for Troubled Youth

Name of Parent or Guardian:
Frogface McGee

Hobbies:
Robbing banks, pointing at clouds, and collecting poop.

Awards Achieved:
Hairiest feet and Most Out of Shape Web Star

T-Shirt Size (For Your Camp Uniform):
Girl’s Petite

Allergies/Illnesses:
You name it. I got it. Many are contagious.

Roommate Request:
None. I do not get along well with others.

Strengths:
Beating up fellow campers.

Weaknesses:
Bladder control

The iCarly website has many other notable features. For one, you can watch clips from the show, and rate them on the “Suckish to Rocks” scale. You can also help name Sam’s new fish, take random quizzes, see photos from the show, and text the members of iCarly. For as much as I love the show, this online integration really enhances it’s brand, and makes the characters much more connected with their loyal audience!

Rapunzel Photographed All Over London

Rapunzel at the Tower Bridge

Yesterday, I saw some really beautiful photos on The Disney Blog featuring Rapunzel, who will be joining the Disney Princess Court on October 2. Because the ceremony will be taking place in London, these promotional photos capture the new princess all over the city! Seeing as all fans are welcome to join the procession in the Kensington Gardens afterwards for free, I think this is a wonderful PR strategy, as it highlights the beauty of the city and the character, and generates excitement among the surrounding British community. I absolutely love these photos, and know that if I was in London, I would certainly attend the event!

Be sure to check out the other photos on The Disney Blog!

Jim Henson’s 75th Birthday Google Doodle

Jim Henson's Google Doodle

Last weekend, the Jim Henson Company posted a Google Doodle in honor of Henson’s would-be 75th birthday. Now, while this doesn’t particularly relate to one entertainment entity, the doodle was very near and dear to my heart. Not only was it a reminder of the too-soon passing of such an amazing artist, innovator, and influencer, it was also a beautiful commemoration of his world-renowned creations, the Muppets.

However, what I find most amazing about this is the overwhelming response to the doodle. Working in the marketing department at the Jim Henson Company, I got to see just how far this Google doodle went, and how far it reached. Let me tell you, the results were incredible. It was so good to see how much Henson inspired people around the world and how much he has been missed. Also, it was interesting to see how much time people have to waste! Hundreds of videos were made using the movable animations, including “music videos” for songs like Katy Perry’s “E.T.”, Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow” (watch below!), The Proclaimers’ “500 Miles”, Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep”, Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok”, etc. etc.

While the doodle was taken down after only 48 hours, it was still quite a wonderful gift and a really great way for the company to get some much-deserved exposure. Though Henson’s most popular creation, the Muppets, is now owned by Disney, he will forever be accredited with revolutionizing not only the art of puppeteering, but also the entertainment industry in general.

Radio Disney Celebrates 15 Year Anniversary With…An Ad Campaign?

Image from http://www.lyngsat-logo.com

I was fascinated by an article about Radio Disney’s newest ad campaign, which was started as a means of celebrating 15 years as a kids & parent favorite. According to Reuters.com, the campaign will run a year, and will be targeted towards the parents who listen along with their children. Radio Disney’s Vice President of Marketing, Phil Guerini, said,

We always acknowledged that parents were listening with their kids, but really bringing that to the forefront — that we are building meaningful connections between mother and child and families — is something that we have not previously celebrated.

Quite a brilliant strategy, it is, Phil.
Print ads will run in Parenting School Years, Redbook, People Magazine and Good Housekeeping, which specifically targets the 25-40 year old mother. These will feature potentially boring things, such as washing the dishes, with and without the help of Radio Disney and aim to “instill the message that everyday activities go down better with Disney.” In addition, playlists have started including more contemporary songs that are more relevant to the target. After all, they have got to listen to Radio Disney for their own benefit sometimes, after all.

This is such a clever campaign for something that is seemingly outdated and oftentimes ignored. It brings relevance to the people who matter, the moms and dads of the world, and gives them a reason to choose Radio Disney in the car, at home, and on the go.

Read more here!

Nickeloden Nursery Decor to be Made by Trend Lab

According to KidsTodayOnline.com, Nickelodeon Consumer Products has signed a license with Trend Lab, a nursery decor designer, which will develop toddler products, bedding, and accessories featuring popular Nickelodeon characters. Set to debut at the ABC Expo, the products will include Dora the Explorer, Blue’s Clues, and Spongebob characters, and will follow suit of Trend Lab’s stylish, contemporary nature.

This is a really cute idea, I think, and a great way for Nickelodeon to instill brand loyalty from literally the moment a child is born. Competitors have been doing things like this for years. In fact, I personally had Cinderella bedding as a child…which I, shamefully, have continued to use throughout college. The merchandise will be available in mid-tier retailers, department/specialty stores, and some online retailers in 2012. I’m excited to see how it turns out!

Trend Lab Paisley Bedding Set

Disney Winnie the Pooh Nursery

Cross-Promoting…Myself?

Yes, well, I wouldn’t be a true Marketing Major if I didn’t.

I have been doing a lot of writing lately. But, for those of you who are keeping track (because I know you’re out there…somewhere…maybe…), not for this blog in particular. No, actually, I have been writing for The Disney Blog, which is, if I do say so myself, the best Disney fan blog out there. This has actually been one of my absolutely favorite blogs for quite some time, and I am thrilled to be contributing to it! I hope you enjoy my posts so far.

Until one of my major favorite studios does something awesome,

-Amanda

The Cat is Back

While the Shrek series sort of fizzled out near its end, there is one character who always remained a favorite: Puss in Boots. This ferocious Spanish cat always smooth-talked his way through danger (or made this ADORABLE face), and now he has his own movie to showcase his sass. Hitting theaters November 4, 2011, it seems there are a lot of zesty one-liners to look forward to in this new DreamWorks Animation.

As of yet, there haven’t been a ton of marketing efforts. They kept it simple, as should have when they have such a popular character to carry the weight, and have only released the basics: trailers and posters. The first, a teaser trailer, is a bit ironic, as the cat completely embodies and resembles Antonio Banderas’ as Zorro. Funny, how things work out like that. The second trailer, obviously a bit more in-depth, definitely highlights the comedic essence of Puss’ character. Lastly, I have put up two movie posters, which are the only ones I have seen so far.

What do you think? Will this charming character bring you back to the theater, or do you think he was already overused in the Shrek series?

More Marketing for Muppets!

To follow up on a previous post about marketing for The Muppets movie, Disney has been gracious enough to throw us another bit of advertising to gawk at. Here are two new posters for the film, which I find to be very colorful and a bit overwhelming…in a good way. What do you guys think? Was it worth the wait for these posters?