Donna's Promo Talk

McDonald's Madagascar 2 Promo Helps Kids Move It

America has moved on with Election Day finally over and we're all now eagerly anticipating President-Elect Obama taking office. So it was a perfect weekend to launch a totally fun and highly anticipated animated movie sequel at the box office, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.

My family are all huge Madagascar fans and we rank it as one of the best animated movies of all time, up there with Disney's The Lion King. I still laugh every time my daughter Alex (who happens to have the same name as the starring lion in the film) quotes one of the lines of the movie..."The penguins are psychotic!". Or when I hear that music..."You got to move it, move it".

Here's the Widget for Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa which is a DreamWorks film. According to early estimates it grossed a huge $63.5 mil from Friday through Sunday. That sum far exceeds the $47.2 mil that the first Madagascar flick grossed over Memorial Day weekend 2005, and it's the biggest for any movie since The Dark Knight's record-breaking $158.4 million back in July. It's also the second-best premiere ever for an animated movie that didn't open during the summer.

In conjunction with the release of "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" McDonald's has launched their largest global Happy Meal event since its “Shrek 3” promotion in 2007. They have also launched One Minute to Move It -- a global children's well-being program designed to encourage kids to see what a difference a minute can make.

The goal of One Minute to Move It is to empower kids to take an active role in their own well-being by creating a minute of joyful self-expression. McDonald's is engaging kids and families around the world with major family events in key markets; an interactive digital community for kids; specially designed, motion-activated Happy Meal toys; and in-restaurant displays. Movie characters are featured on a variety of food choices including fruit, vegetables and milk products to reach kids in a fun and responsible way. The program began in North America on Friday with the release of the movie and will continue to roll out around the world through the first quarter of next year.

"One Minute to Move It encourages kids to take the first step -- one minute -- to do something they love like dancing, planting a flower, reading or writing, with the hope that it will provide inspiration for many more minutes to come," said Mary Dillon, Global Chief Marketing Officer, McDonald's. "This 'fun-with a-purpose' program represents a fresh new approach to our ongoing commitment to children's well-being."

McDonald's One Minute to Move It program is based on key findings from a first-ever global research study, reaching over 5,000 children ages 6 to 12 and parents across Europe, Asia, Latin America and the United States. Through an independent research company, Just Kid, Inc., McDonald's conducted the study to determine what motivates kids to be active, both physically and mentally, and what role McDonald's can play in helping kids lead a balanced lifestyle. The results were clear and consistent worldwide -- "joy of life" such as laughing, having fun and experiencing new things, and feeling "empowered" to make their own choices ranked the highest for both boys and girls across all ethnicities, ages and geographies.

To extend the fun and excitement of the program, kids can experience One Minute to Move It online at McDonald's digital kids' community, available at happymeal.com in North America. The site includes characters from Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and offers one-minute, interactive games; activity suggestions to stimulate kids' "minutes;" and a "Minutes Played" collector to track minutes logged around the world. For the first time, "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" Happy Meal toys in some countries will also feature codes that allow kids to unlock special content on the site.

For the first time in the United States, Nickelodeon is producing a 30-second feature about McDonald's One Minute to Move It with U.S. Olympic gymnast gold medalist Shawn Johnson. The feature is airing on Nickelodeon, Nicktoons networks and Nick.com. The Nickelodeon alliance expands in Australia with a One Minute to Move It event for kids and families at Dreamworld theme park in Australia's Gold Coast during the week of December 15th.

My daughter Alex is planning to go see the movie on Tuesday since they have the day off from school for Veteran's Day. I wish I also had the day off and could go with her. But, I'll have to wait. I hope it won't take me till it comes out on DVD, but if it does I'm sure it will be one of those that we purchase to own.

