Donna's Promo Talk

PROMO 100 2009 Agency of Year - Catapult Marketing

Every year on June 1st Promo Magazine unveils its PROMO 100 annual list of the top promotional agencies in the U.S. I usually write a post about the PROMO 100 Agency of the Year shortly after the list comes out. Well this year I'm a little late, but it's still worth writing about.

The 2009 top spot went to Catapult Action-Biased Marketing which is headed up by COO Paul Kramer, a well-known name in the promotional agency circle. They reported $28.5 million in 2008 U.S. net revenue, a 69% increase over 2006. The growth came from mostly three areas: a new interactive discipline, geographic expansion and additional work for existing clients.

Catapult Interactive debuted in January 2007 as a way to round out the agency’s services and has proven to be a “great engine” for organic growth, stated Bill Hewson, president, Interactive. As a result the agency expanded its work for its clients, including Pedigree, Intel and Subway.

Subway is a longtime client who the agency first developed a relationship with about six years ago, working on merchandising at its restaurants. That work has expanded to national programs, including Subway Scrabble, a popular instant-win game promotion that incorporates hundreds of millions of game pieces on Subway cups and sub wraps. Each year, the agency has worked on improving response by incorporating new best practices. Listed here are their Eights Ways to Improve the ROI of Online Games of Chance. The game is scheduled to start up again in August.

Earlier this year Catapult was also awarded the Best in Show in the 2009 Promo Interactive Marketing Awards for its Pedigree Million Dog Mosaic campaign. The campaign generated funding for a new Pedigree foundation dedicated to helping dogs find good homes. I can remember seeing those ads and wanting to go out immediately and adopt those dogs! Catapult created a promotional website which received about 1 million page views and where people uploaded 55,000 photos of their dogs. These photos were then woven into a mosaic image of a cute puppy. Each time a new photo was uploaded, Pedigree donated $1 to the foundation.

Catapult was also a finalist in four categories in the 2008 Pro Awards for its Pedigree Dog Adoption campaign: Best Multi-Discipline Campaign, Best Cause-Based Promotion, Best Campaign Targeting a Micro Audience, and Best Creative.

Another long time client is Australian Wine brands Rosemount Estate and Lindemans which has since grown to include additional brands such as Beringer, Meridian, Bohemian Highway and Little Penguin. Catapult struck a deal for the Rosemount brand with Gordon Ramsay, the star of the Fox Network reality cooking show Hell’s Kitchen. Later this month when the show premieres on July 21 the Rosemount brand will be integrated into it with retail promotions around the placement. “When you have a relationship with a company and an understanding about how they work and what their objectives are, you can add value to other parts of their business or brands,” said Matthe Jonas, their client and President of West.

One of Catapult’s core strengths has been shopper marketing. “In today’s marketplace you need to have programs that are as appealing to the shopper as they are to the retailer,” Kramer says. “We influence what people actually do, not what they say they will do.”

Congratulations to the team at Catapult. We'll be keeping an eye of what other exciting integrated promotional marketing programs they launch in the upcoming year.

NOTE: Catapult announced today, July 7th, that Paul Kramer has been named CEO. Kramer has worked as the agency’s COO since its founding in 2005. “Paul has been integral to our success since joining D.L. Ryan Companies as a managing director in 1990,” said David Ryan, founder and CEO of D.L. Ryan Cos. “His career has been marked by an unwavering ability to create effective and memorable sales and marketing programs for world-class marketers across a broad range of industries.” Congratulations to Paul.

HBO Promotes Season 2 of True Blood With Sweepstakes & Social Media Created by Vampires

I didn't get a chance to write a blog post yesterday because I was preparing for my daughter's graduation party which we hosted at our home. I believe it was a success and think that everyone had a good time. We were a bit anxious when some huge thunderstorms came rambling through late yesterday morning and some hail was reported. But it cleared up and ended up being a beautiful night.

