Boomerang has teamed with Sunkist Growers, Del Monte Fresh Produce and the National Watermelon Promotion Board to encourage children to eat more fruit and vegetables with an in-store Albertsons grocery store campaign entitled "The Wacky Days of Summer. The campaign will contain fruit-bin wraps, posters, grocery-bag stuffers, free fruit recipe and activity booklets and live weekend events in select Albertsons stores. The four-week campaign will run August 1 - September 30, 2003. Media support will include in-store circular announcements along with promotional radio support the weeks leading up to each live event. This campaign is Boomerang's first-ever consumer promotion in its two-year history.
"When I think of summer, I envision kids, family, sunshine, laughter and picnicking," said Phyllis Ehrlich, svp of promotions marketing, Cartoon Network sales and marketing. "So it was a rather natural fit to combine the fun and goodwill of our classic cartoon characters with brand-name partners that represent wholesome, quality summer foods. One of our marketing goals with Boomerang is to find new means of spreading the word to parents around the country of this marvelous cable service, which provides familiar, trusted entertainment for kids in a commercial-free environment. Through this high-profile, in-store campaign, we hope 'The Wacky Days of Summer' not only promotes healthy snacking but also encourages parents to ask their cable operator to offer Boomerang through their local service."
"Parents today grew up with the many Hanna-Barbera characters that comprised Saturday morning television -- a long list of all-stars that includes Yogi Bear, Boo-Boo, Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, Magilla Gorilla and Secret Squirrel," said Stacey Larson, president of consumer effects. "Through Boomerang, parents get to introduce their young children to these colorful stars that are still wonderfully fun and familiar. We recognized a great opportunity for Sunkist, Del Monte and the National Watermelon Promotion Board to tap into Boomerang's resources to creatively speak to both audiences-parents and kids-through a partnership that ties wholesome family entertainment to wholesome summer fruit. 'The Wacky Days of Summer' resulted with an imaginative campaign that focuses on the many different ways of preparing and enjoying more healthy snack options."
The promotion will include 22 in-store live events. Each event will be held either on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday and will involve an array of live Boomerang costume character appearances, family games and photo opportunities. Activities will include such things as a watermelon-eating contest, a pineapple-decorating contest, a "Sunkist Smiles" photo opportunity and a Boomerang "hot potato" game. In addition, kids and parents will be informed about the benefits of eating fruit. Media support in each market will include a live radio remote broadcast.
With more than 4,000 cartoons in its library, Boomerang, the sister station of Cartoon Network, showcases Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Warner Bros. classic characters. Currently in nearly 10 million cable and satellite households, the network arranges its weekly schedule into three different programming categories: character strips, year (television season) and action-adventure genre. The Monday-Friday line-up spotlights 11 classic characters with a cavalcade of favorite episodes, followed by a two-hour tribute to an action-oriented series that varies each weekday. Fridays are reserved for a full 24-hour salute to a Hanna-Barbera cartoon all-star, which changes each month.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