Halloween Goes Political and Starbucks Launches Free Coffee Promo

Halloween in now over and Election Day is around the corner. The election played a big role in the choice of American's Halloween costumes with an estimated 574,000 adults dressing up to resemble a political figure. Along with the candidates Batman was also a very popular costumes due to this year's blockbuster hit The Dark Knight according to the National Retail Federation’s 2008 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions survey, conducted by BIGresearch. Batman came in at No. 6 for adults, No. 8 for children and No. 16 for pets.

The survey also estimated 2008 Halloween spending was to reach $5.77 billion, despite the economy. “Halloween is serving as a nice reprieve for many Americans this year,” said Phil Rist, Vice President of Strategy at BIGresearch. “Whether they hosted their own party or hit the streets trick-or-treating with their children, consumers want Halloween costumes to reflect their creativity.”

Sarah Palin costumes were very popular among females this year and Tina Fey of course takes the prize as the No.1 best impersonation of the VP Candidate. Here's the spoof she did on Saturday Night Live last night with John McCain. It's just too funny. You have to give McCain some credit for being such a good sport, even when the script has "Palin" going rouge and promoting a Palin in 2012 t-shirt for sale!

NBC developed this widget with the video which was very easy to find online this morning and it encourages viral marketing by providing several options to easily embed into your favorite social media sites. I put it on my Facebook profile as well.

Starbucks teamed up with NBC on this widget and used the SNL hype last night to launch their Election Day promotion which they will be giving away coffee on Nov. 4th.  Voters simply need to cast a vote, then tell the barista at their local Starbucks and they'll receive a tall cup of brewed coffee at no charge. Starbucks says "In the best tradition of democracy, we are using the honor system for proof of voting. "All consumers need to do is visit a participating Starbucks on Election Day and say that they voted. The Starbucks TV ad automatically runs at the end of the SNL skit.

So we have a bit of pop culture working into both our Halloween and our Election Day this year. Google also got in on the Halloween fun this year and sent us at the agency this Halloween greeting created by their new Ad Display Builder. I haven't tried it yet, but they claim they made this ad in two minutes.

Lastly, before Halloween '08 is a faint memory, you have up until Nov. 7th to enter your pet in the Better Homes and Gardens Halloween Pet Costume Photo Contest. Judges will vote on round 1 on Nov. 14th and select 20 finalists who will be posted online. The public can vote on their favorite up until Nov. 23rd. The winner will receive a Flip Video Mino Series Camcorder, a Philips 9-Inch Digital Picture Frame and a $200 VISA gift card. Four runners-up will each receive a $75 VISA gift card. So get those pet photos in now. As of today there are 246 photo uploaded. I'm a golden retriever lover, so this is my favorite.

Happy Belated Halloween. I hope you had a good one. And don't forget to vote on Tuesday!

Olympics Wrapping Up and Dove Partners with "The Women"

Last week I was out taking a August vacation like so many of the rest of us this time of year. So, that's why you haven't seen any new posts from me. I went back down to Myrtle Beach to visit my parents who still don't have Internet access. I sat out in the driveway a few days with my laptop and snuck on to a neighbor's "unsecured" wireless account...just enough to check email.

One thing about not having Internet access is you watch more TV. It was great that the Beijing Olympic Games were going on since I spent quite a bit of time with my mom and daughters watching many of the events. I had originally wrote that my two teenage daughters weren't that into the Olympics when it first began, but we all really got into them, especially my college-bound daughter. Who could not be excited about Michael Phelps who my girls think is really "hot", as well as the beach volleyball teams, both guys and girls, and of course women's gynmastics. The games are now starting to wind down with tomorrow being the closing ceremonies.

In the latest news, US Women's Soccer won the Gold by defeating Brazil. The team was able to do it without their famous teammate, Abby Wambach, who I mentioned before is a graduate of the same high school my daughters are from.