I've been trying to write my Friday/Saturday posts about interactive promotions tied in with entertainment marketing since there as so many big moives released during the summer season. However, I already wrote earlier about the Transformers, Transform Your Dad, a big promotion Kmart did for Father's Day. The movie opened nationwide this past Wednesday instead of Friday and it's been way in the lead at the box office. So there really isn't another movie coming even close to it this week to report on.

What has been big this week is the start of the second season of HBO's TrueBlood which premiered last Sunday. HBO really used social media in some innovative ways to promote the return of season 2 such as creating a blog called BloodCopy which is written by true vampires and creating a microsite, The American Vampire League, which is all about protecting the rights of vampires. Then there is The Fellowship of the Sun which is the ministry created to protect their members against vampires. HBO also set up Facebook Fan Pages for each: here's the BloodCopy Fan Page, the AVL Fan Page and the one for Fellowship. Fans can follow them here on Twitter as well as various vampire character pages such as @SomniusX. Plus they have developed this BloodCopy Wiki.

HBO is running the Escape the Everyday Sweepstakes with a grand prize of $10,000 towards HBO, TV service, Internet, phone and so more courtesy of HBO. There are also instant win prizes consisting of the True Blood Season 1 DVDs, Fangtasia, Fellowship of the Sun and American Vampire League t-shirts and True Blood Logo mugs. The sweepstakes began on May 23 and ends July 3. 

To play the game you first have to choose if you want to be on the side of the mortals or the vampires. There's a viral marketing component to this as well where visitors can "Suck in Your Friends" by sending them an email post card inviting them to play or posting this widget on their Facebook page or many other social media options.

BMW's Mini teamed up with HBO with a co-branded print and digital ad campaign. Their Mini was one of several real brands being pitched to vampires. The campaign is comprised of national print, online and out-of-home outlets. The ads featuring blood-red versions of the Mini Cooper and Mini Clubman, have headlines like: "Feel the Wind in Your Fangs" and "Type GO." Digital ads ran on Yahoo, CNN, AOL, the TrueBlood home page on HBO.com, and the show's microsites.

Night at the Museum Teams Up with Hershey's & Post for Chances to Win Sleepovers & Cash

Hope everyone is having or had a good Memorial Day Weekend. I meant to continue my Friday blog posts on summer movie promotions but I was a little busy that day. We hosted the before and after party for my daughter's senior ball in which there was a total of 33 kids all going together in a limo bus that they chartered for the evening. Which meant that we ended up with over 100 people on our side lawn for photos! Anyhow, all went well and everyone seemed to have a good time.

So now that it's Monday morning and I've had a chance to get the house back in order I thought I'd visit the computer again and start writing. It appears that Ben Stiller beat Christian Bale in the North American weekend box office duel between their respective "Night at the Museum" and "Terminator" sequels, according to estimates issued on Sunday.

The 20th Century Fox comedy "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" sold $53.5 million worth of tickets during the three days beginning Friday, far exceeding the $30.4 million debut of its 2006 predecessor.

Hershey's is a major sponsor of the film and leveraged this with the launch of several promotions. First is an on-pack, instant-win game titled “Win a Night in the Museum” that will give five winners a night at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum that includes a sleepover in the gallery associated with film, a VIP after-hours tour and $500 in spending money.

Specially-marked packages of the following Hershey’s products are participating in the promotion: Hershey’s Kisses Brand Chocolates, Reese’s Pieces Candy, Whopper Malted Milk Balls, Good & Plenty Candy, Milk Duds Candy, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Miniatures, Hershey‘® Miniatures and 8-packs of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Kit Kat Wafer Bars and Almond Joy Candy Bars.

Hershey's also has an online promotional component that consists of the Unleash the Loot Sweepstakes.  Visitors can experience a fun and interactive way to "explore the museum" and enter the sweeps for a chance to win cash prizes which include a grand prize of $50,000 or one of 10 first prizes of $1,000 Visa Gift Cards. The sweeps runs through Oct. 31.

Hershey's also had been running a national TV commercial for their Hershey’s Kisses where the candy appears in a museum setting and movie characters Rexi the Dinosaur and Dum Dum the Easter Island Head eat them up.

