National Geographic Channel has launched an unsinkable marketing package to christen the premiere of two specials marking the 100th anniversary of the watery end of the Titanic maiden voyage.
The promotions involve on air, online, magazines, newspaper, games, books and a newspaper series jointly produced with USA Today.
Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron, has its debut on April 8 at 8 p.m. and Save the Titanic with Bob Ballard premieres April 9 at 10 p.m. The documentaries will eventually air in 435 million homes in 173 countries and 37 languages.
To draw attention to the two-night event, the specials will get mentions in the April issue of National Geographic Magazine and a tune-in message in NG Kids Magazine. Tune-in stickers have been placed on goods purchased from the National Geographic Catalog and promos can be found at NGStore.com. Two e-mail blasts went to the entire National Geographic e-database of seven million.
National Geographic has also put together Titanic content on other platforms:
- The Titanic will be on the cover of the April issue of National Geographic Magazine.
- NationalGeographic.com and Natgeotv.com have created a Titanic hub including video, photos, articles and two interactive experiences, one which places users amid Edwardian opulence and allows them to mingle with the ships passengers, while the other provides a visual timeline of the construction of the Titanic.
- National Geographic Books is publishing Titanic: Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Greatest Shipwreck as an e-book, with a forward form Ballard.
- National Geographic Kids Books developed a 48-page book about the ship's sinking.
- National Geographic Games has Titanic: Unsolved Mystery coming for PCs, Macs, iPhones and Adroid, which allows gamers to explore the ship and search for hidden objects.
- National Geographic Maps is coming out with a new map detailing the ship's route.
A world premiere screening of Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron was hosted by National Geographic Channel, the National Geographic Society, Paramount Pictures and USA Today on April 4 at the National Geographic headquarters in Washington D.C.
Ballard will appear live at National Geographic headquarters on April 10 and talk about his insights about the Titanic story.
"While we are certainly aware of other Titanic initiatives, National Geographic is the only institution in the world with the resources to fully honor this important anniversary," said Michael Cascio, executive VP of programming for the National Geographic Channel. "In addition to our two world premiere documentaries, which happen to feature Dr. Robert Ballard -- the man who discovered the Titanic -- and James Cameron -- the man who made the blockbuster movie on the Titanic -- we are also using every tool at our disposal to produce and distribute content on this important anniversary."