NBC Universal had a very successful Olympics and said earlier this week that more than 196 million viewers have watched the Beijing Olympics on its various networks through the first ten days. This figure makes these games the fourth-most-watched TV event in U.S. history, NBC said, "only behind the complete totals of the 1996 Atlanta (209 million), 1994 Lillehammer (204 million) and 2004 Athens (203 million) Games." They sold an $25 million in additional advertising that they were holding on to and said that overall the network had secured around $1 billion in Olympics-related advertising from about 100 marketers. They owe Micheal Phelps a big percentage of that!

So, it's now on to the next big thing, which will be the political conventions! Once their over than we can really "get ready for some football!"

Oh and since I was out last week I missed my guest blogger spot on Lipsticking and instead wrote a post yesterday which I don't want you to miss. This post is about the latest project from the folks at Dove and their Campaign for Real Beauty. So please again visit Lipsticking and read about Dove's new short film The Women Behind "The Women". It's another example of a great viral marketing program and this time integrates some entertainment marketing as well! I'm asking readers to please leave their thoughts and comments on what they think about the campaign. So chime in!

 

Kodak Promotes the Olympic Games, the Mummy and Nascar

Eastman Kodak is another major brand that currently has developed marketing programs that tie both into the summer theatrical release of "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" and with the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. However, unlike what NBC Universal has done, the two Kodak programs are totally unrelated.

First off, Kodak partnered with Universal Studios to promote the latest Mummy franchise through their longstanding partnership with Penske Racing and NASCAR. On July 12 driver Ryan Newman and the Kodak No. 12 Dodge at the NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway featured a bold paint scheme from The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor along with Kodak branding. Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman's firesuit and helmet were also specially designed for the race as was his pit crew. Check out Kodak's blog A Thousand Words which features photos and updates from the day.

Brendan Fraser, who plays explorer Rick O'Connell in the series, attended the race as Kodak's guest and served as Grand Marshal, giving the command "Gentlemen, Start Your Engines."

"Kodak is thrilled to partner with Universal Pictures and Penske Racing on this exciting promotion that ties together our longstanding relationship with the motion picture industry and our partnership with NASCAR," said Betty Noonan, Kodak Director and VP of Corporate Marketing and Business Development,  "When four great brands get together, great things happen and our customers win."

In addition to the racecar branding, Kodak-The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor advertising  appears on trackside billboards and the film's trailer was shown on SprintVision inside Chicagoland Speedway throughout the race weekend. Additional advertising appears in print and online, as well as the Kodak Times Square Gallery in New York City. Themed merchandise, including die-cast cars, t-shirts and hats, is also available and the Kodak-The Mummy show car is on display at Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood theme parks throughout July.

Additional images of the racecar can be seen here on Kodak's website. A Ryan Newman podcast can also be heard here on Kodak's site by clicking on Marketing Insights.

Now as far as the Olympic Games goes, I mentioned in my earlier post here that I had the honor of working with Kodak during the 1995 Atlanta Summer Games. Unfortunately however, following the closing ceremonies of the Beijing 2008 Olympic games Kodak will conclude it's sponsorship as the Worldwide Official Imaging Sponsor which it has held for the past 100+ years.

This year Kodak will be covering the games live on their blog, A Thousand Words. Jenny Cisney who is Kodak's "Chief Blogging Officer" will be blogging from the games and sharing with us the fan experience, sights and sounds, culture, etc. from Beijing. Richard Mackson, a  professional photographer who worked with Sports Illustrated will be posting his own photos. Tom Hoehn will also be reporting on how Kodak products are there supporting the Games. So, I'm going to be referring to Kodak's blog as the Games begin.

Starting on Aug. 9th Kodak will again be featuring their Olympic Picture of the Day which showcases a new photograph from Opening to Closing ceremonies (17 total).  This will be posted daily on Kodak's Olympic Page, Kodak Times Square Gallery and on IOC's official Olympic site.

The Kodak Store will be featuring a Olympic pin promotion which starts on Aug. 4. Also available is a Kodak downloadable Olympic Games Party Kit.