Post Cereals also teamed up with 20th Century Fox to promote the film with an online instant win game, Win A Smithsonian Sleepover. One Grand Prize winner wins a four-day trip for six to Washington, D.C. with a one night sleepover at the Smithsonian museum, private screenings at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Imax Theater, guided tours of Washington, D.C. and at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and $1,700 in spending money.

Other prizes include 300 first prizes of $100 Museum Cash™ Card to spend at any museum or any merchant that accepts any major credit or debit card and 1,000 second prizes of glow-in-the-dark tee shirts. The promotion runs till June 30. There is also a Wonder Widget available for download on the promotional website.

Anyhow reviews seem to be mixed on this fim with critics giving it mostly a C, but users a more favorable B+ commenting that it is entertaining. It's a sequel and it's Ben Stiller, so you can't take it too seriously, just have some fun.

NHL Launches thePORTAL.com & Will Hold TweetUp to Promote Stanley Cup Playoffs

The National Hockey League (NHL) today opened the doors to thePORTAL at NHL.com to deliver fans a unique Stanley Cup Playoffs experience. thePORTAL at NHL.com leverages the exclusive access and unique digital media capabilities of the NHL to transport fans inside the action and behind the scenes with all 16 teams chasing the Stanley Cup.

Unfortunately the Buffalo Sabres did NOT make it to the playoffs this year and their season is now over. Even though they hung in there at the end and beat the Hurricanes 5-1, a Rangers' win kicked them out of contention. We can't blame it on the Rangers though.

thePORTAL at NHL.com is highlighted by special features such as live coverage from the NHL Video Review Room in Toronto. Each time a goal is reviewed during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, thePORTAL at NHL.com will be the only place for fans to learn in real-time how NHL rules are being interpreted and applied, leading to goals being allowed or disallowed.

thePORTAL at NHL.com also will be the only place where fans can see video interviews with NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell and NHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations Mike Murphy, who will discuss every call made the night before in the NHL Video Review Room. 

“The Stanley Cup Playoffs are when NHL teams elevate their play in pursuit of the Stanley Cup. We’re elevating our game, too,” said Andre Mika, NHL Senior Vice President of Broadband and New Media, and Executive in Charge of Programming. “We're breaking new ground in how we super-serve fans during our key events, an important element of our digital strategy to bring fans places other media cannot.”

The NHL is also planning to hold its first Tweetup, a meetup of people that Twitter, on Wednesday, April 15, between 7-10 p.m. EST to celebrate the launch of thePortal at NHL.com, as well as the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This strategy sends a message to fans that the NHL is the Digital League. Michael DiLorenzo, NHL director of corporate communications, said there isn't a more appropriate launch venue for the portal than a social media gathering.

Fans can find the flagship Tweetup party at the NHL Powered by Reebok Store on 6th Ave in New York City. McDonald's will sponsor free food in the city. Satellite "Tweetups" will occur in Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Denver, Edmonton, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Jose, Vancouver, and Washington.

NHL fans also have the opportunity to post comments and interact with celebrity blogger on NHL.com and on Twiiter at Twitter.com/NHLCelebBlogs which just started up today.

Anyhow, the first puck will be dropped Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET when the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals open at Verizon Center on TSN, while the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins do the same at Mellon Arena on VERSUS, CBC and RDS.

Super Reggie Award Goes to Kraft and their DSRL Campaign

Day 2 of PMA ’09 is just getting under way this morning. Yesterday was quite a full day that started off with Tony Palmer from Kimberly-Clark who shared with us some Aussie humor with a few down-under TV spots. Then we had Penry Price from Google as our luncheon keynote at mid-day who have us a great quick overview of today’s digital world. A look at Harley-Davidson’s creativity from Mark-Hans Richer, the current CMO was the afternoon highlight. Then we wrapped up the day with a dinner to celebrate the 26th Annual Reggie Awards.

