BrightLine Launches First Causal iTV Marketing Initiative With Client Degree for Men

BrightLine
launches an interactive television initiative that pushes the bounds of the
medium’s power and potential to marketers. As part of Unilever Degree for Men’s
popular marketing campaign that asks the question “Who covered 85?,”
Degree will bring football audiences nationwide exclusive access to
professional Football’s Chad Johnson via interactive television.

As part of
the promotion for the groundbreaking digital experience, the star wide receiver
will personally invite coveted Monday Night Football viewers to an interactive
television experience. Custom designed 15-second commercials will be
strategically aired during

Chad’s
nationally broadcast games enticing viewers to vote on his coverage in the
night’s game and see exclusive videos from his “Risk Cam.” The
campaign marks the first time a commercial was created by a marketer with the
sole purpose of driving viewers to an interactive television experience.

BrightLine
iTV Marketing Specialists was both the architect and designer of the
interactive TV campaign. “Using

Chad’s notoriety and charisma to
inspire Monday Night Football’s passionate audience to engage in a
philanthropic campaign takes the use of branded channels in digital television
to a completely new level,” said Rob Aksman, BrightLine’s Creative
Director.

The most
notable feature of the initiative is its clever tie-in with

Chad’s favorite
charity, ‘Feed the Children.’ The campaign expands upon the interactive reach
of the web portion of “85” to leverage an interactive Degree
television channel that solicits viewer support by voting, with their remote
control, on whether the football star was successfully covered during his
football appearances. Each TV vote is combined with the online tally, to
heighten the reach and impact of this unique partnership. “Including iTV
in the mix dramatically increases the reach and potential of causal programs
like this, designed to initiate and sustain a two-way brand dialogue with the
new digital consumer,” said Sam Chadha, Unilever’s Director AP/Deo.

The
campaign runs nationally across both DirecTV and Dish Network subscribers, a
total of approximately 25MM interactive TV homes, and will be promoted during

Chad’s two
nationally televised Monday Night Football appearances.

“This
campaign brilliantly parlays Degree’s growing insight and past successes in
achieving a two-way TV dialogue into a rich and meaningful interaction with
target consumers,” said BrightLine’s CEO, Jacqueline Corbelli.