So, stay tuned and I'll be providing updates and photos of the games from Kodak. It will be bittersweet knowing that it's Kodak's last year covering the games as an official sponsor. I just hope the images of the Games will continue to be chronicled in the same high quality, professional way that Kodak has done for the past 100 years.

NBC Universal Cross-Promotes Olympic Games and The Mummy

Here's a marketing first: a campaign that promotes the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as well as the next sequel in a major summer theatrical movie release. 

NBC, "America's Olympic Network," owns the exclusive U.S. media rights to the Olympic Games through 2012. Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios and part of NBC Universal, is behind The Mummy series and this year's release of the next sequel: "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor". NBC Universal is promoting these two huge upcoming August events with what it calls it's "most comprehensive synergistic effort ever".

NBC first launched this combo campaign back on July 1st with a very unique and innovative co-branded TV spot in which they utilized top assets from both their TV and movie studio side. The piece features settings and characters from "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" along with Olympic athletes that are seamlessly blended in sequences in which the action from the film transforms into Olympic events. The connection is that most of the action in The Mummy takes place in China and the Beijing Olympic Games are also in China.

The TV spots will continue through the end of August. “The Mummy” hits theaters on Aug. 1, followed by the Beijing Summer Olympics opening on Aug. 8th. On July 18th an extended 2:30-minute version also started running in NCM theaters nationwide. It also is being featured on in-park screens and Astrovisions at both Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios, on screens in 235 college campuses, at the NBC Experience Store at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, on NBC Wireless Networks' NBCNews2Go, NBC.com, NBCOlympics.com and other NBC websites, in over 4,700 New York taxis on the NY10 Taxi Entertainment Network.  Additionally it's being distributed on multiple cable systems nationwide.

Watch the extended piece here:

It's a pretty cool film and one that has been getting rave reviews so far from those who have viewed it. Brendan Fraser, star of "The Mummy," made an appearance at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL, to present a first sneak preview of it as well as mingled with some fans. Not only is this the first time the Olympics Games have been cross-promoted with a major motion film release, but also this year NBC will carry an unprecedented 2,200 hours of coverage streamed live online at NBCOlympics.com.

You can read more about the marketing campaigns surrounding this year's Summer Olympic Games in my previous posts here, here and here.

Subway and Vespa Promote with GET SMART

Another theatrical release hit the box office this past weekend which, like Indiana Jones, tugs on the heartstrings of us baby boomers. GET SMART was updated for the big screen starring Steve Carell as the bumbling Agent 86 and Anne Hathaway as the smooth Agent 99. It did pretty well grossing an estimated $39.1 million over the weekend although the critics weren't very positive. Those of us that remember the TV series will agree that it was all based on some silly comedy that may not translate as well into today's entertainment world. But you have to admit that casting Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart was a great choice.

Vespa and Subway have teamed up with Warner Bros. for this entertainment marketing tie-in. In addition to making a cameo appearance in the film, Vespa is also giving away scooters to 10 lucky winners. Consumers can enter at any Subway restaurant or register online at subwayfreshbuzz.com or at VespaUSA.com. Customers can also receive a $5 coupon for Subway if they test drive a Vespa scooter at a participating dealership.

The Subway "Get Smart. Eat Fresh." interactive promotion is both a sweepstakes and an instant win win game. Over a $1 million dollars in prizes is up for grabs with a 1965 Sunbeam Tiger Series I Convertible as the top Grand Prize. This car is valued at $58,500 and the winner gets an additional $25,072 in spending money that can be used to cover taxes. That is a pretty cool prize with a total value of $83,572. The winner will be randomly chosen in a drawing at the end of the promotion which concludes on August 10th.

The instant win game is where they're giving away the Vespa GTS 250 as the top prize. The second prize is a  VIP Warner Bros. Lot Tour which includes a trip package to Los Angeles along with some spending money. Nine yellow Vespa LX 50 scooters will be given away as third prizes, and several other secondary prizes that include Apple and Best Buy gift cards along with Get Smart DVD's and "Movie Money" to see the Get Smart movie.