After a dinner that consisted of filet migon and what looked and tasted like sweet mashed potatoes, they announced the winner of this year’s Super Reggie. Kraft Foods took home the big cash register this year with their Oreo Double Stuf Racing League (DSRL) campaign. As the headline of PMA’s special Reggie Awards supplement says, they “licked the competition”. The agency partners behind this successful campaign included Draftfcb (general and promotional advertising), Razorfish (digital), Digitas (online media), MediaVest (media), IMG (experiential) and Weber Shandwick (PR).

The promotion was first launched back in 2007 that I wrote about here since it was the first time we got to see the Manning brothers together endorsing a product. DSRL has now gained its position as an actual “professional sport”. Kraft claims that Double Stuf has enjoyed 16 consecutive months of sales growth since the program debuted and a 7% sales jump at the height of the promotion.

The objective they all started with was to differentiate the Double Stuf Oreo cookie from its older brother. “The spark came as we were thinking about fun new ways to engage consumers with Oreo,” explained John Ghingo, marketing director for Oreo at Kraft Foods. “Lots of people partake in the rituals of twisting, licking and dunking Oreo cookies in milk. Double Stuf Racing League focuses on the ‘lick’ aspect and takes Oreo to a new place in an unexpected way.”

As I noted, the campaign first started with the Manning Brothers, the two NFL quarterback stars Payton and Eli, competing against each other for the DSRL title. Next up were the Williams sisters, tennis champs Venus and Serena, who were challenging the guys in this “second sport” through a national TV ad. Viewers were encouraged to go online at whatsthesecondsport.com and create avatars that enabled them to participate in games, blogs and fan discussion groups.

Sweepstakes and instant-win prizes were also featured that gave the DSRL fans a chance to win a trip to New Orleans to participate in a “lick race” with the Manning Brothers for a $10,000 grand prize, A father/son team from Dayton, Ohio won the race in 27 seconds.

A spring contest is scheduled for this year that will include both the Mannings and the Williamses, so the program continues. Kraft is looking to bring on new talent, so who knows what sports celebrities they’ll bring on board next.

Back to the conference for now. We have Nazz Nichols from Nokia (say that 3'x fast) on next.

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?

PROMO 100 2008 Agency of the Year - Digitas

As is tradition, PROMO Magazine reveals it's PROMO 100 annual list of the top promotional agencies every June 1st which this year happened to be a Sunday, so the announcement was made on Monday, the 2nd instead. Last year they started a new tradition by holding a live webinar to announce the top 10 agencies along with the Agency of the Year. This year they again had a live webinar which was on Monday morning and presented by Patty Odell, Executive Editor of PROMO. However, I was not able to log-in for what ever reason that day, but it appears to be working fine now. If you want to see the presentation you can do so here.

PROMO changed up the model in which they selected their top agencies. As in the past there were three different factors which made up the rankings; two-year growth, creative and revenue. This year they went strictly with total revenue which I find odd and a bit disappointing.  So it's no surprise who really ends up in the top 10 anymore.  PROMO concluded that editors aren't creative directors, so their creative judgment was not fair.

This year's agency of the year went to DIGITAS, chosen mostly for it's work in interactive marketing. "€œIt has been a fabulous year for us," says Laura Lang, CEO of DIGITAS, USA who is featured here in this image. "I tell everyone that I couldn'€™t have imagined a better outcome."€

DIGITAS was purchased last year by advertising giant Publicis for $1.3 billion which added interactive talent to their mix as well as accounts such as American Express, General Motors and IBM. Maurice Levy, CEO of Publicis announced in late April that digital revenue was the strongest growth element in the company's Q1 2008 financial picture and he expects digital sales to make up 20% of his company's total revenue by the end of the year.

DIGITAS' promotions VP, Jackie Stone, highlighted the Buick Tee Off with Tiger online campaign their running this year. Entrants are asked to predict Tiger Woods' score on each hole of each round of each tournament of the 2008 PGA Tour in which he participates through the end of September. At the end of each tournament, the registered participants with the top ten scores will be considered finalists and will each receive one entry into the grand prize drawing for a chance to win a round of golf with Woods as the caddy. Each finalist will also win their choice of Tiger's actual Buick vehicle from that tournament or a new 2008 Buick vehicle up to $48,000 retail value.

