Comedy Central's "Indecision 2000"
political-coverage plans have driven it to drink -- Snapple, that is.
Snapple Beverage Corp. -- an existing client that had
wanted to increase its on-channel and off-channel involvement with Comedy this year --
found a way to do so by tying into the network's Indecision 2000 coverage during the
second quarter, as well as its "Unconventional Convention" tie-in sweepstakes
promotion.
Snapple is boosting its network spending fivefold over last
year, a Comedy spokesman said, but the network also sought to "drive some revenues
down to the affiliate level," Comedy vice president of affiliate ad sales Curt Greves
said.
Snapple "embellished" on the promo tie-in by
placing heavy local Unconventional Convention sweepstakes buys in a handful of key markets
via its ad agency, Deutsch Advertising, added Comedy manager of affiliate ad sales
Jennifer McNab Baumann.
Those markets are Boston; Hartford, Conn.; New York;
Philadelphia; Rochester, N.Y.; and San Francisco, she said, adding that those spots --
running from June 12 through 26 -- will be tagged to drive traffic to retailers in those
markets.
Consumers will be asked to phone a toll-free 800 number to
enter the Unconventional Convention contest drawing, and the grand prize will be a trip to
Jamaica.
Deutsch placed those buys with spot-cable rep firm National
Cable Communications except in New York, where it bought from the New York Interconnect
and Time Warner CityCable.
Comedy will also run the promotion in about 20 non-Snapple
markets from May 15 through June 11.