To play the instant win game consumers have to first enter the sweepstakes which allows them one game play per day. They need to enter the secret code which can be obtained several ways such as visiting a participating Subway restaurant and making a purchase which will be then included on the register receipt. Codes will also be found on in-store displays, hidden in the Subway and Vespa websites and also obtained via an email request. The promotion is being administered and hosted by eprize.

So I hear that the shoe phone makes an appearance in the film which of course having mobile communications isn't a stretch today as it was back in the '60's. But I'm wondering why some of today's big mobile phone brands didn't get on board with this - where is our Verizon "Can you Hear Me Now?" character? I think he'd fit in very well with Agent 86, don't you?

Dads, Grads, Brides and...The Hulk!

It was a weekend of "Dads, Grads and Brides" for me which mirrored the way most retail marketers define the month of June. With all that I had going on this weekend I never even got a chance to get to my computer except to briefly check my email before I went to bed last night.

Saturday we started the morning at an 11am wedding ceremony for our nice, Elizabeth, which was held at a beautiful outdoor setting with Lake Ontario as the backdrop. The rain held off for the most part... just a few sprinkles came down on us which no one seemed to mind too much. After the lunch reception we headed back home to change clothes and out the door again we went to a high school graduation party. Then Sunday was Father's Day which I got to spend at home catching up on the usual weekend chores and watching Tiger Woods march on to force a playoff round today in the U.S. Open Championship against Rocco Mediate.

The Incredible Hulk was also released in movie theaters and grabbed the top spot at the box office with $54.5 million in sales for the weekend. However, it didn't come anywhere close to Marvel Entertainment's other movie release this season, Iron Man, which brought in $104.2 over the Memorial Day weekend, the second-best premiere ever for a non-sequel. Universal Pictures is Marvel's distributor partner on this movie which stars Edward Norton as the scientist who turns into the Hulk when maddened.

Kmart used up some of their entertainment marketing dollars to partner with The Incredible Hulk. Their "Incredible Dads" Father's Day Promotion takes advantage of the "Dads" day timing. Consumers are invited to purchase "Incredible Dad" Hulk-themed gift cards, and those who purchase at least $50 worth can receive "movie money" for two general admissions to see the film.

Additionally, Kmart is running a mobile marketing segment of the promotion that includes a text-to-win sweepstakes that gives consumers a chance to win a trip for four people to the Universal Studios Orlando theme park. Other prizes include Kmart gift cards and THE INCREDIBLE HULK merchandise which is also available for sale at Kmart.

I can not finish this post if I did not mention the loss of Tim Russert this past weekend which has deeply saddened so many people, especially those of us in Western New York. Tom Brokaw said on NBC Friday evening that if we were to morn and celebrate the life of Tim there wouldn't be a more approriate weekend than Father's Day. Thank you Tim for all you have shared with us. You will be greatly missed. It's hard to imagine going forward with this year's presidential election without you.

So, as for my closing remarks, Happy Father's Day to all and as Tim would say....."GO BILLS!" 

Sex and the City Style Video Contest Winner Attends Movie Premier

Today I'm going to ask to you hop on over to Lip-sticking.com where I'm the featured guest blogger to read my post. It's about Sex and the City, the Movie which is scheduled to be released in theaters this weekend. I originally wrote this post on my blog a month ago about my anticipation of this movie and the consumer-generated promotional video contest that this really cool online retailer, Bag Borrow and Steal, was doing to tie-in with the movie premier.

Well, Bag Borrow and Steal announced the winner of the video contest yesterday who actually got to attend the movie premiere which was held last night at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Here's a photo of the ladies from New York taken at last night's premiere which I was able to grab off of E!Entertainment's website today.

So I invite you to please visit Lip-sticking here to read more about this interactive promotion, see the winning video, give us your thoughts and read some of the other women's posts all about marketing to women.