There is also an instant win game that is giving away 20 gift certificates per tournament worth $25 each at either Nike Golf or PGA TOUR Superstore.com. "€œThese golfers are fascinated with how the game is played," Lang says. "€œSo the conversation around the promotion is how Tiger'€™s playing each hole, what club he's using and what strategy. We had insight into the consumer, and then we acted to bring that to life with a campaign that starts a broader conversation inside the group."€

The next stop on the PGA Tour that Tiger will be playing is the U.S. Open Championship being held June 12 -15 in La Jolla, California at Torrey Pines Golf Course. So, join in and see how well you predict how Tiger will do.

Another interactive promotional campaign launched by DIGITAS in the last year included the American Express Members Project, which asked cardholders to suggest worthy social projects. It pledged a $1 donation for every member who voted for the idea (to a $5 million limit).

So congratulations to the team at DIGITAS for being the first Interactive Agency to be awarded this coveted title. Last year it went to Ryan Partnership, one of the few independent agencies in the top 100. Here's links to the posts I wrote last year about them and the promotions they ran for Dove, Heineken and Campbell's.

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.

Burger King's Interactive Promotion Digs Indiana Jones

All you have to do is turn on your TV or go online this week and your bound to see an ad promoting this Thursday's theatrical release of  Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". This past weekend I wrote my first post about it and ever since it seems I've seen Harrison Ford's Indy character just about everywhere! I wrote in my first post about the partnership Major League Baseball has formed with Paramount over the release of this movie and I mentioned that there were another nine brands that have also gotten on this entertainment marketing bandwagon. So I picked Burger King to write about next.

Burger King has launched a national Indy-themed campaign that includes an interactive promotion that you can find on their website... the "Reveal the Secret" scratch-and-win game and the "Big Dig" online game. They also have introduced for a limited time a series of Indy Kids Meal toys as well as a new burger, The Indy Double Whopper, which comes with an extra kick... spicy Cajun mayo and pepper jack cheese.

"Reveal the Secret" game players have a one-in-two chance of winning each time they play, and prizes include $1 million, a 2008 Hummer H2, a trip for four to Peru from Expedia.com (another Indy partner), and free food items from BK.

The game consists of two parts, and in-store game and an online game. "Reveal the Secret" Game pieces are given out in-store and consumers can receive up to three game pieces per visit depending upon what BK items they purchase. Players can scratch off the skull area on the game piece to reveal if they've won and if so what.

Free online game codes are available online at bkindy.com where visitors must first register and can then receive up to three codes per day to play.  Each day, a $10,000 prize is hidden on the site. Site visitors enter their code and press the "Dig" icon to stop the roving searchlight and start digging for the prize. Each day the $10,000 prize goes uncovered, an additional $10,000 is added to the total prize. As of today, Courtney B. "dug up" $10,000 on May 14th. So the pot is growing!

Now the odds of winning the $1 million dollars or the 2008 Hummer H2 (valued at over $59,000 U.S.) are one in 278,689,720. So this appears to be an insured prize game and BK pays for the prize insurance based on these odds. Since it is an instant-win game, not a drawing, these prizes may never be awarded. If there is a winner for either prize, then the insurance company will pay to fulfill the prize. The Official Rules state that the winner of the Hummer has the option of taking $55,000 cash instead. With gas prices as they are, who can afford to drive a Hummer these days!

There is also a series of eight adventure-themed Kids Meal toys based on key scenes from all four "Indiana Jones" movies, as well as a Kids Meal bag printed in invisible ink. Each bag is printed with Indy trivia, and answers can only be revealed using the invisible ink pen, one of the Kids Meal toys.

TV spots on network and cable have been scheduled. The children's ads were created by Campbell Mithun of Minneapolis and are running through June 8 on children's cable channels such as Nickelodeon and Disney. The adult spots, created by Miami-based Crispin Porter + Bogusky, are running on major network and cable stations in prime time.

"The cross-generational appeal and cultural phenomenon of the 'Indiana Jones' series make this one of the most coveted entertainment partnerships," said Brian Gies, VP/marketing impact, Burger King Corp., in a statement. "The sponsorship allows Burger King Corp. to give our customers and fans of the movie the action and adventure they love."

