Paramount Pictures Corporation, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), announced it has teamed with Millennial Media, Inc., the industry’s largest and fastest-growing mobile advertising networks company, to design and launch a revolutionary, innovative mobile advertising and promotional campaign surrounding the theatrical release of DreamWorks Pictures’ highly-anticipated film, Eagle Eye, which is a DreamWorks/Paramount distribution release.
The “Eagle Eye Mobile Challenge,” which began September 8 and continues through September 28, represents Paramount’s most extensive mobile marketing initiative to date, and the largest ever for a fall theatrical release.
The suspense thriller, directed by D.J. Caruso, and executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, opens in wide release on September 26, 2008, and stars critically-acclaimed actors Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis, Anthony Mackie, and Billy Bob Thornton.
Designed in tandem with and executed by Millennial Media, the “Eagle Eye Mobile Challenge” aims to build additional buzz about, and boost overall awareness of, the film and its stars, while simultaneously engaging consumers in a rich, compelling experience that closely mimics concepts from the film. The campaign propels the user into an intense, fast-paced and multi-faceted interactive experience similar to the plot that unfolds in the film, and features scenes cleverly embedded in mobile banner ads across the mobile Web. In addition, the challenge also features a sweepstakes entry, text message updates and personal user interaction via interactive voice response (IVR) and short message service (SMS) capabilities. The initiative, located at http://ee.mydas.mobi, marks the seventh time Paramount has turned to Millennial Media for mobile advertising assistance in support of the studio’s theatrical and home entertainment releases.
“This groundbreaking campaign is an excellent example of how advertisers can creatively use today’s mobile technologies to connect their content to consumers.” said Michael Rosenberg, manager of national advertising at Paramount Pictures. “By devising and introducing a comprehensive mobile promotional campaign that is innovative, compelling and entertaining, we are delivering a highly distinctive theatrical marketing vehicle which brings the Eagle Eye film experience to it’s consumers in a new and exciting way.”
“With box office competition and film budgets at all-time highs, studios and their agencies have realized that they must elevate their marketing and promotional efforts to higher levels to reach and engage users, and more importantly, to see a strong ROI,” said Paul Palmieri, president and CEO of Millennial Media. “The ‘Eagle Eye Mobile Challenge’ does exactly that. The campaign actively harnesses the power of mobile devices and cutting-edge technologies to engage movie lovers in a unique, never-before-seen fashion. Moreover, the program readily embraces a multitude of creative and groundbreaking technological elements that result in an exciting and highly-personal means of experiencing one of the hottest films of the year.”
For the launch of the initiative, Millennial Media worked hand-in-hand with Paramount executives to develop a series of distinctive mobile banners that appear across the company’s premium mobile advertising network, the largest in the U.S. with over three billion global monthly impressions across more than 1,800 quality sites.
After consumers click on the banners, they are taken to a mobile landing page for Eagle Eye where they can opt in to begin the experience, and immediately enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a $1,000 gift card from Circuit City. As part of this process, they receive a mysterious call on their mobile device that mirrors the strange phone calls received by the protagonists of the film. The eerie voice, in combination with subsequent SMS messages, directs consumers through the entire mobile interactive experience, and allows them to interact with their friends at the same time. Opted-in users then receive one final call, to occur the day of the film’s release, encouraging them to continue the Eagle Eye experience by seeing the films in theatre nationwide beginning on September 26.
In Eagle Eye, two strangers, Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf) and Rachel Holloman (Monaghan), are thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. Threatening their lives and family, the strange caller pushes Jerry and Rachel into a series of increasingly dangerous situations by using the technology of every-day life to track and control their every move. As the situation escalates, these two ordinary people become the country’s most wanted fugitives, and now must work together to discover what is really happening and, more importantly, why.
The new film reunites LaBeouf, Caruso, and Spielberg for the first time since the three collaborated on DreamWorks’ 2007 sleeper hit, Disturbia, featuring LaBeouf and Sarah Roemer.
DreamWorks Pictures presents a Kurtzman/Orci production and a D.J. Caruso Film, Eagle Eye, starring Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis, Anthony Mackie, and Billy Bob Thornton. The film is directed by D.J. Caruso. The story is by Dan McDermott, and the screenplay is by John Glenn, Travis Adam Wright, Hillary Seitz, and Dan McDermott. The film is produced by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Patrick Crowley. The executive producers are Steven Spielberg and Edward L. McDonnell. The director of photography is Dariusz Wolski, ASC. The production designer is Tom Sanders. The film is edited by Jim Page. The costume designer is Marie-Sylvie Deveau. The visual effects supervisor is Jim Rygiel. The music is by Brian Tyler. This film is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence and for language.
About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company’s labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, MTV Films, Nickelodeon Movies and DreamWorks Studios. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studio Group, and Worldwide Television Distribution.
About Millennial Media
Millennial Media, the industry’s largest mobile media networks company, offers the only true, end-to-end platform for mobile advertising – with full-service and self-service solutions designed to meet a vast spectrum of marketing objectives. With rich post-click solutions for engaging user experiences, the MBrand network for targeted audiences across premium content and Decktrade™ for large-scale performance campaigns, Millennial Media’s suite of solutions will meet any advertising need. The company is committed to growing the mobile advertising marketplace by becoming the preferred partner to all advertisers seeking to reach mobile consumers, all publishers seeking to maximize ad revenue, and all mobile operators seeking to further monetize their networks. For more information, visit http://www.millennialmedia.com.