Dr. Pepper Explores with Indiana Promotion

Well today is Memorial Day, the day we pause to honor those who have lost their lives in pursuit of freedom and love of our country. It is the designated day to pay tribute to these Americans and celebrate with ceremonies, parades and family gatherings since most of us have been given the day off from work.

It is also the unofficial start of summer. Women can now feel comfortable wearing white pants and shoes. Those of us living in the northern part of the country can rest at ease taking our houseplants outside and planting annuals. Being a three-day weekend, it is the biggest movie weekend of the year with box office records to break. This year the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull drew in a huge audience that put the film on its way to become the second-biggest Memorial Day movie opening ever.

The fourth installment of this saga grossed an estimated $101 million from Friday to Sunday, plus $25 million from its opening Thursday according to Paramount Pictures. They expected to earn another $25 million today. This puts them just behind Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End which had a Friday-Monday total of $139.8 million during last year's Memorial Day weekend.

I already wrote two posts on this theatrical release: this first post regarding the promotional partnership with Major League Baseball and the second post about a major promotional and advertising campaign from Burger King. Another brand that put their entertainment marketing dollars to work with an innovative partnership with Indy and Paramount is Dr. Pepper.  The Dr. Pepper Passport to Explore with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull promotion centers around the adventure theme and will send 23 lucky winners on an adventure of their own-Indy-style!

Everyone who enters an instant win game code online is eligible for the grand prize sweepstakes and an opportunity to channel their “inner Indy” on an adventure to one of four exotic destinations: Egypt, India, Jordan or Peru. All places that Indiana Jones himself has visited during his adventures! Each trip package is provided through Expedia and consists of a 10-12 day adventure with a local tour guide who takes winners horseback riding, boating, hiking and other Indy-style excursions.

Game codes can be found under the caps or inside the wraps of specially marked Dr Pepper and Diet Dr Pepper. This interactive promotion is being supported by a TV spot with ads that began running on May 1. Additionally, scratch off game codes are featured in print ads which started appearing on May 9. Online banner ads have also give out game codes which have been running on the Yahoo! Movies section on Yahoo.com.

One-in-six codes will win a prize! Fans enter these codes online after they register or by texting them in to learn if their codes are instant winners and redeem their prizes. In addition to the adventure trips, prizes include T-shirts, hats, movie tickets and free Dr Pepper product.

“Dr Pepper is Indiana Jones’ biggest fan, so we are thrilled to add even more excitement around an event that is 19 years in the making,” said Andrew Springate, vice president of marketing for Dr Pepper. “With the 23 flavors of Dr Pepper, there is always more to explore, and we’re bringing fans more ways to explore and experience Indiana Jones this summer.”

23 iPod Nanos are also hidden inside specially marked cans randomly placed in 12-packs. The Nanos are pre-loaded with “Raiders March” — the Indiana Jones theme song by composer John Williams, as well as an exclusive behind-the-scenes photo from the movie set. Fans will also have the opportunity to collect six limited edition Dr Pepper collector’s cans featuring scenes and characters from the new film.

“By working with Dr Pepper, we wanted to create a rich experience for Indiana Jones fans, both old and new,” said Kayleen Walters, director of marketing for Lucasfilm Ltd. “Dr Pepper is an American institution, making it a perfect partner for the new Indiana Jones film.”

Well I did not go see the movie this weekend, but my 18 year-old daughter did with some of her friends and they were not impressed at all. Maybe this generation just doesn't get it. I guess I'll have to see it for myself. Let me know what you thought of the film if you were one of the many who helped make it a box office hit this weekend.

Guitar Hero and McDonald's Win with American Idol

Well I'm sorry, but I just have to write about American Idol today, which is the buzz of the morning so far all over the Internet. I have really been into the show this year and I have to say that I agree with the judges that they've had some of the best talent make it to the finals this year than they've ever had. And yes, I'm am sooooo glad and sooooo surprised that David Cook won. I pretty much wrote it off that the young girls where going to text in their votes like crazy for the young cutie, David Archeleta. But the surprise was that it wasn't even close....DC won by over 12 million votes with American Idol breaking their record with a total of 90 million.