Now I read that the movie debuted this past Sunday at the Cannes Film Festival. Most people would agree that this movie wasn't made for critics, it's for the fans, so why did they do that? You can read about what some of the critics are saying here in this article MSNBC picked up. MSNBC also has provided a slide show which includes photos of many of the stars from the Indy movie as well as others that attended the film festival. So, that's worth checking out in itself. Again, let us know what you think of the movie after you've seen it!

Godiva's Valentine's Day Promo for Chocolate Lovers

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and most people will buy their sweethearts a gift sometime between now and then. According to the National Retail Federation’s 2008 Valentine’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, the average consumer plans to spend $122.98 on Valentine’s Day, similar to last year’s $119.67. Total spending on Valentine’s Day is expected to reach $17.02 billion.

Godiva Chocolatier is offering all last minute shoppers the opportunity to order online today for delivery tomorrow (hurry up though, you must place your order by 3pm EST). Every year Godiva runs a Valentine's Day promotion and this year the company says they've come out with their biggest ever...the chance for a chocolate lover to win the ultimate chocolate fantasy!

The Grand Prize Winner of the 2008 Godiva Valentine's Day Promotion will receive a deluxe trip for two to New York City and will be the first to stay in the exclusive Godiva Decadence Suite in NYC's Bryant Park Hotel. This once-in-a-lifetime experience will be created especially for the winner and deconstructed upon their departure; no one else will ever share the same unique privilege. Every wall in the suite is made of chocolate and includes a luxe daybed decorated with Godiva chocolate.

Additional chocolate décor highlights include two pieces of art reinterpreted in chocolate by Godiva, exclusively for the suite which are Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" and a Jackson Pollock-inspired abstract. In the living room there is a coffee table filled with chocolate designed to mirror Godiva's iconic Gold Box, fashionable chocolate "Pucci" armchairs and a chocolate fireplace. The dining room is illuminated by a chocolate and amber crystal chandelier and several dark chocolate candelabras with a  chocolate mosaic table and chairs and a buffet toppling with an abundance of Godiva pieces. You can view more photos at Godiva.com.

In addition to a weekend in the lavish suite, the winner will also indulge in several chocolate-themed activities, including a private chocolate tasting led by Godiva Executive Chef Chocolatier Thierry Muret, a chocolate spa experience, and a private gourmet meal and wine pairing created by one of New York's finest chefs especially for the couple in the suite. In addition, upon their return home, the winner will receive a year's supply of Godiva chocolate.

To play the Godiva Valentine's Day Game consumers must first obtain a game piece which are included in specially marked Valentine’s Day gift boxes that have this heart symbol (♥). Free game pieces can be obtained through the mail by requesting one by March 1st. 100 first prizes of a Special Collectors Gift Box consisting of an assortment of Godiva chocolates will also be awarded. If not all prizes are awarded through the instant-win game, consumers can also enter the sweepstakes through a second chance drawing that's noted in the Official Rules.

The NRF survey also stated that traditional gifts, such as candy, flowers and jewelry will see a slight decrease in popularity this year with more consumers preferring gifts of experience and gift cards. Almost half (48.2%) of all consumers plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a special night out, compared to 45.3 percent last year, and 12.3 percent will give a gift card, compared to 11.3 percent last year. Greeting cards still remain the most popular choice, though the number of people planning to purchase one is down from last year (56.8% vs. 62.8% last year). Nearly 48.0 percent of consumers will buy candy, 35.9 will buy flowers and 11.8 percent will buy clothing.

Phil Rist, Vice President of Strategy for BIGresearch stated “Consumers are expected to invest time and money on gifts of experience this year, in addition to staple Valentine’s Day gifts,” “Whether it’s a weekend getaway or a night out on the town, consumers are looking for quality rather than quantity.”

Godiva must have been clued into this research when they developed this year's promotion to include such an experiential grand prize. Anyhow, you still have time to get those last minute gifts, so get shopping and Happy Valentine's Day!!