I was one of those people that recorded it on my DVR last night because I wanted to watch the whole show from the beginning, but wasn't able to sit down at the 8pm start time. So, yes my DVR stopped recording after two hours just when Ryan Seacrest said, "and the winner, by 12 million votes, of American Idol 2008 is..." It brought me right to my computer where I had to search to find out who won which took a few minutes before Yahoo had it up on their home page. I had to wait till this morning to see the video highlights which included the end announcement! This reminded me of the Soprano's surprising ending earlier this season when they went to a black screen and sent us online to find out if our televisions had screwed up and what we may had missed. In that case, nothing!

So, while the show this season has come down in its ratings from last year, it still has beat out anything else on TV, which just goes to show us that television's overall share is down, and that's where it will most likely stay.

I really enjoyed the finale show even though there were some "chezzy" moments. Look at all the talent they had...Seal singing with Syesha who made a great duo. He's got an amazing voice and she was able to hold her own while also looking as stunning as usual. Graham Nash performing Teach Your Children with Brooke White just made me smile. Donna Summers did look her age on the stage with all the beautiful, young female finalists, but she still has one hell of a voice. And the most fun I've seen on TV in quite a while was David Cook performing "Sharp Dressed Man" with ZZ Top...they were great!

Guitar Hero got in on the entertainment marketing bandwagon and was also a big winner last night. They ran two commercials, one of each of the Davids, performing the famous Tom Cruise scene from Risky Business. You know, where he slides across the hardwood floor in his socks and underwear, jumps on the couch and lip-syncs to "Ole' Time Rock and Roll". In this version however, they weren't playing air guitar, but of course the Guitar Hero player. Here's David Cook's Version:

Micheal Myers who was there to promote is new, upcoming film, The Love Guru, also made us laugh with a "Sitar Hero" stint. It was all fun, fun all around. And then experiencing David's Cook's final performance at the very end of the show just proved that America got it right this year.

So as an excuse to write about the American Idol Season 7 finale, I also thought I'd mention an interactive promotion that McDonald's did as a major partner with this them year. McDonald's invited America to pick an "American Idol" from one of eight musical Happy Meal toys that they created to name a Happy Meal superstar. Each toy plays a tune within the genre of the music their character represents: groove to disco songs with Disco Dave, line dance with Country Clay, rock out with Rockin' Riley (shown here), vibe to the beat with Lil' Hip Hop, make a melody with Hippie Harmony, sing along with New Wave Nigel, jam with Soulful Selma or kick it with Punky Pete! McDonald's customers went online to happymeal.com to vote for their favorite. 

McDonald's also offered a chance for a couple of lucky customers to experience American Idol with the "You're Going to Hollywood" Sweepstakes. Consumers were invited online to happymeal.com to enter for a chance to win one of two prizes. Joseph Kershenbaum, of Lowell, Mass., and Cheryl Russell, of Riverside, Calif., each traveled to Los Angeles for a three-day/two-night trip. Kershenbaum attended the May 20 show, while Russell attended last night's finale.  “McDonald's congratulates our winners on this exciting opportunity to enjoy America's hit television show in person,” said Rebecca Anderson, Marketing Manager, McDonald’s USA.

I'll now have to wait a while to see David Cook perform again and also for American Idol Season 8 to begin. I guess it's probably because I have a teenage daughter who's a singer and an actress that I really get emotional about this show. I'm just so proud of my daughter who's been accepted into NYU's prestigious Tisch School of performing arts for the Fall semester. Maybe, just maybe she'll want to tryout this summer for Season 8. That would screw up her college plans if she got in, but you never know. Stay tuned!

Congratulations to David Cook and David Archeleta.